Your car’s paint is constantly bombarded by corrosive substances like acid rain, tree sap, and bird droppings. Rocks and debris fly up from the road, causing nicks and scrapes. Natural oxidation happens over time, and your paint looks old and worn.

A good polishing will remove etching, scratches, and oxidation while bringing back the gloss and protection the paint once had. Here are some things to consider — and tips to follow — when machine polishing your car:

• Paint condition. Is the paint new or old and rusted?
• The application process and the polisher needed. Do you have a dual-action machine polisher? Have you chosen the polisher based on your paint’s condition? There are polishes made specifically for mild, moderate, or severely damaged paint.
• The time available. Do you have the necessary time to do the job? It could take several hours to get it right.
• The workspace. Do you have a place to polish vehicles out of the sun and relatively dust and contaminate-free? Weather conditions. Are the weather conditions good for polishing — not too hot, cold, damp, or humid — and is the paint surface cool to touch?
  
  

Tips for polishing your car

• Work a small area at a time. Focus on two-foot by two-foot areas.
• Move slowly. Allow enough time for the polisher to do its work.
• Keep the pad level and move in slow, overlapping motions, up and down, then side to side.
• Use the correct pad, polish, and speed combinations. If you have questions, contact our experts to get help
• Don’t dry buff. Stop buffing before the polish becomes clear and dries.
• Use caution when removing paint defects. Use just enough pressure to remove defects but not so much you put too much pressure on the machine and damage the surface.
• Never lift the polisher off the paint while the device is turned on. It’s a dangerous thing to do.

Follow these polishing considerations and tips to restore your vehicle’s finish to like-new condition.