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Words by Brendan Seymour
Photography by Brendan Seymour and Andrew Critchley
Opening shot by Robb Cox

Meguiar’s has been making car-care products for over 100 years now, so you can rest assured of the good quality. Everything to make your vehicle shine like new again is available. Visit www.meguiars.com.au for more information.

SuperCheap Auto retail the complete line of quality Meguiar’s products in all of the stores. If the team doesn't have it in stock, they'll get it. Visit www.supercheapauto.com.au or drop into your nearest store (with over 240 stores across Australia and New Zealand, there is bound to be one near you) to check out the Meguiar’s range.

We all have memories of growing up and helping Dad polish the car with Meguiar’s cutting compound, don't we? That distinct smell, the shine of the paintwork, being able to see your reflection in the bonnet – they're all etched into my mind as I'm sure they are yours.

By its very nature, a 4WD that spends time off-road is bound to cop some paint damage along the way. Be it scratches from a blackberry bush or caked-on mud, a 4WD’s duco usually cops a caning. Granted that we're usually more concerned with what's working underneath and what isn't, there's no shame in wanting to have a nice, shiny pride and joy either.

The upside to putting the effort into cleaning your vehicle is that it gives you up close and personal time to discover any hidden damage. Stick your head under the guard while you're hosing the mud out, and make a visual check for any damage. Give every part you can reach a bit of a jiggle too, just to make sure nothing is loose.

So, let's say you have just come back from a day's four-wheel driving, and your vehicle is covered in muck. The first step is to get the majority of it off before it dries onto the paint, which can permanently mark it.

The best way to do this is with a pressure-washer (gurney). If you have one at home – beaut. If not – head down to your local wash bay. The great thing about wash bays is that you can do just about everything in one place from degreasing to waxing, and everything in between.

Attack the underbody with degreaser to aid in removing mud	Before washing a car, it's important to clean the majority of the muck off with plain water first. Otherwise, the contaminants will scratch your duco	Speed Detailer is a brilliant product that you spray-on and wipe-off to take a whole heap of dirt and grime with it. It's recommended you use it before rubbing any wax into the paint

Wash-bay operators will often get a little shirty when you rock up and fill their driveway with mud (and it's understandable), so try to remove the majority before you get there – even if it is just kicking the clods off with your boot.

Before you start, put a plastic bag held on with a rubber band around the distributor cap. That way, no moisture will get into the distributor and prevent spark from reaching the spark plugs. If it does, simply take the cap off and give it a spray with some WD-40, or failing that, wipe it dry with a clean rag (emphasis on clean).

Set the wash-gun switch to the tyre/engine cleaner (a degreasing solution), and hit the underneath of your vehicle, under the guards, the wheels and the engine bay with degreaser. Make sure no water is going to get in the air intake.

Leave the degreaser to soak in for a couple of minutes while ensuring none runs onto your paintwork. Then, turn the knob to high-pressure wash and spray the mud off your vehicle starting from the roof and working progressively down. Once it is cleared of excess mud, it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty.

Now this is a cool product. Called 'Quik Clay', you spray on a solution and then use the provided putty to rub the paint much like an eraser. You can feel the paintwork getting smoother as you rub, and a quick look at the clay shows how much dirt you're taking off	ColourX is a treatment that is designed to give your fading paintwork a bit of a helping hand. It's applied the same way as most rub-on, rub-off Meguiar’s products – use a terry-towling cloth to apply the treatment in a swirling, circular motion, and a soft micro-fibre cloth to buff it off	Another fantastic product is the next-generation ‘All Metal Polish’. This product probably requires more elbow grease than anything else in the Meguiar’s range, but the results are worth it. Check the difference between the left-hand side (treated) and the right (untreated)

Now we come to the grand-daddy of the range – Gold Class Liquid Wax. With a carnauba wax (the most durable natural wax around) base, once it's on it is guaranteed to last a bloody long time, and will keep your duco looking top-notch	Here's how good the Exterior Trim Treatment is. You can see the difference in the treated and untreated areas	The proof's in the pudding. The difference in the before and after shots is amazing

With the Meguiar’s range of products, keeping your 4WD clean and looking good doesn't have to be a constant battle.