11. Clay bar

Grit, salt and damp make the next few months a tough time for your car.

Particularly vulnerable is the paintwork. Before applying a generous protective coat of wax, give the body a thorough clean with a clay bar.

This will remove all those tiny impurities that stick to paint, and leave a super-smooth finish for the wax to bond to.

Our clay bar test winner was Bilt-Hamber’s Auto-clay Soft (£10.95).