The Difference Between a Car Polish and a Car Wax

October 2, 2009 by ben
Filed under Car Care

There’s a lot of confusion about the difference between a car polish and a car wax. Polishing is the process of attaining the best finish to the paintwork prior to waxing and it involves using a “polish” which is a mild abrasive intended to remove minor burs and blemishes. Waxing is the application of a protective and shine enhancing finish coat.

Car Polish

The purpose of a polish is to clean your paintwork and make it shiny again. A polish usually contains abrasives, this is most commonly aluminium oxide, as you put it on the car will remove dead paint which has become oxidized. They may also contain lots of solvents which clean your paintwork (paint cleaning products). Products do contain waxes and oils but generally speaking, these are there for lubrication of the abrasives and not enough to give protection to your car. In fact having polished your car you will have stripped back any protection you may have, so you will need to put a wax on your car.

Car Wax

WAX – is a protective coating that is applied to the exterior surface of an automobile to keep it from forming “Oxidation”. Wax does not protect against bird droppings, acid rain, tree sap, or balls bouncing off the hood.The ONLY reason wax is applied to the exterior surface of an automobile is to protect the paint or clearcoat from forming oxidation. Waxes are designed for slightly different purposes, some people like to wax their car every week and want the best shine they can get, other people want to put it on and forget it for a year, they require protection and don’t worry too much about getting a ‘wet look shine’. There are even products designed to make a car really really glossy that will last a few days or even a few hours — this sounds crazy and impractical, but they are perfect for cars in a showroom or at a car show.

So a polish helps to “perfect” or buff out minor imperfections in your paint. Wax helps enhance the condition of the paint you’ve got. It’s good to know the difference. Because you can not remove swirl marks using a polish that is really just a wax and too much of a good polish can harm your car’s finish.