Shift the Red Dirt: Pro Tips for Mud and Dust

Never, ever touch the paint with a mitt while there's visible mud. I learned this the hard way on a black Commodore years ago, thought a 'quick wipe' would be fine, but I ended up needing a two-stage polish to fix the scratches. Use a pressure washer first. Start from the bottom and work up to loosen the heavy stuff, then rinse from the top down. It sounds backwards, but it stops the clean water just running over the mud without doing anything.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother trying to clean a muddy 4WD without a decent snow foam. My go-to is Bowden’s Own Snow Job or Meguiar's Gold Class if I'm grabbing something from the servo. Chuck it on a dry car (trust me on this) so the soap clings to the dirt instead of sliding off a wet surface. Let it dwell for 5-8 minutes so it can penetrate that baked-on crust, but don't let it dry in the sun or you'll have a whole new problem.

A customer once brought in a Ranger that looked clean, but it was overheating because the radiator and arches were packed with dried mud. Don't just spray the panels. Get right up into the arches and behind the bumpers. Red dust loves to hide in the chassis rails, and once it gets wet again, it just turns into a rust-promoting paste. Use an underbody wand if you've got one; it makes life way easier.

That orange tint that sticks to your plastics after a trip to the Red Centre? Soap won't touch it. I reckon an APC (All Purpose Cleaner) like Koch Chemie Green Star or even a diluted bit of Simple Green works wonders. Use a soft brush to agitate the textured plastics. For the paint, if it's still looking 'stained' after a wash, you might need an iron fallout remover like Gtechniq W6. It's wild seeing the purple streaks as it pulls the mineral deposits out.