Should You Polish or Wax Your Car?
Servicing your car regularly is how you ensure it stays functional for longer, however, there’s more to a car than just its performance. Imagine investing your hard-earned money into your favorite car — it’s probably your favorite either because of its performance, looks or both. If you’re into looks (most car owners are), it goes without saying that you’ll be doing whatever it takes to keep it looking shiny. One way to achieve that is by polishing and waxing it, and we’ll explain how to go about it.
Understand the Difference Between Car Polish and Car Wax
Over the course of months, your car’s exterior will become home to scratches, dirt marks, bird poop stains and more. Some folk who are keen on keeping their cars showroom-new may use waxing and polishing incorrectly and interchangeably. While the processes are very similar, both serve different purposes.
Car polish is used to reduce scratches, dirt marks and other minor damages to the paint job. What it doesn’t do is make your car shiny. Instead, it’s the car wax that makes your car shiny and gives it a nice, protective layer against scratches and fading quickly.
Wax Smooths, Polish Removes
Now that you understand the difference between the two, you’ll realize that your car will not always require both. If you’re a careful driver and keep your car clean, you may just have to resort to car wax once every 3-6 months — that too if you’re fond of a squeaky clean exterior.
It’s only when your car has scratches and marks that you may have to resort to polish first. An excellent way to determine if your car needs polish is to begin by washing your car.
We suggest that you wash your car under a shade and get it dry as soon as possible — you don’t want the water droplets leaving stains. Once your car is clean, inspect it for any scratches or spots where you can see or feel that the paint has been scraped off. If there aren’t any such spots, your car doesn’t need polish. If you do find scratches and spots, you need to first polish your car, followed by giving it a wax makeover for a beautiful, shiny finish.
A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Polish and Wax Your Car
How should you go about polishing and waxing your car without making a mess? We suggest leaving it to the professionals but if you want to do it yourself, here’s what you need to do:
- Start by thoroughly washing and cleaning your car. If it’s a hot summer day, make sure you wash your car under a shade and dry it along the way so there are no water stains.
- Once you’re done washing your car, you need to polish it. The polish is best done using a machine but it can be done by hand as well. Apply the polish panel-by-panel, in a nice circular motion.
- Continue with the circular motion until the polish disappears, leaving behind a slightly shiny look. Don’t overdo it since that may dull the finish. Once you’re done with one part of the car, move on to the next.
- Once you’re done with the polish, apply wax on a sponge and start applying it to your car in a circular motion.
- You need to treat each part of the car as one unit. Finish one unit and move on to the next. Once the wax on each unit has dried, buff it using a microfiber towel and your car will have a shine that will last for months.