Many people don’t take the time to properly polish their vehicles after washing them; often skipping right to waxing, if they bother to wax at all. A good polish can deepen the shine provided by waxing, but that’s not all it does. Automobile polish is a bit more abrasive than wax, and as a result it can remove water spots, minor surface imperfections, and even small scratches from your vehicle’s finish.
If you choose to incorporate a polish into your regular car-cleaning regimen, you’ve got two options to choose from. You may choose to go with a polish designed for use under a separate coat of wax, or a combination wax/polish application. It’s up to you which route you choose to go, as long as you never use both a separate polish and a polish/wax combination product, as you may run the risk of damaging your finish.
Since it’s a good idea to polish directly before applying a coat of wax, you’ll probably only need to do it once every three to four months, or as long as the wax you plan to use is designed to last (we’ll go over this in the next section, entitled: Waxing).
Before Getting Started
The best time to polish your vehicle is immediately after washing it. This will ensure that your automobile is free of any dirt or grime, and help reduce the chances that you’ll inadvertently rub any sort of abrasive filth into your vehicle’s finish.
As with washing, avoid polishing your vehicle in direct sunlight, if possible. The shade will help you avoid uneven drying, which leads to an uneven, streaky, and very unprofessional looking finish.
You’ll need some sort of automobile polishing product. This will, most likely, be available at the same store at which you bought the soap used for the car wash. Any auto supply store, big box retail store, or even grocery store, should have a selection of polishes available.
Make sure the material that you choose to use as an applicator is soft and clean. If your polishing product didn’t come with an applicator, a clean, folded piece of terry cloth will work well.
The Process
Add a light, even coating of polish to the towel, then gently apply to the vehicle’s surface using small, even, circular movements. Polish only a small section at a time, starting at the top of the car and working your way down to the trunk and hood before moving on to the sides.
Let the polish sit on the paint surface for about 5-10 minutes (check the label on the polish for the manufacture’s suggested time). During this time, the polish should dry out, turning a slightly different color in the process.
Remove the residue with a different towel than the one you used to apply the polish. While removing, use the same small, even, circular movements you used during the application, turning the cloth to a fresh side as needed, and pressing firmly enough to remove all of the residual polish, but gently enough not to rub the residue right into the vehicle’s finish.
Repeat the polishing process for each of the other four sections.
Now that you’ve polished out any minor spots or blemishes, it’s time to get out the wax and make your paint beautiful.