What Does Polishing a Car Do?
Polishing your car can help to hide scratches and imperfections and revitalize your car’s exterior.
Written by Cameron Thiessen
Reviewed by Melanie Reiff
Polishing a car removes a thin layer of paint to hide scratches, scuffs, oxidation, and other minor imperfections and contaminants on the surface of the exterior finish. Polishing and waxing are great ways to keep your car looking brand new.
Polish contains abrasive materials that remove an even, microscopic layer of paint—so you shouldn’t polish too often to avoid wearing down the clear coat. That’s why it’s also a good idea to include car wax in your car care routine.
Even a new car can benefit from a nice polish, so come along with
Jerry
, the car insurance comparison app
, as we explain exactly what polishing does and how to do it. Then, we’ll tell you how Jerry helps car owners like you make sure they’re not overpaying for car insurance
!What is car polish, and what does it do?
Car polish is made in a variety of ways, but it is generally a mixture of tiny chemical compound powders—abrasives—mixed into a solvent, which is a liquid.
Common ingredients include Alcan, Sillitin, Kaopolite, and Diafil powders, as well as silicones, waxes, or other water-based solvents.
Thanks to those tiny abrasive powders, car polish evenly scratches away a very thin layer of the surface of the clear coat finish, hiding more severe scratches and dents and removing ones that are only on the surface. Polish will also remove things like oxidation, contaminants that could eat away at your car’s paint, watermarks, swirl marks, and any other minor defect on the surface of the exterior finish.
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How to apply car polish to your vehicle
The first step to DIY polishing is a good car wash. Polishing your car without washing it could result in dirt or grime causing even more scratches in your vehicle’s paint job. It’s also important to make sure that your car is dry before applying any polish.
The fastest way to apply car polish is by using an orbital buffer—the way the pros do it. While orbital buffing is faster and can result in a more consistent polish across the entire vehicle, it’s also easier to screw up. Orbital buffers can be hard to control if you don’t know what you’re doing, and if you aren’t careful, they could cause too much abrasion and remove more of your car’s paintwork than you ought to.
If you’re not confident enough for the machine polishing method, you can always use a hand-polishing method with a soft cloth or polishing pad. This technique will take much longer if you plan on polishing your entire car, but it allows for much more control and means you don’t have to invest in an expensive orbital buffer.
Once you’re ready to start polishing, put some polishing compound onto your non-abrasive cloth or buffer and rub it onto the car in a circular motion. If you’re using an orbital buffer, do this before you turn it on or you might fling polish everywhere.
As you get to spots with noticeable defects, apply a bit more pressure, continuing to work in a circular motion. Make sure that your cloth/buffer has plenty of polish—don’t let it dry out. Keep working in small sections until the polish disappears, then move on to the next section, making sure that you’re not leaving polish on the car’s surface to dry out. Use a microfiber towel to wipe away any excess polish.
Applying car wax after polish
Once you’ve polished your car, the best way to finish the job is to apply car wax. Some car polish does have wax or sealant in it to fill in the clearcoat as you polish, but there’s really no substitute for a proper carnauba wax applied after polishing. Of course, you could also apply a ceramic coating for the ultimate top layer.
How much does car detailing cost?
Professional automotive detailing costs range from $60 to $400 depending on several factors, but the price averages out to around $160.
Benefits of using car polish
The main thing that you’ll accomplish by polishing your car is paint correction. It will also remove anything sitting on the surface of the clear coat. Things like bugs, tar, tree sap, or bird droppings could contaminate your car’s paint and eat away at it in the long term. Polishing can solve this issue—especially if a regular wash was unable to.
Ultimately, the main benefit of a proper polish is keeping your car looking good.
How to find insurance for your newly waxed ride
If you’re giving your car a nice polish and waxing, chances are you care enough about it to set it up with a protective
car insurance
polishy—ahem—policy.If you’re worried that you can’t get the coverage you want without it hurting your wallet, try shopping with
Jerry
, the trusted insurance comparison shopping app. Jerry can automatically find you the best price for the coverage you need, saving you an average of more than $800 per year!“All of the insurance quotes I saw were over $600 a month because of my age. Then I stumbled uponJerry, and they sliced my price in half! They found me the lowest rate, thank goodness.” —Will V.
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Is it better to use car polish or car wax?
It’s best to use both! Car wax differs from polish in that it is a protective layer applied to fill in surface imperfections, smoothing out and protecting your car’s paint. Polishing your car and following up with wax is a great way to keep it looking fresh and glossy, but only car wax will actually offer any protection to the clearcoat and undercoat from the elements.
What should you use to polish a car?
You should use a commercial polish or pre-wax glaze for the best results. TheDrive.com has a great list of recommendations.
As for application methods, you can’t go wrong with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. An orbital buffer will speed up the process and make you look like a pro. You can also consider using a clay bar to help remove sticky contaminants.
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