How To Polish A Car With Buffer or Hand

Most people might not be able to differentiate ‘polishing’ and ‘detailing’ or ‘waxing’. If you are looking for a step-by-step and complete guide on how to wash, polish and wax your car, you can download the free report instead with pictures and 20 pages of solid content. If you are looking for guides to wax your car, read:  How To Wax A Car

So, what do I need to polish?

To polish a car , all that is needed is a shaded environment, a polishing machine (optional), polishing agents (liquid or wax), polishing pads, a microfiber cloth (or any substitute), and most importantly you!

You opt to polish by hand or by machine depending on your preference, but then if you choose to polish by machine, you may require extra care when polishing as because some polishing machines can damage your paintwork if not handled with care.

With machine (Ideal Polishing Steps):

Step 1: Wash the car thoroughly from top to down

Step 2: Clay the surface with high quality detailing clay and rinse the car with clean water after claying is done.

Step 3: Centre your pad properly on the polisher using a centring tool.

Step 4: Be sure to spur the pad before use to remove all contaminants such as dirt and dust particles.

Step 5: For the polish, make sure you do not use anything that is highly abrasive. Try using something with more wax in it, especially if you are a beginner to polishing. Apply a thin line of polish directly to the paint. Buff the product immediately at a low rpm, try to keep the surface wet or cool (lubricated) while buffing to prevent risk of paint burn.

Step 6: Wipe with a cotton terry cloth or microfiber one the polishing is done.

Step 7: Lastly put a good coat of wax on to protect the clean finish.

With Hand (Ideal Polishing Steps):

Step 1: Wash the car thoroughly from top to down

Step 2: Clay the surface with high quality detailing clay and rinse the car with clean water after claying is done.

Step 3: Spur polishing pad before use to remove all contaminants such as dirt and dust particles

Step 4: Spread polish evenly over the pad

Step 5: Apply a thin and sufficient coat instead of a thick one; if you desire more shine and depth, you’re not going to accomplish it in one thick coat. Instead it makes the polish difficult to remove and streaky.

Step 6: Form mini circular marks with polishing wax over the car to mark areas to polish. Once marking is done, start polishing in circular motions gently until paint is shiny and all polishing liquid is spread evenly till no residue remains.

Step 7: Buff one coat off before applying a second slightly thinner coat. Check the label to see how long one coat has to cure before applying another (usually around 12-18 hours).

Step 8: Wipe with a cotton terry cloth or microfiber one the polishing is done.

Step 9: Lastly put a good coat of wax on to protect the clean finish.