Once your car has been properly cleaned, polished and protected it will be much easier to work on and take less time, effort and products to keep it looking as though it has just had a major clean. A weekly or biweekly wash using a mild, wax friendly shampoo product will be sufficient to remove any light dirt & contaminants that have recently been picked up and will help to prolong the durability of any wax or sealant that has been applied. Paintwork and glass can be restored to a high standard from a basic wash & dry.

Wheels that were once heavily ingrained with dirt and brake dust can now be fully cleaned and brought back to standard with the same shampoo product used to wash the rest of your car. Generally most of the exterior of your car can be satisfactorily cleaned and maintained regularly using a just mild shampoo product, wether it be a convertible top, your plastics & trim, tyre walls, arches or door shuts.

In between a regular wash routine however, another step can be added to prolong the clean look of your car even further. Provided your car has only very light contaminants that have been picked up from the last day or two, a detailing spray used with a damp micro fibre towel can be used to keep your car as contaminant free and clean as possible. Simply spray the vehicle generously and lightly wipe over with the damp micro fibre towel to lift off the light dirt and reveal the recently cleaned surface underneath.

This can be used to rejuvenate all areas of the exterior of your car as well as the paintwork. It is not advisable to use a detailing spray and micro fibre towel to maintain your car if it has anything more than very light dust/contaminants on as this could lead to swirl marks or scratches being inflicted on the paintwork.

A small ‘kit’ comprising of a detailing spray, micro fibre towels, an all purpose cleaner, a dressing product, and a selection of soft brushes can be kept in the boot or trunk of your car ensuring that it can be easily and conveniently maintained wherever you are. This would also enable you to immediately remove things like bug splatter or bird droppings from your recently cleaned car should they suddenly occur.

Car Paint Maintenance: How to keep your car looking brand new.

3. Polish Regularly.

Polishing your car not only makes it look good, it also protects the painted surface. It isn't necessary to polish your car every week, or even every month, every six months or so will do. Use a quality polish and apply it with a quality applicator made for the purpose, follow the instructions that come with the polish, and remove the polish using a soft, clean rag that won't scratch the paint. Don't attempt to polish the whole car in one go, do it panel by panel, or if it's a large panel do it a section at a time.

5. How to remove scratches from the car?

Spotting a scratch on the car isn't the end of the road. "Depending on the severity of the scratch, if it isn't too wide or too deep, you can remove, or make that light scratch or car park ding look less obvious, with a simple hand polish or scratch remover," says Bowden."For most cases the scratches are best polished out with a machine, something any good professional detailer will be able to do for you. But when a scratch goes through the base coat it is all over and you have to respray it."