Before we can look at the various brands and products of car wax and car polish on the market, we first need to know what these compounds are.
Car Polish
By definition, polish is simply to make smooth and shinny by friction or chemical action. The process of polishing actually refines the surface by removing flaws and flatening the material being polished. In most cases it involves friction, which causes heat, which flattens the material. This usually requires a chemical agent to act as either a lubricant or the actual polishing agent. Even sand paper is considered polishing if you are taking the surface from a rough to a smoother finish. If you are however sanding a smooth finish to make it rougher, then you are not polishing… I think that is oposite to what you want to accomplish ( unless you are wet sanding ).
For automotive applications, car polish is a huge market, there are tousands of products available, some are very common and found at any local automotive parts store and others can be hand made by small businesses around the world. There are brands that you may not have even heard of where you live, others you will recognize.
Between all the manufacturers of car polish, each one also has a wide range of polish compounds. Each compound usually has a purpose or function it is designed for, such as a heavy cut compound polish would be used for heavily scratched automotive surfaces, where a glaze polish would be something with no scratches on it and you want to bring more of the gloss and color out of the finish.
Automotive Detailing and Polishing go hand in hand, the polish process is one of the primary services detailers perform, it is usually the most detailed part and one that is spent the most time on. A properly polished car will look amazing and stay that way for a long time, with proper maintenance.
Car Wax
Car wax is defined as protective coating that is applied to the exterior surface of an automobile to improve the look and shine. The wax layer also provides some protection from UV damage, washing brushes and stuff, as well as some minimal protection against scratchs ( although very little ). Car wax has some characteristics that allow it to make almost any surface look better, mostly painted surfaces, because it can fill in the scratches and imperfections that you can see with the naked eye. This is desirable in certain situations, but generally not a result the car owner looks for.
The purpose of a wax for automotive detailers is to finish a vehicle detail. It’s function is to enhance the look of a car, as well as offer some form of seal or protection. A car wax is not designed to be a permanent seal, most will wear off within 3 to 8 weeks, depending on many environmental factors. Everything that touches or reacts with your paint surface will affect the life of the wax layer, the number of washes, the type of wash soap, the sun, the rain, etc. Car wax is often and is recommended to be re-applied every 6 weeks to maintain the protection layer.
To further protect a paint surface for longer periods you will need a sealant product, which is generally a harder material and lasts longer. It’s properties are slightly different and often does not brighten up the paint as a wax might.
A great combination is 2 layers of sealant, with a curing time of at least 24 hours in between coats, followed by 2 wax layers. This offers a great deal of protection and the wax also enhances the sheen of the paint at the same time. I usually do not recommend more then 3 or 4 layers combined, usually, after that most products tend to layer too much and become un-clear… almost like a clouded look.
