Keeping Your Paint Mint: The Fundamentals of Exterior Care

Never, ever wash a car in direct Aussie sunlight if you can help it. The water dries too fast, leaving water spots that are a nightmare to get off. If you can't find shade, do it first thing in the morning or late in the arvo.

Make sure your wheels are cool to the touch. If you've just come off the highway, give them 20 minutes to cool down before spraying any chemicals on them.

Get your buckets filled and your towels ready. There's nothing worse than having a soapy car and realising your drying towel is still in the laundry.

Always start with the wheels. Why? Because they're the dirtiest part. If you wash the paint first, then spray wheel cleaner, all that brake dust and grime will splash onto your clean paint. I use a dedicated bucket just for wheels.

Blast the car down with water. Your goal here is to remove the loose stuff like red dust, sand, or bird muck. Don't go straight in with a mitt or you're just grinding that sand into the paint. (Learned that lesson the expensive way on my first black Commodore, never again).

Coat the car in foam and let it dwell for 4-5 minutes. It breaks down the oils and lifts the dirt. If you don't have a foam gun, just use a bit more water in your pre-rinse.

Dip your mitt in the soapy bucket, wash a panel, then rinse the mitt in the plain water bucket. This keeps your soapy water clean. Start from the roof and work your way down. The bottom of the doors are always the filthiest, so save them for last.

You don't need to scrub. Let the chemicals and the mitt do the work. Use straight-line motions, not circles. Circles cause those spider-web swirls you see in the sun.

Make sure you get all the soap out of the door mirrors, fuel cap, and window seals. Dried soap can stain trim if it sits there in the heat.

Lay your large microfibre towel across the flat surfaces (hood, roof) and just pull it towards you. For the sides, pat it dry. Most scratches happen during drying, so be gentle.

Run your hand over the paint. If it feels like sandpaper, you've got 'fallout'. I wouldn't bother with a clay bar every wash, but once every 6 months is usually enough for a daily driver.

This is the most important bit for Autumn. Use a spray sealant like Bowden's Bead Machine or Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax. It takes 5 minutes but gives you a UV shield. Just spray on a damp or dry panel (check the bottle) and buff off.

Clean the glass last to get any overspray off. Then, chuck some tyre shine on. Honestly, don't go overboard with the 'wet look' gels, they just sling grease down the side of your car the moment you drive off. A nice matte or satin finish looks way more professional.