Getting Your Rig Ready for Sale: The Detailer's Guide to Maxing Your Resale Value

Never, ever detail a car in direct Aussie sun if you can help it. The soaps dry too fast and leave spots. Set up under a carport or wait for the arvo.

Empty everything. Personal rubbish, old receipts, that spare thong under the seat, chuck it. You want the buyer to imagine their life in the car, not yours.

Blast the heavy mud and red dust out of the wheel arches and undercarriage first. If you leave this till later, you'll just splash dirt back onto your clean car.

Give the engine bay a light misting of APC. Be careful around the alternator and air intake. Use a brush to agitate, then rinse on low pressure.

Clean the wheels while they are cool. Use your iron remover and a dedicated brush. Don't use the same bucket for your wheels and your paint!

Coat the whole car in foam. Let it dwell for 5 minutes but don't let it dry. This pulls the abrasive Aussie dust off the surface.

One bucket with soapy water, one with clean water for rinsing your mitt. Work from the top down. Wash a panel, rinse the mitt, repeat.

Spray iron remover on the paint. If you've been near a railway or an industrial area, you'll see purple streaks. Rinse thoroughly.

Run your hand over the clean paint. Feel little bumps? That's embedded dirt. Use a clay bar with plenty of lubricant until the paint feels smooth as glass.

Use your big microfibre drying towel. Pat it dry rather than dragging it. Blow out the mirrors and badges with a leaf blower if you've got one (the missus might look at you funny, but it works).

If you've got swirl marks, use a DA polisher with a light finishing polish. Even a quick 2-hour lap around the car will make the colour 'pop' in photos.

Apply a good quality sealant. I reckon the ceramic-based spray sealants (like Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic) are the go for sales, they're fast and leave a ridiculous shine.

Buyers always look here. Use APC and a cloth to clean the hinges and the bottom of the doors. No red dust allowed!

Go mental with the vac. Move the seats all the way forward and back. Use a brush to lift sand out of the carpet fibres.

Wipe down the dash, console, and door cards with APC. Use a brush for the cup holders, they're always gross.

If you've got leather, clean it with a dedicated leather cleaner. Don't use anything that makes it shiny or slippery. Buyers like a matte, 'new car' look.

Use two towels for glass. One to apply the cleaner, one perfectly dry one to buff off. Streak-free vision is vital for the test drive.

Aussie sun kills black plastics. Use a trim restorer to turn that grey plastic back to black. It makes the car look five years younger instantly.

Apply your tyre gel. Don't overdo it, you want a nice satin finish, not a greasy mess.

If there's a lingering smell (dog, smoke, wet carpet), use an Odor Eliminator or a charcoal bag. Don't just hang five 'Little Trees' from the mirror, that's a red flag.