cleaning vs polishing

[III]

I have a question regarding using products that are considered all in one/cleaner wax products. We all know these type of products clean, polish, and protect in one step.

What part of the product is actually removing the fine sratches/swirls? Is it the cleaner or the polish?



Again, when someone uses a pre-wax cleaner, are they using it to remove scratches, or to remove old product build up, tar, sap, oxidation, and other elements that washing alone won't remove. I've always thought it's the polish in the product that levels and removes the defects like scratches/swirls. In other words, cleaning has nothing to do with removing scratches, as they are two different things.



Below is a section taken from Meguiar's website. They seem to believe the cleaning is what removes scratches/swirls, not polishing.



"How can I remove below surface defects like chemical etching, swirls, and scratches?

Chances are good that if your car's finish needs to be clayed (the removal of above surface bonded contaminants), then it also needs a thorough paint cleaning. Paint cleaning, using a paint cleaner (not to be confused with the washing procedure and a car wash solution) is where you clean and remove below surface defects such as pore-imbedding stains, oxidation, scratches and swirls, road grime and other unsightly blemishes. By cleaning the paint after claying the paint, you will restore the optical clarity of a clear coat finish so that the underlying color coat can shine through. In the case of a non-clear coat finish, a good cleaning will bring out the full color spectrum and richness of the color coat."



meguiars.com: FAQ - How can I remove below surface defects like chemical etching, swirls, and scratches?

 

[Accumulator]

This one bumps into a problem that drives me batty- different manufacturers/detailers use terms like "polish" and "cleaner" in different way.



It's the *abrasives* that (literally) remove marring, by "sanding" down the paint. Many of us would call the abrasive stuff "polish".



Meguiar's, OTOH, calls the abrasives "cleaners". And (a pet peeve of mine) they talk about products "removing" (or maybe it was "eliminating", I forget) marring when I would use the word "concealing" instead. Also, and this is *NOT* intended as a slam at Meguiar's, you simply gotta take all manufacturer/vendor-provided info with a little grain of salt. Even general "objective information" (scare-quotes intentional) often has a tinge of "buy our stuff" lurking around its edges.



Different detailers use different products in different ways which compounds the problem.



Some folks like just using chemical cleaners (most of which contain a *tiny* bit of abrasive that doesn't reallydo much/any abrading) for their pre-LSP prep; KAIO and Pinnacle PCL are perfect examples. Others use a mildly abrasive polish for the exact same purpose.



Not sure if the above was of any help...

 

[III]

This one bumps into a problem that drives me batty- different manufacturers/detailers use terms like "polish" and "cleaner" in different way.



It's the *abrasives* that (literally) remove marring, by "sanding" down the paint. Many of us would call the abrasive stuff "polish".



Not sure if the above was of any help...

Bingo. This is what I'm finding. Manufacturers seem to have somewhat different definitions of what each word/action is. This get confusing in a way.



Yes, that's what I've always thought also, as descibed in my first post. It's the abrasives in the polish, not the cleaners that levels the surface.



I appreciate your input.

 

[III]

This one bumps into a problem that drives me batty- different manufacturers/detailers use terms like "polish" and "cleaner" in different way.



It's the *abrasives* that (literally) remove marring, by "sanding" down the paint. Many of us would call the abrasive stuff "polish".



Not sure if the above was of any help...

Bingo. This is what I'm finding. Manufacturers seem to have somewhat different definitions of what each word/action is. This get confusing in a way.



Yes, that's what I've always thought also, as descibed in my first post. It's the abrasives in the polish, not the cleaners that levels the surface.



I appreciate your input.

 

[SoCalB6]

Bingo. This is what I'm finding. Manufacturers seem to have somewhat different definitions of what each word/action is. This get confusing in a way.



Yes, that's what I've always thought also, as descibed in my first post. It's the abrasives in the polish, not the cleaners that levels the surface.



I appreciate your input.

You bet It seems like Meg's is the only one who goes against the grain when they talk about abrasives in their product descriptions. It seems the general Autopian consensus is that polish=abrasives and cleaners=chemical, I know that's the way I mostly think about it when I deal with products other than Meg's; they make great stuff BTW...

 

[BigJimZ28]

let's not forget when meg's states "pure polish"

they are talking about a glaze

 

[gonz0]

You bet It seems like Meg's is the only one who goes against the grain when they talk about abrasives in their product descriptions. It seems the general Autopian consensus is that polish=abrasives and cleaners=chemical, I know that's the way I mostly think about it when I deal with products other than Meg's; they make great stuff BTW...

Yea, Meg's likes to have fun with their naming... I just used their cleaner wax for the first time (had a free sample) and I liked it, but I don't know if I'd consider it a chemical cleaner, nor any level of an abrasive. It just seemed like normal, run of the mill finishing wax/sealer.