If it’s the case that your car has less than ideal paintwork, you’re going to want to polish it at some point. There are generally two kind of polish, those that can be applied by hand, and those applied by DA polisher.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the former.
As you can see from the table above, you’re really spoilt for choice when it comes to car polish.
Autoglym Super Resin Polish
This is the oldest item on our list, but it’s something which has stood the test of time. Since it’s inception, it has been made in England. It has a light cut to it, meaning that it will correct light scratches and swirls. However, where it really shines (no pun intended) is its ability to fill in larger scratches and swirls. In terms of durability, it will last for around 12 weeks before you need to re-apply it again. This is of course dependent on a lot of factors. These include the areas that you’re driving in, as well as the weather conditions.
The application of the polish is extremely easy. You can use either a foam applicator or microfibre cloth to apply a small amount to the panel of your choice. It’s recommended that you apply light to medium pressure and move the polish over the paintwork in a circular manner before finishing in straight lines. Generally it takes up to ten minutes for the polish to haze over. At this stage you can use a clean microfibre towel to buff it off.
What’s great about it though is that not only is it improving the appearance of the paintwork, but it is also protecting it as well. After it’s been applied, any water that comes into contact with the paint will bead and sheet off. The benefit of this is that it actually makes it easier to clean the car. The reason for this is that the dirt will bind to the polished surface rather than directly to the paint.
If you want to prolong the finish for even longer, you can apply a wax or a sealant to the paint on top of the Super Resin Polish.
Auto Finesse Tripple All in One
Auto Finesse are a relatively newer brand when it comes to detailing. However, the fact that they’re on the list of best car polishes is proof enough that they’ve come up with an excellent formulation. As the name suggests, this is a three in one product. It, like the Super Resin Polish will cut and fill in scratches and swirls. It also has a wax in it to lock in the shine after the shine.
In the testing carried out, it was a tad tougher to apply than the SRP. It can however be applied by a Dual Action polisher which makes it easier to apply. This was the reason why a point was knocked off of the score for it. Quite simply, not everyone has a DA so if you don’t, it’s going to be a bit tougher to get the same finish you would if you did it by way of a machine. It is also a bit more expensive than the SRP too. However, it is still an amazing product and the durability is second to none. This is probably because of the included Carnuba wax in it.
Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish
Meguiar’s are well known for their line of car detailing products. Their Ultimate Polish isn’t an exception to this rule. Much like the other two on this list, it will correct light scratches and swirls, as well as filling in deeper ones. The ease of use though is fantastic. It’s extremely easy to do it by hand, which is great if you don’t have a DA polisher. However, should you have one, you can also apply it this way.
The finish it leaves is phenomenal. Not only will it give an extremely wet look, but the paintwork will feel smooth to the touch. It’ll be as though the car had just been rolled out of the factory.It does a great job in filling in scratches and swirls, although it’ll have a tough time masking larger ones. In that case you’ll need to use Meguiar’s compound to level the paint first and then apply the polish to properly remove the swirls.
The only downside is that it doesn’t appear to last as long as the Auto Finesse and Autoglym offerings. The price of it though well makes up for this. To make the finish last for longer, you can of course lock it in with a high quality wax. Ideally this would be a Meguiar’s wax. It’s always better to match the wax and polish up with the same manufacturer since the products will be designed to bind to one another.
Last update on 2023-06-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.