It used to be a typical Saturday morning activity – wash the family car and apply wax, and bring it to a gleaming shine. It was good exercise, especially for the arms, since it required quite a bit of effort, waxing and buffing by hand.
Polishing, on the other hand, is a means of correcting defects in the finish, small scratches, hazing, and similar problems. The most important aspect is that a form of abrasion must be used to correct these flaws, whereas waxing is simply application of a protective material, usually carnauba wax, to the outside layer of the finish.
It’s always a good idea to go gentle when polishing the finish on an automobile. Polishing by hand is the least aggressive, least damaging method of preparing your car to be buffed up to a shine, although it is the most labor intensive. If you have only one auto to worry about, perhaps this is the way to go, especially if your car is older than about 10 years or so. Modern car manufacturers apply a catalyzed top finish which is either clear or colored, which is hardened to a point that chemicals or special polishing pads are needed to correct any finish defects.
A car owner can still do the job on the weekend, but if his or her car is a newer model, no amount of elbow grease can penetrate the new harder finishes by hand. Enter the car polisher, a mechanical device that applies polish and buffs with high speed, using either a rotary or an orbital mechanism.
An electric car polisher of the orbital, or dual action type produces a random, irregular motion, where the head rotates in both a circular and orbital pattern. A rotary car polisher, on the other hand, rotates around a central axis only. Both car-polishing devices have variable speeds, making it easy to use for application of polishing compounds as well as finishing materials. Both types have a number of pads of differing roughness available to more accurately apply the necessary compounds to achieve a brilliant shine. Polishing compounds are abrasive to a greater or lesser degree, and car polishers should be distinguished from a waxing machines, sometimes called, inaccurately, polishers.
Which is best for the weekend washer?
For an individual who has only one car to polish, the dual action car polisher buffer is by far the best choice. Why? For one thing, the learning curve is very simple; you can pick up a portable car polisher and start using it immediately. Because of the orbital, random motion, there’s almost no way to hurt your finish, since the movement of the polishing pad does not stay in one place, but moves around, limiting the possibility of going too deeply into one area. For most models, pressing too hard will simply cause the car polisher to stop, which is another fail-safe method for protecting your finish.
The dual action car polisher is much easier on your back and arms than the old hand method, and of course, it works far more quickly. In addition, polishing compounds can be applied in a much thinner layer than is possible by hand, which eliminates the hazing and micro-marring. Dual action polishing is the most efficient, safest, and easy to use, although the results are a bit limited when compared to the rotary car polisher.
A rotary polisher is best in the hands of a professional, whose business it is to correct defects and renew finishes in many cars on a given day. The design of a rotary finisher calls for the pads to rotate in an unvarying, circular motion. The higher speed and power of the rotary car polisher is both more effective than any other method, but also can produce swirls in the finish, remove too much paint, and even burn the paint. A moment’s inattention with a rotary car polisher could produce a disaster in the hands of an inexperienced technician. The higher rotating speed of these polishers can cause a lot of damage, so the user must be very well trained and experienced.
The effectiveness of the rotary polisher is unsurpassed, and has the ability to virtually eliminate all superficial surface damage. It may use slightly more polish than a dual action polisher, but far less than that used in hand polishing.
There are a wide variety of car polishing machines available, in prices ranging from $50 to as much as $300. If all you are looking for is an easier way to do the weekend waxing, a cheaper, lower power model of a dual action, orbital model will suit you beautifully. If, on the other hand, you would like to actually improve the finish of your auto, as well as have a machine capable of doing more extensive detailing, look for a higher priced model. In any case, honestly assess your own abilities and experience, to determine whether to buy a rotary or orbital polisher. Also you may be interested in a car buffer, which could give your car a nice finish.
