Question about polishing paint

R

RVM

New member
How often should one polish? Every time before one uses a sealant? Only when the paint has blemishes? Does polishing eventually wear down the paint if done too often?



Thanks. :grinno:
 
Polishing removes paint/clearcoat every time you do it. How much, depends on the aggressiveness of the polish.



You only NEED to polish if you have swirls/scratches/etc that require a polish to remove. If the paint is just slightly oxidized, than a non-abrasive paint cleaner is my preferred way to go.



I clay and polish 1-2 times per year. I seal or wax every month.
 
polishing is mostly personal preference. Some people cant stand having any swirls, scratches, etc whatsoever. They're constantly light polishing the paint. Others like me polish every 6-12 months when the marring starts to get annoying. Really there is no right answer to this. Just know that you only have so much clearcoat to work with on a car and once its gone you can't get anymore back. I would rather have a really good wash technique to reduce marring in the first place and use fillers when swirls do occur than to use abrasive polishes on my paint.
 
No rule here for me, mild polishes and glazes as needed, try to limit heavier polishing sessions to once/twice a year.
 
I don't polish if I don't see any scratches, but usually in the spring. Usually I use a paint cleaner like AIO+a sealant in the winter(about once a month). In the summer I usually just wax it more often with NXT and NXT boosterwax after every other wash.
 
Thanks for the replies! The dealer washed the truck for me and now it's got some very light swirling on it. I'm thinking a good claying and some sealant (Meguiar's #20 for now) should minimize them, and I can do a very light polish in the spring when it warms up.



Damn dealer carwash people. :furious:
 
I think for some polisher/cleaners with some tools, you can polish as much as you want without wearing down the C/C. I usually polish with cleaner once a month. It's no problem.
 
Neothin said:
polishing is mostly personal preference. Some people cant stand having any swirls, scratches, etc whatsoever. They're constantly light polishing the paint.
Click to expand...





:wavey That would be me! Having a black car only makes it worse. I washed my car today and noticed someone scuffed one of my doors so I had to polish it out again.



Just polish as often as you need to maintain the finish at your desired level.
 
Always try a cleanser first and if that ain't strong enough, try a mild polish/glaze such as VM, RMG or YCW by clearkote or SONUS SFX 3
 
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