Step-by-step plan for car polishing

Need tips for car polishing? Do you want to repair paint scratches or do you want your car to look shiny again? All you have to do is polish your car. In this article, we'll tell you how to do it. Are you ready to go? Then the car polishing can begin!

The basics of car polishing

The car's paintwork has to endure a lot every day. Sunshine, stone chips, insect remains, bird droppings, dust, dirt or whatever. Over time, the paintwork begins to look dull and scratches spoil what was once a perfect finish. This is where car polishing comes in. Car polishing means nothing more than bringing the paintwork back into top shape with an appropriate, gentle polishing process that only treats the top layer of paint. The base coat and primer remain untouched.

Did you know. Unsuitable cleaning agents or some car washes can also damage car paint. Brushes that are too scratchy or solvents that are too strong corrode the paint and leave marks. To remove these scratches, you can polish the car and seal the paint. 

When and how often to polish your car?

When (and how often) should I polish my car? It is important to know that the layers of paint are not infinite. In other words: If you polish your car too often, you damage the paint, but if you treat the paint too little, it's not good either. Untreated damage and dirt can lead to worse damage and, at worst, corrosion and rust. So what guidelines can you follow? We recommend the following:

• It is best to polish car paint once or twice a year.
• After the winter is a good time to polish the car. The car has often had to endure a lot during the winter and can use a boost during the spring service. It can also be advisable to do this just before the winter starts so that the paintwork is well protected going into the winter.

Polishing supplies

• Polishing machine: eccentric or rotating? If you want to treat the car with a polishing machine, we recommend you to buy an eccentric one. It is perfect for home use and is also cheaper than the rotating version.
• Polishing pads that are suitable for the purpose you want to achieve.
  • Pads are available in different sizes. Smaller pads are suitable for the finer work and larger pads for the larger surfaces. Of course, you can change the pads in between depending on the surface to be treated.
  • A cutting pad is suitable for coarser polishes. These pads often have more hairs and are mainly suitable for removing scratches.
  • A polishing pad is more suitable for restoring the gloss of the paintwork. This pad is less coarse and will also have less effect on any scratches. These pads are mainly to make your car shine again.
• Polishing agent: There are various polishing agents available, all of which have a different application.
  • A standard polish mainly provides more gloss and has a fine structure.
  • Abrasive is suitable for removing scratches and has a coarser structure.
  • A combination of the above polishes is suitable for both removing scratches and bringing back more shine to the paintwork.
• Car shampoo for proper cleaning of the paintwork.
• Car clay for removing stubborn dirt deep into the paintwork. You can use Sonax clay for this purpose, for example.
• Microfibre cloths for wiping paintwork. Good microfibre cloths absorb a lot of moisture and do not leave scratches.
• A water spray.
• Painting tape for masking off lights, rubber, frames and other surfaces adjacent to the paintwork.

Wash the car thoroughly

Probably needless to say but before you start polishing the car, make sure that the paintwork is clean and that you have clayed the paintwork to make sure that no dirt is left behind that could cause damage during polishing. Before washing the paintwork, you can use car shampoo that will allow you to thoroughly clean the paintwork. After washing the car, you can further clean the paintwork using cleaning clay (car clay) such as Sonax clay. With this clay, you can still remove stubborn dirt left behind. When this is done, dry the car well with microfibre cloths so that the paintwork is completely "naked". There should be no agents left on the paintwork such as wax, grease or other protective agents.

Additional precautions

• As a precaution, check whether you recognise any scratches on the car that need pre-treatment.
• If the scratches are very superficial, there is no need to do anything else. Because such scratches can easily be removed during polishing.
• If you recognise small stone chips, this is usually not a problem.
• You can pre-treat and repair damaged spots, deeper scratches or rusty areas before you start polishing.

Covering with tape

Step-by-step plan for car polishing