How do I prepare a car for polishing?
Regardless of what kind of car you have or what type of paintwork it has, it is very important to prepare your car properly for polishing.
There is no magic to this, you just need to get it really clean. Often times people will rush washing the car, and then because they are taking great care to polish, they find all the places they missed during the wash. These places you tend to miss, also tend to be the places where dirt and grit collect.
What then happens is that you drag your polishing sponge through all the grit and begin rubbing it all over your car, causing scratches.
It is a very good idea to get yourself a foam kneeling pad from a garden centre, because many of the bits people miss are the ones they don't see when they are standing next to the car. You could also get a step to stand on so you can check the roof.
- Under wing mirrors
- Under and around the rear number place
- Under the wheel arches
- Under the bumpers, sills/valance
- The door shuts (inside part of the doors)
- Under, and around roof rails or roof strips.
We would recommend using a traffic brush to help get in all the gaps. (Don't use any old brush, this is a special brush)
There's a lot of advice on the internet about how to properly wash a car. Much of it written by car enthusiasts who are fastidious about cleaning while avoiding wash marks. They love cleaning cars, but you probably don't, and that's okay! There are simpler methods that don't involve grit guards and the two bucket method, you don't actually have to do any of that to get the same results.
Just get a bucket, use a proper car shampoo (not dish soap), don't let the water in the bucket get too dirty and be aware, that grit will sink to the bottom of the bucket, so if you let your sponge or wash mitt sink to the bottom of the bucket, it will get covered in grit.
There is also a taboo about using sponges in the enthusiast community as they are hard and flat, and they can trap grit, and assist you in rubbing all over your car. There is no doubt that a wash mitt and/or traffic brush is preferable, but if all you have is a sponge, don't worry about it too much. If you are polishing your car because you have wash marks, switching to a wash mitt at this point is shutting the door after the horse has bolted. You might want to consider getting one for next time once you have polished your car.
Once you have washed your car and dried it off using a drying microfibre towel, flunky or chamois leather, try running your hand over the paintwork. If you have a dry microfibre cloth, you could try dragging that over the paintwork to feel if it has any snags.
It is very likely that your paintwork will have some contamination, usually tar, tree sap or iron partials called fallout.
If there is light tar and tree sap, then don't worry too much, the polish we recommend on the next page has some solvents in it that can remove that. If the surface of the paint is rough and feels gritty, you can use a clay bar to clean the paint, and it will remove light contamination. We wouldn't recommend rushing out to buy a clay bar at this stage, give your car a polish first, then inspect the paintwork. If your paintwork is very gritty, especially if you can see black or orange particles, then we would recommend consulting a professional.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 05/07/2022 15:54