A Visual Guide to Car Polishing.

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   Please park your vehicle in a shady spot. The very first thing you need to do in order to make your car shine is to wash it, and you should never wash a vehicle in direct sunlight. It's possible that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight will cause the soap you use to dry onto the paint, which will make the finish look less shiny. Locate a parking spot that shields the entirety of the vehicle from the sun's rays, and then use that spot. [1]

   • Be sure that the vehicle is parked on a level, stable surface. It is not advisable to drive on dirt or grass because you run the risk of getting mud on the car after you wash it.
   • In the event that it does not end up raining, you should consider washing and polishing your vehicle on a cloudy day.

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   Things that you don't want to get dirty should be covered or moved. The process of polishing the car can be quite messy. When you turn on the polisher, the rubbing compound spraying feature may activate as the machine begins to spin. Make sure that your animals are safely contained inside, and clear the area around the car of anything that might get in the way of you spraying some loose polish. [2]

   • The polish is going to come off very easily, but there are some things that you probably won't want to clean.
   • During the polishing process, keep children and pets away from the area.

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   Using a hose, thoroughly wash the entire vehicle. You should thoroughly saturate the entire vehicle with water before attempting to wash it by hand. Utilize the water, if at all possible, in order to remove any large bits of dirt or debris that are stuck to the paint of the car. [3]

   • When you are rinsing the vehicle, start from the top and work your way down to the bottom.
   • Be sure to give the wheels and the bottom of the car a thorough cleaning, as this is the area where dirt and mud are most likely to become embedded in the paint.

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   If you intend to, you should start by cleaning your wheels and tires. If you want to polish the paint on the same day that you wash the wheels and tires, you should make sure that the wheels and tires are cleaned first. When you clean your wheels, use a different sponge and bucket than you do when you clean the paint on your car. [4]

   • When cleaning your wheels, you run the risk of getting harsh wheel detergents on the paint of the vehicle; therefore, cleaning your wheels first gives you the opportunity to remove the detergents from the paint.
   • When you rinse the wheels, you run the risk of splashing mud or dirt onto the paint, which you can then remove with water.

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   Automobile dishwashing liquid should be used to clean the vehicle. Put some water and a little bit of car wash soap in a bucket and give it a good shake. Pick a bar of soap that doesn't contain wax or polish of any kind. Put an uncontaminated sponge into the water in the bucket, and start washing your car from the roof down, moving clockwise. [5]

   • If it is necessary, you can either wash the sponge in the bucket or with the hose.
   • Before you polish your car, you need to make sure that the paint has been thoroughly cleaned. When you begin the polishing process, any particles of debris or dirt that are on the paint could result in damaging swirls or scratches.

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   Determine which pad and compound are best suited for your vehicle. When polishing the paint on a dark-colored vehicle, you should use a softer pad and compound than you would on a lighter-colored vehicle because dark-colored vehicles are more likely to have swirl marks. On lighter-colored cars, you can get away with using more aggressive pads and compounds without much of an issue. [6]

   • Pads and compounds are available for purchase at your neighborhood auto parts retailer.
   • The two are frequently sold together in sets.

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   On the compound, use a polishing wheel in conjunction with a wet pad. Put some clean water on the pad that goes with your polishing wheel, and then use it to wet the pad. Wring it out so that it is wet, but not dripping wet, so that it can be used. In order to protect the paint job on your vehicle throughout the polishing process, the pad needs to be kept wet. [7]

   • Your vehicle's clear coat can be ruined by using a dry pad.
   • Throughout the entire process of polishing, make sure to keep a hose or bucket of clean water close by.

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   Rub in the rubbing compound on each individual body panel in order. After spreading a reasonable amount of polishing compound across the pad, activate the polishing wheel, and work the pad into the surface of the vehicle's paint. There is also the option of applying the compound straight to the exterior of the vehicle, followed by bringing the polisher to the area. [8]

   • Read the instructions that came with the polishing compound that you bought because some of them may have particular steps that you need to take in order to get the best possible result.
   • When you have completed one body panel, proceed to the next one in the sequence.

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   Turn the wheel while maintaining a constant amount of pressure. It is of the utmost importance that you maintain a parallel angle between the polishing wheel and the body panel that you are working on at the moment. As you move the wheel back and forth along the panel that you are working on, be sure that the amount of pressure that you are applying to it remains constant. [9]

   • By applying pressure in a consistent and even manner, you will lessen the likelihood of your paint becoming damaged.
   • Because the polishing wheel will already be spinning, all you need to do is rock it back and forth.

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   When the glossy finish of the paint can be seen, it is time to move on. Polishing the paint on the vehicle will cause the polishing compound to smear and swirl, and then it will gradually disappear, leaving behind only the brilliant shine of the paint. When you can finally make out the sheen of the paint, you can move on to the next section and continue polishing. [10]

   • In contrast to waxing the car, applying car polish does not require you to wait for it to dry.
   • Do not continue to polish the gleaming paint, as this could cause the finish to become dull.

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   If it is required, rinse the pad. As you work on the vehicle to polish it, you will notice that the polishing compound is gradually building up on the pad. During the polishing process, you should periodically pause to remove compound from the pad, then wring out the pad to ensure that it stays damp and is relatively clean. [11]

   • If there is an excessive amount of polish compound on the pad, its ability to polish will be impaired.
   • Don't forget to keep the pad damp at all times during the process.

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   Be careful around intricate trim pieces Because it moves the fastest and usually comes into contact with the least amount of rubbing compound, the edge of the pad on the polishing wheel poses the greatest threat to the clear coat on your paint. Because of this, you need to exercise extreme caution whenever you are buffing around components of the trim that could potentially come into contact with the pad's edges. [12]

   • Take your time, and make sure that you don't press any part of the pad's edge into the paint on the car.
   • Have patience and use a rubbing motion to remove polishing compound from grooves that the polishing wheel can't access.

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   Repeat the process of washing and rinsing the car. After you have finished polishing each panel on the car's body, give the polishing pad a thorough cleaning and then set it, along with the polishing wheel, to the side. Use the hose to thoroughly clean the entire car, and then wash the vehicle from top to bottom once more. [13]

   • Be sure to remove any polishing compound that might still be on the vehicle by giving it a good wash.
   • After you are finished washing the car, make sure to give it a thorough rinse.

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   Let the car air out for some time. Before you can apply wax to your vehicle, the paint will need to be completely dry. If you want to finish the drying process more quickly, you can use towels made of microfiber instead of traditional towels. If you have hard water, letting the water dry naturally could cause small spots to appear on the paint; therefore, you may want to use towels to prevent water spots from appearing on the paint. [14]

   • When drying the car with towels, begin at the top and work your way down, starting from the windshield.
   • Before you move on to the waxing step, make sure the paint is completely dry.

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   The paint on the car should be given a coat of wax to protect it. Protect the freshly polished paint with a wax that is of high quality and ensure that it has a bright and shiny finish by applying the wax. Place some wax on the pad that it comes with, and then use it to apply the wax to your vehicle in a circular motion. Wax the entire vehicle because polishing can sometimes result in the paint losing its protection from the sun. [15]

   • Apply the wax to each individual body panel one at a time.
   • When you are waxing the vehicle, make sure it is not in the direct sunlight.

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   Using a towel made of microfiber, polish off the wax. After the wax has had time to harden, remove it from the paint by buffing it with microfiber towels. If you touch the wax with your bare finger, you will be able to tell whether or not it has sufficiently dried. If the wax comes off easily when you rub it between your fingers, then it is dry and can be removed from the car by buffing. [16]

   • When all of the wax has been buffed off, the paint will have a brilliant shine, and the finish will be flawless.

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