Do you wash your car regularly but are not satisfied with the results? After the paint on your car dries, does the gloss evaporate along with the water? The reality is that your car’s paint is constantly exposed to road grit, UV rays, de-icers and, from time to time, a shopping cart. All of these hazards eventually cause the paint to lose its shine and become dull.
However, with cutting, polishing, and waxing, you can usually restore your car’s paintwork to like-new condition. This is a process that involves deep cleaning the paint, buffing to remove minor imperfections like hard water stains, and applying a protective wax. Many body shops and professional car dealerships already offer machine polishing services that can improve the appearance of your car, but they tend to be expensive. Doing it yourself is much cheaper and less labor intensive—it just takes some time.
There are plenty of polishing kits available online, and we’ve rounded up some of the best for you to check out. From the casual car washer to the car show ace, there’s a polishing kit to suit every budget and skill level.
This all-in-one kit includes everything you need to clean, polish, and wax your car’s paint, as well as other parts like wheels, tires, and interior. The only thing missing was a clay strip. Every product in the kit delivers great results. We used them to service our 1962 Volvo for a local car show and won a prize.
The kit also includes a high-quality microfiber towel, car wash mitt, foam applicator, and absorbent drying towel, the latter of which is effective at removing water stains. While these products can be applied with an orbital polisher, applying them by hand also produces a great shine.
We also really like the Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer, which makes black plastic, vinyl, and rubber trim look like new after treatment. Even the best polished paint is useless if the plastic and rubber parts look gray, faded, and discolored.
All of these quality products are included in a kit that doesn’t cost too much, especially considering they’re all from a reputable brand like Meguiar’s.
This complete kit includes virtually everything you need to maintain the appearance of your vehicle: a superior paint polish, an effective plastic restorer that will keep plastic and rubber looking fresh, and a variety of applicators and microfiber polishing pads.
Visit any self-respecting car dealership and you’ll likely see competitors using Griot products to prep their high-end vehicles. This kit will allow you to do a quality Pebble Beach paint restoration yourself. The included G8 Electric Track Buffer is an upgrade from a previous Griot product, and the manufacturers say the gear set is now 45% stronger. The increased strength significantly reduces the purchase price. In addition to the buffer, you’ll also get 16-ounce bottles of BOSS Color Corrector and Best of Show Wax. There are also two different types of polishing pads; orange for correcting creams and red for applying wax. The six microfiber polishing pads in this kit have no frills or edges that could snag or dislodge the finish – very thoughtful.
Griot’s has been in business since 1990 and has always taken car care very seriously. All of their waxes, cutters, polishes, and other liquid car care products are manufactured in their own facility in the USA.
Whether the Griot kit is good value for money is a matter of personal preference. However, sometimes it’s nice to spend a little money on something nice. Even if you don’t plan on attending a car show, your car deserves to be seen.
Griot’s unrivalled reputation for quality, improved track buffers, specialised cutting and waxing wheels
This is a good option for those on a budget, as it’s the cheapest here. This kit includes a super-shine car wash wax that removes dirt, a tire protector, an original protector for long-lasting shine, and glass cloths to keep your windows clean. For the price, the kit includes a lot of products, but it doesn’t include gloves or microfiber towels, which you’ll have to buy separately.
When it comes to polishing and cleaning quality, you shouldn’t expect results comparable to the best polishes and cleaners on the market. However, it’s enough to regularly maintain the shine of your car’s paintwork. Glass wipes can certainly keep your windows clean, but they’re only effective if the glass isn’t too dirty. In other words, use them only on the inside of your windows and mirrors, otherwise they’ll only leave stains rather than remove dirt.
We may have some complaints about Armor All, but for the price it does a good job of preserving your car’s paint. Just don’t expect miracles.
The Chemical Guys Waterless Cleaning Fluid is a great product for anyone looking to quickly and easily polish and condition their car. This kit doesn’t even require a hose or a nearby water source. Just mix the cleaning solution with water in a spray bottle and you’re good to go. If your car is particularly dirty, you can use a concentrated cleaning solution.
The usage is also very simple. Simply spray the product on the specific areas of your car and then buff thoroughly with the microfiber cloth included in the package. Although you cannot expect a professional polish, most users will find this product sufficient to achieve the desired shine. And the best thing is that it protects your car’s paint from further damage thanks to the wax included.
This all sounds great, but don’t expect perfect results from it. Scratches and stains are certainly impossible to remove – it’s more like something you use after every car wash, rather than once or twice a year like a real car polish. That doesn’t mean it won’t make your car’s paint look like new – it just won’t be as effective as some other products.
However, in terms of ease of use and for those who don’t want to spend too much time cleaning their car, this is a very good product. Just be prepared to spend a little money.
Image courtesy of: Amazon.com If you’re serious about maintaining every possible part of your car, this kit from Adam will definitely meet your needs. It includes not only high-quality car detailing solutions, but also a professional car wash, interior cleaning, wheel cleaner, mud strips, VRT vinyl, rubber and tire polish, H2O Guard & Gloss, and a large selection of high-quality towels, gloves, and microfiber brushes. It even includes a bucket. A real all-in-one solution.
We can say with confidence that all of the products lived up to their claims. After using all of the products for the appropriate surface treatment, your car will look as new and shiny as ever. We’re not just talking about paint, but plastic, vinyl, rubber, windows, tires, wheels, trim, and more. The kit even includes a built-in clay attachment that will give your car a mirror-like shine.
In conclusion, Adam’s tool kit is really for those who are serious about maintaining their car. This tool kit is expensive, and most car owners will probably choose something more affordable, like this one recommended by our editors at Micron.
Car polish is actually an abrasive that is used to remove imperfections from a car’s clear coat. You may not know it, but when you polish your car, you are actually removing small areas of damaged clear coat. A quality car polish will remove all damage to the clear coat, whether it is minor scratches, streaks, or water spots.
But because polish is abrasive in nature, it should only be used to remove visible imperfections in your car’s paint. The purpose of wax is to add a layer of protection to your car, not to remove a small piece of clear coat. After polishing, be sure to apply a thick layer of wax to protect the results of your hard work.
Your car’s body and paint are subject to wear and tear throughout the day and are constantly exposed to a variety of elements that can damage them. Rocks, UV rays from the sun, acid rain, bird droppings, sand, mud, ice, falling shopping carts, car washes, etc. are all protected.
All this wear and tear can make your car look dull and old. You will see tiny scratches, streaks, water spots, and stone chips on your car’s paint. Not only do these imperfections ruin the look of your car, but they can also damage the paint in the long run. For example, small scratches will attract more dirt and dust into your car, water stains made of calcium carbonate will be harder to remove, and acid from rain or bird droppings will discolor the paint.
A quality car polish at least once a year can effectively reduce damage to the paintwork and prevent further deterioration. After polishing and waxing, your car’s paint will shine and sparkle like new. Combined with gentle care with a polishing stick, your car will look like new. The best part is that car maintenance is not that difficult – all you need is a few hours of your time, preferably on a weekend, and a quality set of car polishing tools. You do the polishing, we do the finishing.
Summer is just around the corner, transform your car and give it a brand new look. There are two ways to polish: hand polishing and using a polishing machine. We highly recommend using a polishing machine as it is easier and faster. But if you want to pump up your forearms or become the next “karate kid” (or “adult”), we are also not against it.
There are many types of home polishers. But we recommend you use a dual-purpose orbital polisher, which is great for beginners. If you have some experience, you can even use an orbital polisher, which uses the momentum of a central rotating system to create tiny orbits.
Advanced users can even use a dual-action positive-rotation polisher, which combines orbital and rotary motion. However, keep in mind that this type of polisher is more likely to damage the car’s paint, so only professionals should use a full-rotation polisher. This is because a rotary polisher quickly heats up after friction, causing the paint to burn out. Now that that’s clear, let’s get started.
While this method is more cost effective, it is also more tedious and time consuming. Although we admit, it is a pretty good workout. As with machine polishing, you need to make sure the car is clean. You will also need to scrub the car with a polishing strip to make sure there is no debris left on the surface of the car.