Do I need a buffer to polish a car and remove scratches?
Technically no, realistically yes. It really depends on what you are trying to do, how deep the scratches are that you are trying to remove.
If you are trying to remove light wash marks, it is possible to make a marked improvement polishing by hand, using the right products, and finishing with products that help hide micro-scratches. But realistically, if you want to polish them all out, you are probably going to need a machine polisher. Most of the compounds and polishes you can buy for serious work are designed to be used with a machine, while hand polishes are better for solving the problem of dull paintwork.
However, with that said, you don't need to spend hundreds of pounds on battery powered, high torque, random orbital polishers in order to machine polish a car. You can get yourself a branded polisher and pads for around £50 which obviously isn't as effective or durable as professional kit, but is certainly easier than polishing by hand. We would recommend going to a store like Halford's and buying a buffer/polisher. We would also recommend keeping the receipt, because they are cheap polishers and quality control isn't always great, but you can always get it replaced. We would discourage you from buying no-name products from eBay or Amazon, and don't get suckered into buying a cheap Chinese angle-grinder with a foam pad attached.
When it comes to deeper scratches, we would strongly advise staying away from kits that promise to be able to remove scratches. There are many products being advertised on places like Pinterest and Facebook, which make wild claims and have extremely deceptive video marketing. Obviously these don't work, but even the kits from reputable companies can be dangerous as they contain coarse compounds. They are unlikely to give you the results you desire, or the results their marketing gives you the impression you can achieve.
The question is further complicated by the fact that an awful lot of deep scratches are just far too deep for even an expert to polish out, so attempting to rub it away with some coarse compound is almost guaranteed to make things worse.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 23/08/2022 15:12