Proper care for a 4WD that works for a living — Cape Trib red dust, beach sand, mud in the arches, salt from the coast. Drop it to our Trinity Beach shop or we come to you.
A 4WD that gets used properly comes home with red dust packed into the seams, mud baked into the arches, salt from the beach tracks, and whatever the Daintree threw at it along the way. A standard car wash isn't built for that — it cleans the surface and leaves the rest.
A proper 4WD detail works through the whole thing. That means getting into the wheel arches and underbody where the mud and salt sit, not just washing the panels you can see. We use a pre-soak to soften the heavy grime before anything touches the paint, so we're lifting it off rather than grinding it in. If that makes sense.
I'll be straight with you — if you've just got a standard street-driven 4WD that hasn't been off-road, a regular exterior detail will do the job and it'll be a bit cheaper. This one's for the cars that have actually been out there.
Up here, a 4WD is dealing with things that a car in most parts of Australia never sees all at once. Worth knowing what you're up against:
Cape Trib, the Atherton Tablelands, the inland tracks — the red laterite dust up here is fine enough to work into every seam, and when it mixes with moisture it sits on the paint and clear coat and doesn't rinse off. Left long enough it etches. A proper decontamination pull it out before it does damage.
Beach driving and coastal tracks coat the underbody and arches in salt. On a 4WD with mud flaps, skid plates and steel hardware, that salt finds places to sit and start working. Regular underbody rinses and a clean of the arches goes a long way toward keeping the rust at bay.
A 4WD has more horizontal panel surface than a sedan — bonnet, roof, tray — and those flat faces take the full force of Cairns UV. Unprotected, the clear coat fades and goes chalky noticeably faster here than down south. A sealant or ceramic coat on a 4WD earns its keep.
We start with a high-pressure rinse and a foam pre-soak to soften and lift the heavy mud, dust and grime before anything touches the paint. On a 4WD that's been out, skipping this step means dragging abrasive grit across every panel — we don't do that.
The bits most washes miss. We get into the wheel arches where the mud and salt pack in, rinse the underbody, and properly clean the wheels — barrels included — then dress the tyres. This is the step that matters most on a 4WD.
Every panel washed by hand with clean water in the rinse bucket so we're lifting grit off the mitt, not rubbing it back into the paint. Takes longer than a machine wash — that's the point.
A clay treatment across every panel to pull out bonded contaminants — iron fallout, tar, red dust — that a normal wash leaves behind. You'd be surprised how much a 4WD picks up, even on sealed roads.
Dried by hand to avoid water spots, then a protective hydrophobic sealant applied across all painted surfaces. Water beads and sheets off, the paint holds a clean shine, and the next wash is easier. Want something that lasts years rather than months? We can add a ceramic coat from here.
4WDs vary a lot — a standard dual-cab is different to a lifted Land Cruiser that's been to Cape York. We'll give you an exact quote on a quick call once we know a bit about your car and what it needs.
A full exterior — pre-soak, hand wash, decontamination, wheel arches and underbody, wheels and tyres, and a protective sealant. Sized for a 4WD, which takes more time and product than a sedan.
The exterior detail plus a full interior clean and a machine cut-and-polish to take out the swirls and dullness. For a 4WD that needs resetting inside and out in one go — starting from $799.
Long-term protection against the salt, red dust and UV a 4WD cops up here. A coating bonds to the clear coat and lasts years — makes the car far easier to clean and far harder to damage. For a 4WD, from $1,400.
Prices are GST-inclusive and a $100 deposit holds your spot. Just tell us a bit about your 4WD and we'll sort an exact figure.
What customers say after a Posh Wash detail.
“Recently had our car detailed by Grace — friendly, professional, and great communication from start to finish. We booked the Signature Detail package and every surface was spotless. The car looks and feels like new again. Highly recommended.”
“Had two vehicles fully detailed inside and out. Both cars came up better than expected. The whole process from booking to completion was seamless. Grace was a pleasure to deal with.”
“Happiest I could be after Grace’s amazing service. Professionalism from booking through to the finished cars was outstanding — attention to detail was exceptional. We look forward to booking again.”
“I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my car. Grace does a beautiful job — no nasty chemicals that make me feel sick. Lovely energy. Posh Wash is 5 stars from me.”
Tell us a bit about your car — what it's been through, what you're after — and we'll say honestly what it needs and what it'll cost. We can pencil you in with no pressure at all.
Long-term paint protection built for Cairns UV, salt air and the conditions a 4WD cops. Bonds to the clear coat and lasts years.
Learn moreSand in every crevice, wet dog, mud on the carpet — we sort the inside of a 4WD properly.
Learn moreNot sure whether wax, sealant, ceramic or PPF is right for your 4WD? We'll walk you through the options honestly.
Learn moreStraight answers about 4wd detailing in Cairns — no jargon.
An exterior detail for a 4WD starts from $450 — more than a sedan because there's more car, more arch and underbody work, and typically more grime to deal with. The Full Works (exterior plus interior plus a cut-and-polish) starts from $799, and a ceramic coating for a 4WD starts from $1,400. All prices are GST-inclusive and we'll give you an exact quote on a quick call.
Yes — and on a 4WD that's actually been off-road, this is the most important part. That's where the mud, red dust and salt pack in and start doing the real damage. We get in there properly with a rinse and a dedicated clean, not just a spray from a distance.
Honestly, it depends. If you're doing a few beach runs a year and hosing it down after, a standard exterior detail is probably all you need — and I'd tell you that. A full 4WD detail is really for cars that are out regularly, heading to Cape Trib, Cooktown or the inland tracks, where the red dust and salt are getting into everything. If you're not sure, give us a buzz and we'll work out the right service for what you actually do with it.
We start with a foam pre-soak to soften it before any contact with the paint — the biggest mistake is rubbing red dust around the panels, which grinds it in. After the pre-soak and rinse, we hand wash panel by panel, then clay the paint to pull out anything that's bonded to the clear coat. It usually takes a bit of time on a car that's done a proper trip.
Both work, depending on the job. A standard exterior detail we can do at your place — just need a hose or tap and a bit of space. Bigger jobs, like the Full Works or a ceramic coat, are usually better as a drop-off at our Trinity Beach shop because they take most of a day. Whatever's easiest for you, we'll make it work.
That's a fair question. A ceramic coating is fantastic for paint protection — UV, salt, mud doesn't bond to it the way it does to bare paint. The honest caveat: if you're doing serious rock-crawling and the paint cops chips and scratches regularly, a coating won't stop physical damage. For the Cairns 4WD owner doing beach tracks, Cape Trib, and the inland roads — yes, a coating genuinely earns its keep and the car is far easier to clean between trips.
Drop into our shopfront at 29 Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach, or stay put and our mobile vans come to your home or work right across Cairns and the Northern Beaches.
