Alfa Romeo detailing in Abu Dhabi for the Giulia, Stelvio and Tonale

Each model sits at a different height and uses different finishes, so the weak spots move around the car.

• Giulia: a low saloon with a long bonnet, so its nose and bonnet lip meet road debris first. The Quadrifoglio adds a carbon splitter and an optional carbon roof.
• Stelvio: an SUV that sits higher, so sand blasts its lower doors and wheel arches after desert drives. On the Quadrifoglio Super Sport, it rides on 21-inch wheels.
• Tonale: a compact SUV sold in Ti and Veloce trims. The Ti has black cloth seats and a sport leather steering wheel, and cloth holds fine sand deep in its weave.
• Quadrifoglio Super Sport: a red 3D carbon finish covers the dashboard, centre tunnel and door panels, and the brake calipers are black.

A Quadrifoglio uses carbon fibre for the bonnet, rear spoiler and side skirts, as well as the driveshaft. Bare carbon shows on the mirror caps and the “V” in the front shield, and the Giulia adds a carbon front splitter. A carbon roof is a Giulia option.

Exposed carbon sits under a clear lacquer that scratches like paint and dulls in strong sun. It is washed with a soft mitt, dried straight away and kept coated, never cut back hard.

For example, the splitter rides close to the road, so it takes stone hits before any other panel. Clear film on its top face absorbs the impact instead.

The red carbon trim inside the Super Sport needs similar care. A dry, soft microfibre lifts dust, and glossy interior dressings stay off it, because they leave smears on the lacquer.

Etna Red is a three-layer paint, so a repair has to rebuild each layer to match the factory depth. Alfa Romeo offers it on the Quadrifoglio alongside metallic Vulcano Black.

A layered red looks slightly different from every angle, which makes small touch-ups easy to spot. Protecting the bonnet, bumper and mirrors keeps the original layers intact.

Vulcano Black has the opposite problem: it hides little. Every swirl from a dusty towel shows on black metallic paint in bright sun, so drying is done with clean, soft microfibre only.

Diamond-cut wheels need a pH-neutral cleaner, because the machined face relies on a thin clear lacquer for protection. The Tonale Ti, for example, rolls on 18-inch dark finish diamond-cut alloys.

Once a kerb chips that lacquer, moisture can creep underneath and leave cloudy marks. Rim repair refinishes the face before the damage spreads.

Brake dust is the other enemy. Left on hot wheels for weeks, it bakes into the lacquer and needs stronger products to shift. A regular gentle wash is kinder to the finish.

Sun, sand and humid mornings each attack a different Alfa Romeo material. Strong UV dulls the clear lacquer on bare carbon over time, so a coating or film on those parts slows the fading.

Humid nights leave dew on the paint, and blown dust turns it into a gritty film by morning. Wiping that film dry scratches dark colours, so a rinse always comes first.

Inside, the Alcantara on a Quadrifoglio steering wheel soaks up sweat and sunscreen in summer. The fibres then flatten and turn shiny, which regular light brushing and a cloth wrung almost dry help prevent.

Most owners ask for chip protection, wheel care and a gloss refresh on paint that bakes in the sun. Below, each typical Alfa Romeo problem in this climate sits next to the service that normally puts it right.

Older cars often need a light polish before any coating, so the coating seals in a clean finish. Leather and Alcantara on the same steering wheel each get their own product.

If you park outside at work or at home, protection matters more. A car left in open sun all summer loses gloss faster, and film or a coating buys time between visits.

Only lightly, with a soft pad or by hand, because the clear lacquer over the weave is thin. Heavy correction can cut through it.

The Stelvio sits higher and gathers more sand on its lower doors and arches. Those areas are rinsed thoroughly before any mitt touches them.

Shallow kerb marks can usually be repaired. Our rim repair page explains how a damaged wheel face is refinished and sealed again.

It is brushed softly and wiped with a barely damp microfibre cloth. Hand oils flatten the fibres, so light, regular cleaning works better than rare deep cleans.

Many owners fit film and a coating early, while the paint is still flawless. Sun, sand and motorway chips start working on it from the start.