Car polishing—how to make your car shine?

Cornellyfmi
3 min readFeb 10, 2024

--

Spring is coming, and it’s a good time to refresh the body of your vehicle. Over the winter (even if it was mild), dirt and micro-damages accumulated on the coating. However, you cannot remove them at the car wash. Paint polishing may be necessary to effectively clean your car. How to do them correctly?

You can polish your car yourself or outsource this task to specialists. The cost of such a service depends, of course, on its scope and the size of the car. The more advanced the technology, the more expensive it is. Sometimes you can try polishing your car yourself. This is a good way to save money. Don’t forget a few rules!

How to polish a car? Cosmetics and accessories

To polish yourself, you can use a machine or do it by hand. Remember, however, that machine polishing your car may damage the paint. If you’ve never done this before, test the effects on a small outdoor item or focus on manual cleaning.

To polish the paint, you must start by selecting the appropriate preparations and accessories. These must include a polishing cloth or sponge . The latter can be manual or mounted on a machine. Choose its hardness according to your skills (don’t use too thick materials at the beginning, as you may permanently damage the paint coating) and the condition of the paint.

You will need car polishing paste for the sponge . There are many types of this product on the market. Match the polish to your car’s paint (mattes require different parameters and metallics require different parameters). If you also plan to polish headlights or windows, buy separate products intended for these specific elements.

Also remember about effective car washing products and wax, which will protect the paint from further degradation after the entire process , as well as refresh the color of the paint and make it shiny.

Polishing the paint step by step

Polishing a car is not a difficult task, but it is definitely time-consuming. To get good results, you need to spend a few hours on it. Polishing should be performed in a covered place, free from sunlight and precipitation.

First, wash your car thoroughly. You must remove sand and microstones before polishing. If such particles get into the sponge, you will scratch the entire varnish. It’s a good idea to use a microfiber to wash it. After washing, dry the car with delicate cloths. Then you can start polishing.

Apply the paste to a specific, small part of the varnish. There can’t be too much of it! Spread it evenly over the polished surface. Then rub the sponge against the varnish with vigorous and circular movements. You have to put a lot of strength into it, but also feel. In the case of a polishing machine, first matt the so-called waterproof paper, and then apply polishing paste to restore its shine.

Once you have polished the entire car, apply the wax . You should apply this one similarly to the paste. After completing all the steps, the car will regain its original shine and will look stunning!

How to polish car lamps and windows?

Thanks to polishing, you will remove scratches and give new shine to individual car elements. This activity will not only allow you to regenerate the paint. Products intended for polishing windows and headlights are increasingly available on the market . In the case of glass, prior experience with a polisher is necessary. An inexperienced user can cause significant losses!

Polishing the headlights is much easier. In addition to the visual effect, this activity will have a positive impact on your safety and that of other road users. Well -cleaned headlights generate up to 50%. more light than tarnished and old lampshades.

How to go about polishing lamps? First, remove the entire headlights. Then carefully and gently disassemble the lamp so that you have access to the lampshade and lens from all sides. Clean and degrease the polished surface. Rub the paste into each element of the lamp with strong movements. Repeat the movements until you achieve a satisfactory effect. Then clean the headlights and reinstall them.

Polishing your car yourself. What to remember?

Finally, here are some tips that will make the final polishing effect even better!

--

--