Keeping Your Ride Mint: The Better Weekly Maintenance Routine

Never wash a car in direct midday sun. The water dries too fast, leaving nasty water spots that are a nightmare to get off. If you've gotta do it outside, wait until the arvo or do it early morning.

Touch the bonnet. If it's hot enough to fry an egg, it's too hot to wash. Hose it down with cool water first to bring the temp down.

Fill your rinse bucket with plain water. Put your soap in the other bucket and blast it with the hose to get a nice head of suds.

Always start with the wheels. They're the dirtiest part. If you do them last, you'll splash brake dust all over your clean paint. Spray your cleaner, let it dwell for a minute, scrub with your brushes, and rinse thoroughly.

Blast the whole car with water. You want to get as much loose grit, red dust, and salt off as possible before you actually touch the paint. Don't forget the wheel arches and undercarriage if you've been near the beach.

If you've got a foam cannon, use it now. Let it sit for 5 minutes (don't let it dry!) to encapsulate the dirt. If not, no dramas, just move to the wash.

Dunk your mitt in the soapy bucket, then start at the roof. Work your way down in straight lines. Don't use circular motions, that's how you get swirl marks. I learned this the hard way on a black Commodore I used to own; one bad wash and it looked like a spiderweb in the sun.

After every panel, dunk the mitt in your rinse bucket, scrub it against the grit guard to drop the dirt, then go back into the soap bucket. This keeps your wash water clean.

If you've got bug guts on the front or bird droppings, don't scrub hard. Let the soap dwell or use a specific bug remover. Forcing it will just scratch the paint.

Rinse the whole car from the top down. Use a gentle flow of water for the final pass, this 'sheeting' method helps the water run off, making drying easier.

Mist a bit of quick detailer on the wet panel (this acts as a lubricant) and lay your large microfibre towel across it. Pat it dry or pull it slowly across the surface. No need to scrub.

Open the doors and wipe the shuts. It's a small detail, but it's what separates a 'wash' from a 'detail'. Your partner will thank you when they don't get grease on their clothes getting in.

Clean the outside glass with a dedicated glass cleaner. Use a separate towel so you don't smear any wax or soap residue from the bodywork.

Apply a water-based tyre dressing. Personally, I reckon the high-gloss 'wet' look is a bit tacky, so I go for a satin finish. Make sure it's dry before you drive off or you'll get 'sling' all down your doors.