While travel disruption may have stopped for the time being, the Icelandic volcanic eruption still poses a very real threat to car paintwork. The cloud of highly abrasive, acidic ash is falling onto vehicles and represents a real danger to cars.

Crown Paints Ireland in association with Standox, manufacturers of car paint, suggests the following ten step guide to protecting your car.

Thoroughly soak car bodywork with water to loosen surface deposits.

Use a ph-neutral car body shampoo solution to neutralise the acidic fall-out.

Use a number of small buckets of water rather than a single larger bucket to minimise the risk of ash particles being re-applied to bodywork on the sponge from contaminated water.

Keep the car wet with clean water while washing with a sponge. This keeps the surface of the paint lubricated to reduce the risk of scratching from any dust that remains on the bodywork.

Pay special attention to wiper blades which may scratch the windscreen when sweeping ash across the surface. Also, side windows seals may harbour dust that scratches windows as they are wound up and down.

Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove all shampoo from the car.

Dry the car using a high quality microfiber drying towel or synthetic chamois.

Apply a quality polish or high definition was in order to provide a durable, long lasting layer of protection, preventing further contaminants adhering to paintwork, and forming a barrier against acidic deposits.

Use a specialist automotive rubber treatment to cleanse and protect the rubber seals.

Wash frequently until the volcanic eruptions cease, to minimise the risk of potential future damage.