The Difference Between Car Polish and Wax

Which is the best to use, car wax or polish? What is the difference?

"A well polished cleaning method."

Polish is a mildly abrasive substance which sands the surface of paint smooth and allows it to shine. Wax is a non abrasive coating which protects the paint finish and microscopically fills in the dents and dimples in the paint to help the shine.

Even some manufacturers confuse the terms polish and wax which really undermines their credibility. Putting wax over a bad paint finish will just seal in the imperfections and will not enhance the appearance of the paint so waxing is a final finishing job only.

Polishing is only something you should do when the paint finish has become flat. Years of dirt grime and road film along with sunlight can degrade the finish on a car. Red cars seem to be much more susceptible to sunlight degradation that other colours and the paint turns a dull pink colour (this is caused by oxidation).

You need to determine if the paint defect is above or below the surface and use either a finishing wax or polish the paint first.

You need to determine if the paint defect is above or below the surface and use either a finishing wax or polish the paint first.

Each time you polish the car you are removing a small layer of paint and if you do this too often you will go through to the undercoat and the only way of fixing that is to respray the car.

You need to determine if the paint defect is above or below the surface. After washing the car sweep your fingers over the paint and if it feels smooth any defects are below the surface and if it feels rough, pitted or slightly sticky it indicates above surface imperfections.

Below surface defects are dealt with by polishing and above surface defects like traffic film, tar, bug guts and the like are best treated with a clay bar. (Follow the instructions that come with the clay but it is a simply a case of wiping the warm clay over the paint with a supplied lubricant to trap the dirt particles. It is a time consuming process but this makes a big difference to the finish of your paint especially on lighter colour cars which seem to show every slight imperfection in the paint.

After a clay bar treatment look closely at the paint - if there are still imperfections these will be below surface and need to be polished out. Any stone chips and scratches should be touched up at this point before applying the wax because paint will not adhere very well to a waxed surface.
How to use car polish.

To polish the car apply the cutting paste to a soft cloth and rub in a circular motion, use plenty of polish and make sure the cloth does not dry out. If you are removing a scratch or specific flaw include the surrounding area, aiming to fade in the freshly cut paint to the old paint and make sure that the freshly polish paint does not stand out - you may even need to do the whole panel if the paint is badly faded in order to match it in.

It is best done in stages because you only want to cut away the smallest amount of paint to remove the imperfections. Although an electric polisher will make the job a lot quicker, it is very easy to remove too much paint and allow the undercoat to show through so avoid using one unless you really have to. Wax can be applied with an electric polisher and a fantastic finish is possible in a very short time.



Many scratches from keys, scrapes in car parks and other damage can be almost completely removed with polishing as these photographs show.

A nasty scrape is rendered virtually invisible with a bit of polishing. So, before you take the car to a body shop for a respray quote have a go at polishing out the damage and see what the true extent of the damage is.

The Differences Between Car Wax & Car Polish
Car wax
Car wax is a non-abrasive coating usually containing Carnuba and other waxes. It is applied after washing your car and dries to a thin, milky-white layer when applied properly and is then wiped or buffed off. The wax serves as a clear, shiny protective layer between the elements and the clear-coat that has been applied over the paint on your car. It fills in very tiny (read, microscopic) dimples in the clear-coat and will help them shine to near-showroom brightness.

Car polish
Car polish usually contains a mild abrasive that removes not only some of the more difficult road materials that could splatter onto your car like chemicals, salt, tar, and bugs, but also a very, very thin layer of clear-coat depending on how it is applied and removed. Eventually, the polish could clean away the clear-coat itself and after that it can begin removing paint that the clear-coat was applied to protect in the first place. For this reason, it is highly recommended not to use an electrical buffer when applying polish. Instead, apply and remove by hand or leave it to professionals. Some polishes contain Teflon, so don't even think of making your bathtub regain its luster using polish because it is too slippery.

When to use which
Before deciding whether to wax or polish your car, first wash your car thoroughly and make sure it is dry. Then lightly run your fingers over the paint, feeling for rough spots or elevated specks. If the surface is smooth it means you need only apply wax and wipe off according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you feel little bumps or irregularities, it means the defects are below the surface and the car needs to be polished according to the instructions of the polish you've purchased.

Ups and downs
We've already talked about the downside of polish. If used too often and wrongly (especially with older cars), it can eventually polish away the clear-coat, paint, and even the undercoat. If it gets that far along, the vehicle will need to be repainted. However, given technological advances, some polishes contain such mild abrasive or polymer blends that damage to the clear coat is minimal. The biggest advantage to polish is that it will shine a lot longer and water will continue to bead for up to a year.
Wax, on the other hand, needs to be applied much more frequently and can actually melt if it gets hot enough, particularly on flat surfaces, like the roof and hood, which are exposed the most to the sun.

Leery of polish? Try the Appleton solution.
Try this tip from Bob Appleton of Hewlett, New York, who was kind enough to share it on an Internet car blog. There appears to be no downside to this trick. After washing and preparing the surface and then applying wax to your car, fill a sock halfway with corn starch and tie a knot at the top of the sock. Holding the knot, lightly smack the starch ball every 18 inches or so around the waxed surface. Lightly rub the powdered remains of the corn starch with a clean cotton cloth. The corn starch acts like jewel rouge used to polish glass. Finish by hosing the car off and you're done.