Keeping Your Rig Mint Through the Aussie Autumn

Never, ever wash your car in direct Aussie sunlight. The water will spot, the soap will dry, and you'll end up with a bigger mess. Wait for the arvo or do it under a carport.

If you've just driven home from the shops, let the brakes and engine cool. Spraying cold water on hot rotors is a great way to warp them.

Get your buckets filled, your hoses untangled, and your towels ready. Nothing worse than having a soapy car and realising your drying towel is still in the laundry.

Give the whole car a heavy rinse with just water. Your goal is to knock off the loose sand and dust before you even think about touching the paint.

Always wash your wheels first. They're the dirtiest part, and if you do them last, you'll spray grime back onto your clean paint.

Spray your APC into the wheel arches and on the tyre sidewalls. Use a stiff brush to scrub the rubber until the suds stop turning brown. That brown stuff is 'blooming', old tyre dressing and dirt.

Coat the dry car in a thick layer of snow foam. Let it dwell for about 5 minutes, but don't let it dry. This pulls the red dust out of the crevices. (I once saw a guy try to do this in 42-degree heat in Adelaide... the foam dried instantly and he spent three hours buffing out the streaks. Don't be that guy.)

Rinse the foam off thoroughly, working from the bottom up (to give the soap more dwell time) and then a final rinse from the top down.

One bucket with soapy water, one with clean rinse water. Dip your mitt in the soap, wash a panel, then rinse the mitt in the clean water before going back for more soap. This keeps the grit off your car.

Spray an iron remover on the paint. If it turns purple, it's working. This dissolves those tiny metal shards that come from your brakes or train tracks.

While the car is still wet, use a clay bar or mitt with plenty of lubricant (soapy water works). Glide it over the paint until it feels smooth as glass. This is crucial for getting rid of those stubborn 'pimples' in the paint.

Give it one last rinse. Use your big microfibre towel to dry it. I like to use a 'pat dry' method or just drag the towel across the surface, don't scrub it.

Don't forget the bits you don't see. Use a damp microfibre to wipe out the door sills and the boot channel. This is where red dust loves to hide and eventually cause rust.

Apply your sealant. If you're using a spray sealant like Bowden's Bead Machine, less is more. Do one panel at a time, buffing off immediately.

Use a vacuum and a detailing brush. Brush the dust out of the vents while holding the vacuum nozzle right next to it. It's the only way to genuinely get rid of outback dust.

Use a slightly damp cloth for the dash, then follow up with your UV protectant. Avoid the 'shiny' stuff, it reflects onto the windscreen and looks cheap anyway. Go for a matte finish.

If you've got leather, it's probably thirsty after summer. Use a dedicated leather conditioner to keep it supple so it doesn't crack when the cooler weather hits.

Two-towel method: one to apply cleaner and scrub, one dry one to buff to a streak-free finish. Do the inside of the windscreen last, it's the hardest part.

Apply a water-based tyre gel. It should look like new rubber, not a greased pig. Give it 20 minutes to dry so it doesn't fling off onto your clean paint (we call that 'sling').