How often should we polish cars?

No matter how careful you are about protecting your car paint, after years in use, it is unavoidable that the paint layer will get scratches and scrapes, small or big. These scratches are just like stains on your shirt, which you cannot wait to get rid off. One magical practice which could turn all these scratches into the thin air is car polishing. It is an undeniably useful tool, however, car polishing is not the ultimate method for maintaining car paint. If being overused, it could produce counter-effect on the car finish. And one question remains: how often we should polish our cars? 

The incredible result of car polish

1. How does the polishing work?

To answer that question, first of all, we have to know how the polishing works to bring in a surface without adding any substance.

Car polishing is a process of using abrasives and rubbing to even the surfaces, giving the paint a scratch-free and shiny surface. Polishing serves as an essential preparation step before waxing.

2. Why should not polish frequently?

Polishing and waxing are so powerful that there might be a lot of people mistake it as an all-good process. In fact, overusing polishing is not healthy for the car paint in the long run.

The reason is that the compounds used for polishing contained a good amount of abrasives. It could erode the paint rather than protecting it. And it serves as a method to remove the scratch rather than providing the exterior paints with protection. Instead, the protection is actually provided by the waxing process. Therefore, waxing should be done more frequently than polishing.

3. When to polish?

Only polish cars when it is necessary

Car polishing is required under certain situation. If the coat of your vehicles feels smooth and only have some insignificant scratches, there is no need for a polishing make-over. Regular waxing, in this case, is all you need to remain the even surface.

You can tell that polishing is needed when you could feel the roughness on the exterior paint when running your finger across the surfaces.

4. How often should we polish cars?

Car maintenance specialists suggest that the healthy frequency for car polishing is once a year. During the entire lifespan of a paint layer, the maximum times of applying car polish should not be more than six times.

More importantly, the polishing process should be done properly so that it could not damage the car surface. Picking up the right car polishing kit is also a vital step toward a successful polishing.

Car polish could not replace a healthy car wash routine

Here are some small tips that you should know when preparing for car polish:

• Before polishing the car exterior, thoroughly washing the car is critical. After polishing, waxing is necessary.

• Only use a soft towel to rub the paint surface.

• Even the polishing could surprisingly put a new face for the car, it could not replace a careful routine of car washing. Washing the car regularly is the key to maintain the car finish as well as extend the life of the car paint. Instead of overusing car polish, you can extend the shiny looks of the car with a proper car washing routine. It would be a better option than relying on the misleading outcome of car polishing.

Watch this clip to see how the polishing process works:

How to polish a car

Polishing could be a double-edged sword. Despite the wonderful result it brings, it should be done with careful consideration. With this helpful guide from IndianAuto, you can know how to maintain the car properly.

Read more:

• Guide to restore and refresh car paint

• 5 tips not to do when washing your car