Keeping Your Rig Clean in the Aussie Heat

I learned this the hard way on a black Commodore I used to own, never again. Aussie bat and bird droppings are incredibly acidic, especially in the heat. If you leave it for more than a day, it'll etch right through your wax and into the paint. Keep a small bottle of quick detailer (I reckon Bowden's Own 'Fully Slick' is a cracker) and a clean microfibre in the glovebox. Spot clean it the second you see it. (Your partner will thank you when the car doesn't have permanent white spots everywhere).

After a dusty Nullarbor crossing or a weekend at Landcruiser Mountain Park, your car is covered in silica. If you just grab a sponge and start scrubbing, you're basically sanding your paint. You need a proper snow foam or at least a very long pressure rinse first. Don't even think about touching the paint with a mitt until you've rinsed it three times. Truth be told, most 'scratches' people see on 4WDs are just poor washing technique after a trip.

Our UV is no joke. A lot of blokes reckon wax is enough, but in an Aussie summer, a standard carnauba wax will melt off in about a week. I'm a big fan of ceramic sealants these days. Something like Gtechniq C2 or Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax. It's dead easy, you just spray it on while the car's wet and rinse it off. It gives you way better UV protection than the old-school tubs of wax, and it makes the dust slide right off next time you're out bush.

If you've been anywhere near the beach, you've got salt in places you didn't know existed. A mate of mine once lost a whole chassis to rust because he only washed the shiny bits. Get yourself an underbody water broom or just chuck a lawn sprinkler under the car for 20 minutes after a beach run. It's the best $30 you'll ever spend at the hardware store.