Car polishing - why do it yourself?

Why do many car owners not want to polish the paint themselves in their own car? Many people just think it's hard work. Nothing more bad! Polishing a car is not difficult, but laborious and unforgiving of negligence. It also depends on the type of paint applied to the body. Acrylic varieties are more delicate and very easy to damage, but also faster to remove. Metal coatings require more strength and time, but are more difficult to damage. Read on for more information on polishing your car. 

Body polishing - where to start?

Below we present some tips on how to get down to business and how to polish your car according to the art!

Book a time

If you want to do it "quickly", you can let it go at the beginning. It can take a whole weekend to achieve the desired effect in removing scratches and protecting the paintwork. You can not polish the car in a hurry.

Prepare the appropriate car polishing accessories

Now that you've set aside enough time to complete these activities, the next step is to equip yourself with quality tools and materials. A mechanical polisher is the first thing you need to have in your kit. Only thanks to him can you get the right results. Scratching by hand and refreshing the paint can't be compared to using a machine.

In addition to a car polisher, you will also need:

• abrasive pastes (cutting, polishing and finishing);
• polishing wheels (cutting, polishing and finishing);
• fur (for very deep scratches);
• paper tape.

These are the items needed to polish the paint on the car. In addition to them, you will also need tools for car washing before the start of the correction, after its completion, and accessories necessary for applying the wax or ceramic layer.

Which polishing machine to choose?

The choice of the device itself is very important. Recommends equipment for beginner detailers Double action. It works not only with circular, but also with oscillatory movements, which makes it difficult to overheat the varnish. You are also more likely to leave no holograms behind. To polish a car, you will need a rotation stabilized polisher so that they are the same regardless of pressure and with a soft start function.

Of course, such polishers are more expensive than rotary ones. The ideal solution is to have both. A device that performs only rotational movements is great for deep scratching and does not require as much pressure. At the same time, when using it, it is easier to burn through the varnish and cause additional difficulties. Due to the specifics of the movements, you must also remember to hold the polishing machine firmly in your hand, because it tends to slip out of your hands.

Wash your car thoroughly

It's an absolutely necessary thing. It's not just about watering your car. Wash it very thoroughly, preferably with a degreasing shampoo and pressure washer. You have to get to the nooks and crannies of the rubber elements, for example, near the windows. For car polishing to be effective, you still need to dry the car with a microfiber cloth before it dries on its own.

Take the time to inspect

Take a look at the body. It may happen that you find signs of corrosion and the whole process will have to start with their removal. However, if your car does not have such damage, and you already know how deep the scratches are on the body, you can start polishing the car!

How to polish a car - step by step instructions

Polishing a car is an art, and art requires patience. We will show you how to polish car paint step by step. 

Prepare lighting and working conditions

Protect your car from adverse weather conditions. It's not just the sun's rays, but also the wind, dust, dirt and moisture. Polishing your car is unforgiving, so you'll also need good lighting, preferably in the form of halogens. This will help you see fine scratches, holograms, swirls, orange peel and haze from different angles.

Choose the right pastes and pads

Here you can choose from 3 or even 4 types of pastes and pads, which are defined by the same categories. It's about cutting, polishing and finishing accessories. The former are suitable for very deep scratches and are often called severe incision. They are intended for the very beginning of work with worn varnish. 

How to polish lacquer with cutting paste?

First of all, for him you need to pick up an overlay of the same category. Next, select a suitable element, apply a small amount of paste to the rotating part and try to accurately transfer it to the body without turning on the device. After application, you can already turn on the polisher.

Just polishing the car with cutting paste is not enough. You may notice that on cloudy days and evenings, the polish will be beautiful, and on sunny days, holograms will appear. To avoid them, you need to do another treatment with a finishing paste.

Define the exact boundaries of the work

What does this mean? First of all, as a beginner, you are (probably) inexperienced with using a grinder to polish a car. You can use paper tape to effectively mark out your workspace. It is best to take one that does not leave a sticky coating on the paint. Don't put too much paste on the pads, because polish polishing will be more problematic due to the excess.

Handle the polisher with care

This is a key issue when polishing a car. If you want to get the desired result and not burn through the varnish, try not to press the sander too hard on the surface and not hold it in one place for too long. From time to time, you can check the heating of the car body. If you find it too hot, leave it on for a while.

How to polish a car with a grinder?

Try to move the polisher in a straight line: from left to right. Once you get to the edge, lower the polisher to the pad diameter and move back from right to left. Repeat this sequence until you reach the bottom edge of the piece. Then sand the varnish in the same fragment from the bottom up, observing the above rules for moving the pad. Polish the car until deep scratches disappear.

After buffing the area with the cutting paste, it's time to switch to a soft sponge and use the finishing paste. Here you do not have to wait so long for the desired effect, because the purpose of this process is to get rid of holograms and small scratches, so it is enough to repeat the above process once or twice.

Conduct a thorough inspection of the paintwork.

Conduct an inspection. Traces of the paste will definitely remain on the paintwork and you can get rid of them with a degreaser or isopropyl alcohol of the appropriate concentration. You will also need a dry microfiber cloth.

Before polishing your car can be considered complete, you still need to look at the paintwork under the right halogen light. Be aware that conventional lamps may not emit enough light to make scratches invisible. Going outside on a sunny day, the smile can leave your face when you see numerous holograms and flaws.

What to do after polishing the car?

Once the polish has landed in the cabinet and the car shines beautifully, it's time for the next steps to set the effect. They are here.

Thorough car wash

If you have completed all the body parts and made sure several times that they do not require additional corrections, you have a few more stages ahead of you. That's right, we said at the beginning that car polishing can take a while. So what's now? First of all, focus on thoroughly washing your car with a pressure washer. You will need it to wash the remaining paste from the nooks and crannies between the elements. The paste also likes to dry on plastic and rubber, so check these parts carefully after polishing your car.

Wax application

After washing and thoroughly drying the car with a soft microfiber, you can start waxing. Don't do this on very hot days or in a hot garage. The wax dries quickly and should not be used on a warm paint surface. Before using it, read the manufacturer's recommendations, because the method of applying the wax varies depending on the consistency and structure of the preparation. Remember to apply very thin layers of wax and work from the top to the bottom.

How to care for polished car paint?

The effect that you get after polishing the car will pleasantly surprise you. You will see how little it takes to give your car a new shine. To keep this state as long as possible, you need to follow a few small rules: 

• think about how you wash them. The choice of brushes at car washes can be convenient and give a visible effect of removing dirt and hardened dirt, but it also has one drawback - sand remains on the brush. Combined with fresh varnish, the sand will give you the scratches you just got rid of;
• do not polish the car paint too often, so as not to completely damage the surface. Its layer is not too thick, so at some point it may rub off. It is much better to apply wax regularly to protect the car body from the weather. Of course, after some time, when you notice a significant deterioration in the quality of the varnish, you can start working again. You will have experience with this, so everything should go smoothly.

As you may have noticed, car polishing is a grueling and lengthy process. You can enlist the help of someone equally qualified to speed up the process. Remember, however, that you should not rush to update the varnish. In the end, you will have to spend the initial savings on repeated and tedious fixes. That's all we could tell you. The rest is up to you. Good luck!