It's nice when the car shines like new, but do not forget that before that you need to polish the car well. Let's talk about the process of polishing, polishing, selection and its cost.
The content of the article:
- Polishing frequency
- Selection of consumables
- Polishing process
- After painting
- Using tools
- Professional polishing
- Price
In order for the car to shine like new, even in spite of its "age", from time to time you need to pay attention to it and, of course, finance. We are talking about high-quality polishing of the car.
Yes, many car enthusiasts will say that it is expensive (especially if the polishing is carried out by professionals at a service station or car wash). That is why the driver is often heavily resorted to the fact that it is better to carry out polishing at home without unnecessary spending of finance.
About the frequency of polishing
Car enthusiasts usually decide for themselves when and how often they polish their car. Since scratches do not interfere in any way with the normal movement of the machine. But in any case, a well-groomed car looks much better than a groomed one.
Professionals recommend at least once every six months to carry out the process of polishing the car for shine and protection from the centers of corrosion of its body. When polishing the car, a thin transparent film is created, which is able to protect it in any weather conditions, and especially from moisture penetration into unprotected cracks or scratches.
The choice of polish and the right tool
For polishing, either a polishing sponge (but not very hard) or a machine can be suitable. But, unfortunately, the second option has its drawbacks in its application. For example, a machine can damage the paintwork of a car body if it is pressed hard during operation. Although using it you can save time and process all the necessary surface with high quality. It is precisely because of the accuracy in using the machine that the motorist in most cases uses a sponge and does everything by hand.
When choosing a polishing agent, you need to pay attention to the method of the polishing process itself, since it has different compositions, taking into account the method of application. So, for example, it is customary to use a product containing a micro abrasive to clean a car body, and for a waterproof effect, a product containing wax will be useful.
There are also two types of car polish. The first type is classic and the second is synthetic. The latter is more persistent. According to the advice of professionals, it is best to use polishes of the 3M brand, which include an abrasive.
Polishing machine
Proceeding directly to the very process of polishing the machine, its surface must be well cleaned of various contaminants. For this, special car wash products are perfect. After "taking the first shower", you need to inspect the body for the presence of bitumen stains, corrosion and dirt.
And also before polishing the machine, you need to make sure that it dries well and, most importantly, that there is dim lighting during operation. This is so that the sun's rays do not hide defects during inspection and missing spots in the process of polishing the car. Moreover, the sun's rays can harm the surface of the iron horse.
So, during the process of polishing the machine, you need to evenly apply the polish, with the same efforts and movements. Also, during the transitions from one polished part to another, it will be necessary to "smooth out" this space well. This process is recommended to be carried out in chunks. And all because these special products dry out almost instantly, since then it is very difficult to grind them over the entire surface of the machine.
As a rule, you need to start by removing defects on the surface of the machine. A special pencil will perfectly help with this, which will need to process all scratches and damages. Since the pencil is not able to completely smooth out scratches, it will help them become almost invisible. After processing with the "magic wand", you will need to wipe all the places (on which the work was done), and without fail it must be a rag made of microfiber.
It is recommended to change the sponge for polishing the machine as often as possible, which will allow the appearance of a cloudy film after this process. And yet, polishing should start from the surface of the car's roof, and then go down further down the body. In this case, it must be remembered that polishing is carried out in places, which means that it is imperative to monitor the transitions between the processed parts.
Polishing during various paints
There is some difference between polishing the machine after a simple and full painting. A simple one will require only cosmetic repairs (that is, you will only need to refresh the appearance and polish), at the same time, with a complete one, it will be necessary to clean up all the irregularities after the painting procedure. It is also worth noting that while cleaning the surface with sandpaper before painting, you can damage its varnish-and-paint coating in places, which means that uneven locations will appear before future processing with polish.
In case if any part of the car body surface was painted, you will need to use a special solvent, which will help to erase the sharp transitions between the "updated" part and the one that did not lend itself to painting. Before polishing such locations, you will need to open the painted parts with varnish. And yet, before polishing, it is recommended to leave the car alone for a while to allow it to dry. If you start rubbing right away, you can easily peel off the varnish.
Using the clipper while polishing
To start the polishing process, you will need to familiarize yourself with some of the recommendations. For example, cleaning a car requires exceptionally pure water, since one small pebble or grain of sand can ruin the paintwork. In case the paste dries quickly enough, then all the parts must be moistened with water. And yet, from time to time you need to clean the polishing wheel.
It is also recommended to apply the polish on the very surface of the body, but not on the polished wheel of the machine. And this protective agent should be applied with a machine, not exceeding the speed of 2500 rpm. This will prevent the processed parts from overheating after processing. The dials will help you best adjust this speed.
You should not allow quite assertive and protracted work on one part of the car body, as this can lead to its overheating. It is worth noting that experienced car enthusiasts advise using a paste with large grains to begin with, and after such processing, go over to small ones. After that, the entire surface of the machine is thoroughly cleaned during the polishing process.It is necessary to mention the fact that there are only three types of wheels for polishing the surface of the machine - hard, medium and soft. And then there are embossed circles that can be found in any car store or market. After processing the entire surface, it is necessary to apply a special paste to it. It is also possible to treat the surface with liquid varnish-and-paint wax.
Polishing by professionals
When there is no desire, or there is a fear that polishing will be carried out incorrectly at home, then there is a direct road to professionals, who in this case "ate the dog".Professionals will always be able to return the previous shine to the car and for this they, as a rule, use both mechanical and chemical operations, as well as emit ultraviolet light.
Masters of their craft will always use restorative polishing of the car body. Usually this procedure takes place in two or three stages. First, using a special polishing machine, approximately 2-3 microns are removed from the surface of the car body. After that, the "iron horse" looks like new and attracts the eyes of passers-by with its purity and perfection.
But, in order to protect this beauty, you will need to apply polish on top. It does not matter whether this procedure will be carried out by hand, or by the hands of a professional. After such "protection", the service life is significantly increased, since the risk of the appearance of locations of corrosion and scratches is reduced.
Polishing Pricing Policy
When it comes to protecting the car and the beauty that polishing gives it, which can further affect its operation, then it is clear that it is not worth saving. When finances allow, then you can turn to auto repair shops for help in polishing with the presence of professionals in this thorough car polishing process. In this case, the question of cost immediately arises.
Body restoration polishing starts at around $ 60. With this type of polishing, all scratches and defects on the surface of the car are removed, as well as the gloss and color saturation are restored. When you want to do this process with your own hands, then you will have to pay from $ 15 per unit for an abrasive agent (approximately 180-300 ml). In this case, Rubbing Compound M Soft99 (country of origin Japan) is perfect.
The price for protective polishing of the car body starts at $ 70, if this procedure is carried out under the guidance of professionals. The very type of polishing is to protect the surface, as the name suggests. When processing with such means, a special protective film is created, which prevents the appearance of damage to the varnish-and-paint coating, oxidation and protects it from ultraviolet rays. In total, the price policy for materials starts at $ 20 (approximately 100 ml-1 l). Means of such manufacturers are perfect here: Koch Chemie, Meguiar 's, Soft99.
Full polishing of the car body at a car workshop can cost from $ 80. The complex of this type of polishing includes both cleaning and leveling the surface of the body from scratches and other various defects, as well as its protection. As a rule, abrasives are used first, and then the protective ones, which are indicated above.
Also in practice there is such a type of polishing machine as partial. It consists in cleaning, leveling and protecting some elements of the surface of the car body with abrasive and protective polishes. Its price starts at $ 7. And, of course, it all depends on the size of the element, the amount of funds used, as well as on the work done.
As you can see, the pricing policy of polishing between the work of a professional and the simple cost of polishes for their use at home varies significantly. That is why it is necessary to decide for yourself what is most important - economy or professionalism, in the process of protecting the surface of the machine with the help of special means.
