How do i polish a car by hand?
The answer to this question really depends on what you are trying to achieve and how much effort you are willing to put in.
For the purpose of answering the question, we will assume you have a modern car with clean-over-base paintwork which is looking dull due to oxidation and wash marks.
Firstly, you need to prepare your car for polishing. Once it is cleaned and ready, you should park it in the shade out of direct sunlight.
You will need:-
- Bottle of car polish
- Clean sponge
- Clean soft cloth
There are many different brands of polish you can use, but we would recommend AutoGlym Super Resin Polish. We don't recommend it because we claim it is better than anything else, but we are familiar with it as it has been around for decades, we know it works, it is readily available and reasonably priced. If you happen to have another brand of polish, you use it in exactly the same way.
We recommend using a sponge for applying waxes and polishes. Purpose made sponges are available and are safe, but natural cellulose sponges are also very good. You can tell these because the holes are irregular, just don't use ones that scouring pads attached because that will damage your paintwork.
Step 1 - Applying the polish
We recommend wetting the sponge and wringing it out, so it is just damp, then applying a small quantity of polish to the sponge, not so much that the sponge can't absorb it.
Then apply to each panel of the car in circular motions. Start in the middle when you have plenty of polish on your sponge, and work outwards towards the edges. This will help to prevent filling the gaps between panes and edges with globs of polish. You should avoid getting the polish in any gaps and on plastic trim.
You can apply the polish to the entire car, or on a very hot and dry day, do it one panel at a time.
Super Resin Polish is generally quite easy to remove, but some other polishes might be harder if they are baked on, on a hot day.
The abrasive in Super Resin Polish are platelets with an edge. So the harder you rub, the more abrasive they are, until the platelets wear down and become finer. This means that the more work you put in, both to putting it on and buffing it off, the more your car is polished. So don't be scared to give it a good firm rub.
Super Resin Polish also contains solvents, which will chemically clean your paint and help remove things like tree sap.
Step 2 - Removing the polish
When the polish has dried on the car, you can remove it. We recommend purchasing a micro-fibre cloth especially for your vehicle, which you only use for polishing. These are very soft and won't introduce scratches to your paintwork. They are also good at getting off the dust created by dry polish.
It is very important that you keep your applicator sponge and your polishing cloth clean. It is very easy to drop them on the ground while you are cleaning, and if you do, dirt and grit will stick to them. If this happens to your sponge, just throw it away and get another (this is why we recommend cheap household cellulose sponges). If you drop your cloth, it will need to be washed and dried before you continue, so it's worth having two or three. You also have to be careful where you put it down when you aren't using it. Don't put it under the windscreen wipers unless you cleaned them in detail. Don't hang it over a wooden fence. Don't put them anywhere where there can be dirt and grit.
Large good quality microfibre cloths are quite expensive, so if you must take a cheaper option, use mutton cloth (Cheap and available from most motor accessory shops, although these days, often not cheaper than microfibre). It can cause a lot of lint, but it is soft and won't damage your paintwork. Don't be tempted to use old tea towels or torn up clothing.
Step 3 - Inspecting your work
Once you have removed all the polish, you can stand back and admire your work. If it hasn't made a noticeable improvement, you may need to ask a professional about machine polishing your car. If it has made an improvement, but you are still not satisfied, you could go over it again. You should inspect your paintwork, run your hands over it, or drag a clean, dry microfibre cloth over it to see if you can feel any rough or gritty areas, this may be an indication that you have contamination by industrial fallout. If so, this can be removed with a clay bar or a special wash by a professional.
Step 4 - Optional - Apply a wax
Once you are happy with the results, you don't need to do any more if you used Super Resin Polish as it is a combination product which is also a wax. However, you might want to apply an additional protective coating such as AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection.
Sorry, if this is beginning to sound like a sales promotion for AutoGlym, but as we mentioned, these are retail products everyone in the UK has access to, and we know exactly what they do.
Extra Gloss Protection is what we would recommend for cars that have some wash marks because, even though the website says it doesn't remove scratches, it contains lots of diffusers and fillers that help hide any scratches that you haven't been able to polish out. If you look close up you will probably still see them, but when you stand back the overall effect should be less noticeable.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 22/04/2024 16:16