Keeping Your Rig Mint: The Real-World Weekly Maintenance Routine

Never wash a car that’s hot to the touch. If you have to, do it early in the morning or late arvo. If the water dries before you can rinse it, you'll get water spots that are a nightmare to remove.

Fill your dedicated wheel bucket first with water and a bit of soap. Get your brushes ready. Wheels are always first because they're the dirtiest part.

Fill Bucket A with water and the recommended amount of soap. Fill Bucket B with just plain water. This is your rinse bucket.

Walk around the car. Spot any bird bombs or heavy mud. If you've got bat droppings, treat them now by soaking a paper towel in warm water and laying it over the spot to soften it.

Have your drying towel ready and a few clean microfibers for the door jambs and glass. Keep them off the ground! Drop a towel on the driveway and it's garbage until it's been through the wash.

Spray your wheel cleaner on cool wheels. Let it dwell for a minute (don't let it dry). Srub with your wheel brush and rinse thoroughly. Do one wheel at a time.

Blast the whole car with water. Start from the top and work down. Pay extra attention to the wheel arches and the bottom of the doors where the road salt and grime build up.

Coat the car in foam and let it sit for about 5 minutes. This encapsulates the dirt. Don't let it dry! Rinse it off before it gets tacky.

Dunk your mitt in the soapy bucket, then wash a panel starting from the roof. Use light pressure, you're not scrubbing a burnt pot, you're gliding over paint.

After every panel, rinse your dirty mitt in the plain water bucket (Bucket B). Shake it out, then go back to the soapy bucket (Bucket A). This keeps your wash water clean.

Roof, then glass, then bonnet, then boot, then upper doors. Save the lower sills and bumpers for last, that's where the heaviest grit lives.

If it's a warm day, rinse the soap off every couple of panels so it doesn't dry. Keep the whole car wet while you work.

Use a gentle flow of water (nozzle off) to 'sheet' the water off the paint. This leaves less water for you to dry manually.

Lay your large drying towel flat on the bonnet and pull it towards you. Let the weight of the towel soak up the water. Avoid circular rubbing motions.

Use a separate, older microfiber to dry the door jambs. This is where the missus will notice if you've done a proper job or not.

Spray glass cleaner onto the towel, not the glass. Wipe in straight lines, horizontal on the inside, vertical on the outside. If there's a streak, you'll know which side it's on.

Mist a spray sealant or quick detailer over the paint and buff lightly with a fresh microfiber. This adds that 'just waxed' slickness and UV protection.

Apply a thin layer of tyre dressing. Use an applicator sponge to get it into the grooves. Less is more here.

Give the car a once-over. Check for any drips from the mirrors or door handles and wipe them away.