The ULTIMATE 4x4 Protection Plan!

Bar work and bash plates will protect your vehicle from big impacts, but how about stone chips, rust, small dents, and scratchy tracks? Here you will need a 4x4 protection plan.

We will show you how to minimise all of this and keep your 4x4 like new.

Keeping your 4x4 Clean.

A dirty 4x4 looks cool, but it is terrible for the paint. Most contaminants are acidic, which will eat through clear coat eventually. Use a quality car wash every couple of weeks and especially after beach or mud driving.

A routine coating of wax or ceramic based protectant is a good 4x4 protection plan and will maintain shine, protect against UV damage, and cause much of the mud to rinse right off!

A 4x4 Protection Plan to stop your 4x4 from rusting!

Simple and effective 4x4 rust protection comes down to cleaning, and a preventative spray. Extra attention must be paid to cleaning after mud or beach driving.

A car wash with ramps is ideal to reach every area but tossing a sprinkler under the vehicle does alright too. Also poke the hose into your chassis rail to flush out salt and sand.

For more information about cleaning your 4WD after a 4x4 mud encounter and what damage mud can do to your vehicle see 4x4 mud.

Once it is all clean and dry, a liberal coating of Strikehold should be applied. Ronny uses this not only to help prevent corrosion; but less dirt seems to stick on your next journey. If you cannot get hold of Strikehold, Inox MX3 is good too.

Prevent paint scratches and bush pinstriping on your 4x4!

Sooner or later, you’ll end up on a tight track and the resulting scratches will be with you forever, unless you use protection. Here are three options:

1. Clear film. This adhesive product will maintain a factory appearance and protect against light scrub scratching.

2. Magnetic panels. Large magnets stick to the paintwork and provide moderate scratch protection. They are not rated for highway use or summer temperatures.

3. ABS Panels. Rhinohide Armor-Lock uses proprietary suspension fasteners to hold 2mm thick panels onto the vehicle. They protect against heavy scratching and dents, are rated for highway use, and are easily removed.

Ronny chooses Rhinohide to protect both of his vehicles, and has organised a promotion to get you a FREE 4 Wheeling Australia winch blanket with your purchase! Just FOLLOW THIS LINK to learn all about it.

If you’d like more info on Rhinohide; you can learn more about it and compare it to similar products HERE .

A protection plan against stone chips.

Most stone chips occur along the bonnet from other vehicles, a plastic bonnet protector will help with this.

Stone chips up the sides from your own tyres is also common especially with wider tyres. Adequate coverage from your mud flaps will help there.

Damage to the rear when towing a trailer can be reduced by fitting stone deflectors, and if you own a ute; Rhinohide is now producing a rear panel for selected models to protect the tail gate.

High Wear Areas protection plan.

The tub of your ute, the side steps, maybe even the bulbar are subject to being beaten around and the paint won’t last long.

Have a look at Linex for the ute tub, it is just as hard wearing as a drop in tub liner, it looks neater and won’t trap contaminants or moisture against the paint where they can cause rust. It is a worthwhile alternative to powder coating a bullbar or sidesteps too.