How to polish the car: this is how the paint looks like a mirror

La body of our car it can lose its factory shine over the years. For polish it again, it is important to know which products are the most suitable and how to use them correctly. Not all the methods that currently exist on the net will allow you to achieve the best results.

If you follow the steps below, you will get your car look new again. A somewhat more laborious process than simply cleaning the bodywork, but whose results are worth applying every so often.

Always clean before polishing

Before polishing your car you must clean it thoroughly. Depending on how dirty it is, you'll need to use one of the following methods to make sure it looks good. Cleaning a three-year-old vehicle is not the same as cleaning a nine-year-old vehicle. The second will have impurities and dirt embedded in the enamel, which should be removed before polishing.

washing with soap

There can be no stains or traces of dirt that cloud the polishing work that you are going to do later. If your car has tough stainsas the resin, mosquitoes or bird droppings dry, take care to remove them completely.

Maybe with the typical washing tunnels or hoses pressurized water not be enough. There are quite cheap products that can be apply with a sponge without scratching the paint. You can use them to wash the entire bodywork or at least to go over the areas that are resistant if that is the case.

clay bar

For cars with more years behind them, a full debugging. For this, the best solution is a clay bar. A clay whose texture allows it to remove impurities embedded in the enamel. It can be bought for very little money and everything you need to apply it usually comes in the package. The method to use it correctly includes the following steps:

• Wash the car with pressurized water to remove the thickest dirt. A pressure wash is a good alternative.
• Spray the surface with water and soap to lubricate the passage of the clay bar. Sometimes the mixture is included in the package you buy. If this is not the case, you just have to mix water with a lot of soap.
• rub the bodywork little by little with the clay bar. Do it in small circles.
• go kneading Putty again when the surface you have used is very dirty.

Apply the polish

This step consists of remove surface scratches and enamel that has lost its shine. For this, one normally uses a "medium" polish to remove the surface layer another "fine" to polish the enamel that remains in the air. The result if done right is a car that is as shiny as when it was new.

If you do not have the necessary products and materials, it is best that you opt for a pack in which the two types of polish and sponges come. The steps to apply are the following:

1. Cover the entire surface of the sponge with the "medium" polish.
2. Whether by hand or with a machine, go through the entire bodywork without forgetting any part. It's about wearing down the topmost layer, so don't push too hard. If you crush the sponge completely, you are overdoing it. You can apply a little more in the areas where there is a persistent scratch, but do not forget that it is not about removing all the enamel.
3. Remove the middle polish with a non-scratch, lint-free cloth. The typical one made with old cotton sheets is the best, although a microfiber one can also work for you.
4. Repeat the process with the "fine" polish. If you do it by hand, make it in small and fast circles. Don't use the same sponge that you used for the "medium" polish.

First of all, look at the instructions of the product you are going to use, in case the brand in question has any particularity. You can too opt for a multipurpose, because although they will not achieve such good results, they will save you a lot of work. It's up to you.

Scratches that can and cannot be removed

To differentiate the scratches that can be removed with polish from those that cannot, it is enough to have a clear principle: if it has gone through the enamel of the paint there is nothing to do. It is not always easy to know if this has happened, because over time they fill with dirt. If you have washed the car well, the grime will be completely gone. The clay bar is especially effective if you follow the direction of the scratch.

If it has broken through the enamel, you will know because the inside of the "scratch" has no shine and because it is usually from a slightly lighter color. If you can't see it with the naked eye, you can use a magnifying glass. In this way you will save yourself from continuing to apply the polish to a flaw that has no solution no matter how much you want to polish it.