How Often Should I Machine Polish My Car?

You know that new, shiny car you just got? Wondering how often machine polish car in order to keep the vehicle looking showroom new? Many also have an application time frame that is vital for avoiding corrosion issues.

Why People Machine Polish Their Car? Some reasons to polish your car!

This article has a list of some of the most common reasons cars get polished.

1. Fix tiny scratches on the paint

You know those marks from keys, purses, etc? Likewise, the swirls apply. Carpolax, a way to remove the defects from a car by polishing it, will provide a remedied look to one’s vehicle.

2. Cover up scratches

Much of our vehicles are susceptible to scratches from rocks and road debris. In order to hide such defects, you may want to consider polishing your car. This will provide a glossy shine to the vehicle, thus masking the existing defects.

Check out: How you can use a drill to polish your car?!

3. Improve airflow around the vehicle through a machine polish car process

A car’s surface is much like a mini version of an airplane wing in terms of airflow resistance around it. It is so important to remove defects, as they can also lead to problems with airflow.

4. Increase the resale value of the vehicle

Cleaning your car and polishing it will keep it from rusting away over time. You can use a polisher machine for this purpose; however, the surface should be dry before you do so.

5. Avoid paint scratching from airborne debris

Certain substances such as sand and dust float in the air and can become a problem when entering into your vehicle’s bodywork.

Machine or Hand Polishing

There are two ways to polish the car. 1. Machine polishing is conducted by use of a machine that is used to remove scratches from the paint. The surface of the vehicle must be free of any dirt or grease that may be present on it. 2. Hand-held polishing is done using a small buffing tool, along with some sort of lubricant, such as car wax (and on some rare occasions by hand).

Does Machine Polishing Damage Car Paint?

In general, machine polishing will destroy a layer of a clear coat. However, it is needed to fix the scratches, oxidation, fading, and bring the car paint shine back.

Even though machine polishing cars can be damaging to the paint, it can also prevent further damage. Be sure to do a thorough inspection of the car after applying polish for signs of scratching.

If you find any signs of scratching or other damage, you may want to consider another method of polishing the car. Be sure to inspect the car after at least 24 hours to see if any further damage has occurred.

Keep in mind that there are different grades of polish that are available for purchase; they also vary in terms of the time frame needed for the vehicle to dry.

Basically, the paint is a hard surface coating that has a coating on it called “resin”. This is some sort of “permanent sealer” which prevents the paint from being exposed to the elements and then breaking down.

The resin, as well as all other substances added to the paint, serves to allow it to dry quickly. When you polish any particular part of a car, you are rubbing away at this coating and it is vital that you do so properly.

And, as was mentioned previously, the paint must be totally dry when doing so. When you polish the car after it has been exposed to the elements and has had residual moisture on it, the chemicals in your polishing process will be accelerated and they will dissolve a bit of this coating, which then creates that rough appearance. But this is a necessary step if you want to perfect a car on an overall basis.

The car should be low key and polished to perfection. But when you do so, the chemicals in your polishing process will pick away at this coating, causing a rough appearance.

Polishing doesn’t really affect the way the paint looks at all. But it does affect how it will look over time. The way that it keeps your paint from weathering and becomes a haze over time showcases this quite well.

How Often Can You Machine Polish Your Car?

If you want to keep your car looking showroom new, you should polish it at least once a year. If the paint is not exposed to the elements (as in some tinted windows) and not covered in dirt or dust, then don’t bother with it until it has been in use for more than 4-5 years.

A car shouldn’t be machine polished more than 3-4 times in the lifetime of the car paint. You shouldn’t polish your car more than once per year because polishing compounds typically last at least a year.

Why? Your car’s finish is actually quite fragile and susceptible to damage. And while machine polishing a car may not be harmful, the chemicals used for this process can be. Remember that using gloves during the operation will protect you from inhaling these products into your lungs and getting sick.

You should also never use a machine polisher to buff out scratches. This is because rubbing with the polishing compounds will actually remove the protective coating that you are trying to repair. And since these compounds can be quite harsh, they will destroy your car’s finish in short order if used this way.

Be sure that you read materials supplied with your polishing compound and make sure that you understand how it is to be used properly to avoid any damage.

Check out: The differences between polishing and compounding?!

What To Do Instead Of Machine Polishing?

Hand Polishing

When we discuss machine polishing, people immediately think of waxing and buffing. But hand polishing your car can really be an easy process. All that’s required is a good polish and some elbow grease.

Find out: Do you need to polish your car before waxing it?!

You can do it yourself with no experience at all. When you do so, be sure to use it as directed by the manufacturer. The disadvantages of hand polishing are the time it takes to complete the job and the amount of material that you’ll need to complete the work.

You can get by with just a few kinds of polish and some elbow grease to do the work. And, after all, you don’t need to take it to the level of perfection that machine polishing does.

Most hand polishes are designed to be used on most types of surfaces and surfaces that don’t require a lot of effort. By hand polishing your car, you will avoid exposing the coating on your car to harsh chemicals and contribute to the best condition possible for your paint.

Protect The Car Paint

Cleaning your car frequently will help it keep its shine and maintain its original color. To prevent the car from getting scratched and damaged, you can wax it, use sealant, or do a synthetic coating. It’s always a good idea to protect your car from scratches and dings. Protecting your car the day you bought it is. In this way, the car paint will last longer, and as a result, there will be no need for frequent polishing.

How to Prevent Damage from a Machine Polish Car Process?

Machine polishing is not a simple process. In fact, it is very important that you do not use products for machine polish cars that are too aggressive. This must be avoided at all costs due to its potential damage to the finish and the possibility of ruining the paint’s protective gloss layer.

The following tips are highly recommended:

1. Change the polisher pads every 25-50 hours. This will prevent the application of too much pressure on the vehicle’s paint.
2. Set an appropriate speed when using your machine polisher for the car. No need to rush, as you can harm the paint instead of polishing it properly. While setting the speed, hold off at each angle twice for three seconds to avoid overdoing it.
3. If you are not sure how much you can machine polish the car without damaging the finish, then it is better if you stop before getting too deep down into the scratches.
4. Before polishing your car, make sure that it is completely dry. You don’t want to ruin the glossiness of your vehicle’s paint through chemical damage from too much cleaning or polishing.
5. Prepare the surface with some polish to have a smoother finish for better results when machine polishing car.

There are many different polishing pads available on the market today. The three main types of polishing pads include microfiber, foam, and wool.

• Microfiber is a great pad for beginners because it is soft on the paint and does not scratch up the finish as a wool pad would.
• Wool and foam pads are both very rough on paint. They will leave scratches on the surface of your vehicle, which is why it is important to use a smaller pad for them. A large foam or wool pad can leave hairline scratches that won’t be noticeable until they begin to blend in with the rest of the paint’s texture.

Find out: Is foam canon worth the money?! Should have buy one?

Conclusions

Machine polishing car is a wonderful way to bring your vehicle back to its original state. It can be time consuming, but the benefits are well worth the effort. However, pay attention to how often you use it. You must protect your car from damage; this includes machine polishing it as needed and keeping both your car and yourself safe. By using a little elbow grease, patience, and moderate skill, you can make a huge difference in how your car looks and feels to you.