It's scary to breathe on a brand new car, let alone operate it. And the slightest scratch, chip or microcrack, which can only be seen under a microscope, makes the owner of the car despondent. Although such shortcomings have no effect on reliability, handling and technical characteristics, they spoil both the mood of the car owner.
What should be done to get rid of such annoying shortcomings? Everything is quite easy to fix - you just need to polish the car body. Car polishing is required from time to time for every car, and it is very important if the owner of the car wants to maintain a decent appearance vehicle for a long time. Many people wonder how to properly polish a car so as not to damage it even more?
We polish on time
Do not think that you need to polish the car almost every day, no. The owner can decide for himself when to do this, but polishing the body too often should not be done either. As a result, with the wrong approach, you can only ruin everything.
The most optimal solution is to carry out polishing work every six months, this is quite enough to keep the car in proper condition.
Polishing tool and polish
What to choose a polishing machine or a sponge? Naturally, the polishing sponge and work with its use require sufficient time and effort, since the process is long and laborious, but it is the safest. And polishing the body with a typewriter requires utmost care, since with careless, and even more careless handling, the paintwork can be damaged even more.
Although the advantages of working with a polishing machine include a fairly high quality of polishing, the price of such equipment is not an example higher than that of a simple sponge. Therefore, for the most part, it is her that car owners choose.
When buying a polish, you should pay attention to its composition and focus more on the chosen polishing method. Plus, there are both classic types of polishes and synthetic ones, with resistance to temperature extremes, chemicals and ultraviolet light.
Polishing process
The most important thing at the beginning of the process is to clean the car of any kind of contamination. The car must be thoroughly washed with a special shampoo. After the vehicle is dry, it should be inspected again for residual dirt, corrosion and bitumen stains.
The body prepared for polishing must be clean, always dry, not even water droplets or residues of any cleaning agents are allowed.
Illumination during work is very important. You should not work in the sun, sunlight can hide some defects from the eyes of the car owner, and the body can overheat, which deteriorates the paintwork. It is best to carry out work on a cloudy, but not rainy day.
Then you can proceed to the direct elimination of coating defects. The most deep scratches you can try to eliminate it with a special pencil. And although the pencil is not able to completely remove the defect, it will make it almost invisible.
It is better to polish each area with a defect separately, since the polish tends to dry quickly. It is applied to the surface car body, and is rubbed neat in a circular motion... Do not put too much force on the sponge, as it can eventually damage the paintwork even more. In this case, it is imperative to control the coating itself so as not to cause harm.
Machine polishing process
For polishing, you need a machine that has attachments that have different hardness. Plus, you need to purchase a polishing paste for it. There is no need to try to save on the appearance of the car, it is useless, so it is best to purchase three types of paste, which contains large abrasive particles, small ones, and a complete absence of abrasive.
You need to start by using the coarsest paste. A small amount must be applied to the defective place, and smeared with a machine, with a hard circle installed on it. In order not to damage the coating, you need to use the lowest speed on the machine.
This is followed by exactly the same processing with a fine abrasive paste. In this case, you need to change the roller on a typewriter, and moisten the new one a little with water. The previously treated place must be wiped with a dry cloth from dust. The last action is the application of a non-abrasive paste, followed by rubbing it over the surface of the body. The latter treatment requires a different, softer roller, and more speed rotation. To consolidate an excellent result, you should apply polish and, after the entire procedure, admire the shining appearance of the car for another six months.
Video
For a detailed process of polishing a car, see the following video below:
To maintain the chic look of your car, you don't have to load up with expensive inventory. It is possible to polish the car at home with the help of available tools. By and large, car care is not difficult, but requires regularity. If the vehicle does not participate in a rally or safari, but is used for trips on city roads, then polishing its body with restoration polishes that require the use of special tools will not need to be more than once a year. The rest of the time, you can use protective compounds based on wax or silicone, which are easily applied with the help of soft rags accumulated at home or napkins or towels specially purchased for this purpose. If a car is polished in this way once every two to three months, then its body will be in excellent condition almost all the time.
Polishing machine to help
The polishing machine, of course, speeds up the process, and the prices for these products are far from exorbitant, so it is better to still have it in your bins. Then polishing the car body at home will not be difficult. How this work is done, you can watch the video and repeat your favorite techniques in your garage. A polishing machine can handle not only cars, therefore, if you learn how to use it, then it will not remain idle.
Using a polishing machine to polish your car allows you to:
- reduce the polishing time several times;
- significantly improve the quality of work;
- use thick polishing compounds that adhere well to the surface;
- significantly facilitate work.
Regardless of whether there is a tool in the home arsenal or it was decided to do with the old old-fashioned way, the car must be thoroughly washed before processing, and wet cleaning must be carried out in the room. The paintwork is very sensitive to the smallest microparticles, so any grain of sand on the body can scratch it. Especially careful polishing is required on a black car.
When working with such cars, a tool or rags must be carefully inspected, not allowing them to have traces of old paint and dirt. It is best to use the softest types of rags, wipes and discs. Light-colored cars are less picky about the quality of the material, but it is still not recommended to use hard fabrics.
Using polishing machine the composition is applied in small portions to the car body and then to average speed rotation is rubbed evenly. You should not rush anywhere, you need to polish the car in sections, step by step. Perhaps the most important aspect of work is the position of the instrument.
To properly polish a car, the disc must be strictly parallel to the surface to be treated. If the angle of inclination is changed, then the body can be damaged by scratching it, which will greatly complicate the restoration of the paintwork.
In the process of work, the surface heats up, due to which the polish fills microcracks, protecting the metal of the structure from possible corrosion. Thus, the entire car should be polished, which after the procedure will begin to shine like new. But this will happen only after repeated washing, which will wash away the stains formed on the surface and hiding the induced beauty.
Rags and napkins
Some types of polishes do not require the use of a polishing machine, and a rag or napkin is sufficient for them. Several important requirements:
- lack of lint, dirt and dried paint;
- softness;
- hygroscopicity.
Aerosol formulations allow you to perfectly polish a car at home using such improvised means, but unfortunately, the age of such processing will not be very long. Also, liquid glass does not require the use of a polishing machine. A coated car body will look like new for over a year. There is no better polish at the moment, and only too high a price can limit its use.
Most suitable material in order to polish the car, it is microfiber, which has an ideal structure for this.
Although it is even easier to work with a rag or napkin than with a typewriter, there are still a lot of nuances and subtleties that may be incomprehensible the first time. Therefore, before polishing a car, it is better to watch the video how this is done. Technologically, work with a polishing wheel and a rag is very similar, only it takes place on different speeds... The process also takes place sequentially, in small sections. Manual polishing is convenient when you need to process not the entire car as a whole, but a small area of it. In other cases, this is a titanic work, available to few. Anyone who tries a couple of times to thoroughly rub a car completely to shine, be sure to go to the store before the third time and get at least a simple polishing machine.
What is the best choice for body polishing at home?
To make your machine look expensive, you should not buy any professional polishing equipment from specialized stores. The essence of polishing, in simple terms, can be explained as follows: you take a polishing machine with a special attachment, and start to process the body with it by heating the paint of the car. Due to friction, the paint heats up and fills in all the irregularities present on the body. In order for the coating not to become faded, you should not get carried away with this method of updating the color of a car and reduce such procedures to once a year. If you want to maintain the gloss of the car at a decent level, it is enough to rub the car with car wax once every 2-3 months. Follow the guidelines below and your car will shine like new in a couple of hours.
Instructions for polishing the car at home
STEP ONE: First, wash the car by hand in the shade, out of the sun. Wash the car thoroughly, but do not dry it.
Technical advice: Polishing the machine using special electrical equipment is very difficult process and we recommend that you produce it away from other cars, pets and walls that you do not want to scrub off the paint afterwards. Use the softest cloth for polishing a dark car, as this color is most sensitive to mechanical surface treatment. For lighter vehicles, a coarser material can be used.
STEP TWO: Place a clean, slightly damp buffing pad on the polishing wheel and apply a moderate coat of auto polish to one of the body parts. Spread the polish evenly over the entire selected area of the machine using the buffing wheel at medium speed. The whole secret is that the wheel of the machine is parallel to the surface to be treated. This will avoid unexpected scratches or bumps. When polishing, apply the same amount of force, moving the machine back and forth over the entire surface of the element. As the clearcoat heats up and the paint is warm to the touch, the scratches will begin to fade. You will be able to see this only after the end of the work and the repeated washing of the car. After finishing work, with one part of the body, proceed to the next, according to the same scheme.
Technical advice : Do not apply polish to all cars at once, but only to the one you are polishing. Also remember to keep the surface to be treated moist.
STEP THREE: If necessary, it will stop, or at the end of the work, wash the polishing attachment with a strong pressure of water from the tap, so that pieces of melted paint and dried polish do not remain on it, which can subsequently scratch the surface of the next car being processed.
Technical advice:
The outer edges of the rotating circle move faster than the middle, and therefore wear much faster. Keep this in mind when finishing the following parts of the car: mirrors, car emblems, intricate bumper contours that can be polished using only the outer edge of the circle. 
STEP FOUR: Wash the car again by hand after completing all work, Special attention give to the doors, trunk, hood and jambs of the car. Let the machine dry completely. In the meantime, the car dries up, you can get acquainted with the polishing of which you may soon want to master!)
STEP FIVE: Apply a special wax for the car to the surface of the body, which will help to hide all the turbulence left by the polishing machine and the remaining surface imperfections. Apply a 60:40 mixture of wax and polish to the grinding wheel. Spread the wax over the surface of the body in a forward and backward motion at medium speed, but with constant pressure.
STEP SIX (final): While the wax is drying, wash the remaining parts of the car (windows, interior items, etc.). Wipe off any remaining wax with a microfiber towel. Remember that bath towels or rags can damage the surface you have polished so thoroughly.
That's it, work is over! Now you can roll your car out into the sun, invite your family, friends, neighbors and celebrate the second birthday of your car.
If our article has managed to encourage you to update the body of your car, namely to polish it at home, we are ready to help you with other kinds of work. Subscribe to our blog and follow the instructions that we regularly publish on the site.
If you notice small scratches on the surface of the car, do not despair. They can be easily cleaned by yourself without a polishing machine.
Scratches can only be completely removed if they are shallow. If the scratch reaches the ground or metal, then a perfectly smooth surface will not work, but they will become less noticeable. If rust spots appear on the surface of the body, then hand polishing will not help either. In this case, it is better to do painting or overhaul details, not polished.
When can manual polishing be dispensed with?
- the paint layer has faded;
- cloudy spots appeared;
- minor scratches and roughness;
- enamel drips;
- granularity, shagreen;
- if the color does not match, after touching up.
How to polish a car with your own hands without a polishing machine:
- wash well the part with scratches;
- sand it with fine sandpaper and water;
- rub with car polish;
- cover with protective polish.
If you suddenly find that the polished part shines brighter than the entire car, then it's time to polish it as a whole. It can also be done without a polisher. It is enough to take G-3 paste and rub the machine, occasionally sprinkling with water. Then rinse everything off and apply G-10 paste. Consider the fact that both of these polishes are abrasive and should be used sparingly and carefully so as not to rub off the paintwork on the machine.
Each abrasive blasting process removes approximately 5 µm of the paint layer. That is, a new car can be polished about 15 without losing the quality of painting. But before polishing a used car, it is better to use a thickness gauge. And only after determining the actual thickness of the paint and varnish layer to make a decision on polishing.
The work should be completed with any preservative paste. To add shine and protect paint.
Types of polishing:
- restorative;
- protective;
- soft.
To treat darkening or dull stains on a new car, a protective polish is sufficient, it should not contain any grinding particles.
Do-it-yourself polishing takes a long time. You will spend a lot of effort to give your car a beautiful, even shine. But this saves a certain amount of money. And independently control the polishing process.
You might also like:
How to choose a spyglass for viewing the stars? Spotting scopes overview 2017
The best electric plane of 2017. How to choose an electric planer for a summer residence
How to fix a dent on your car without painting
Which is better world of tanks or war thunder - the pros and cons
Your car is painted, lacquered, looks perfect and ready to go. But for a flawless result, it is worthwhile to stay in the workshop for a short while, so that polishing the car becomes the final stage and allows the freshly applied paintwork (paintwork) to become mirror-like.
To many amateur painters, this step will seem superfluous. They say that the paint is applied perfectly, smudges are eliminated, the coating is lacquered, protects the paintwork from damage and other troubles. What else is needed for happiness? Some put up cars for sale, others drive themselves.
Need
However, it should be borne in mind that polishing the car allows you to:
- prevent paintwork scratches;
- eliminate defects;
- close varnish microcracks;
- to increase the reflectivity of the body surface.
Materials and tools
To start the final stage of the whole cycle of painting work, you need to prepare:
- pieces of rubber of various densities;
- grinder set;
- a set of polishing wheels (soft, dense);
- bag;
- bucket (basin);
- an old toothbrush;
- medium-width scotch tape;
- sandpaper (grit from 1500 to 3000);
- a set of polishing pastes (abrasive, medium abrasive, non-abrasive).
Technology
Car polishing consists of the following stages:
Self-polishing of the car should start with the preparation of the workplace - the garage. Whoever painted a car in this room already has prepared lighting, consisting of a pair of powerful searchlights of 1,000 W each, as well as a portable lamp for working in inaccessible places. It should be as clean as possible, without dust, and the floor should be moistened (everything is as before painting). There is nothing superfluous in the room so that you can freely open the car doors.
Preparing a car is a visit to a car wash or washing yourself. Alternatively, wash the body piece by piece, just before polishing.
It is equally important to know how long after painting you can polish the car in the garage. The time interval depends on several factors at which the painting and drying was carried out:
- ambient temperature;
- humidity;
- density, thickness of paintwork.
At a constant temperature in the range of 18-25 degrees Celsius, at moderate humidity, it is enough to withstand three days. You can check the readiness of the box body for the next cycle of work as follows: in an inconspicuous place, press your finger on the paintwork. If there are no traces left, then the coating is completely dry and you can start working.
To fully master the technology and know how to properly polish a car, you need to master grinding. At this stage, it is performed like this. The entire surface of the part is rubbed with sandpaper. The number must be selected depending on the resulting shagreen paintwork. It is better to remove a large one with a cloth Р1500 - 2500, for a small one you can use Р2000, Р2500.
Grinding
It is important to decide which method will be used for grinding: wet or dry. If there are no restrictions on access to water, it is better to use the first option. It consists in constant washing of paper and body parts from traces of varnish, paint and provides a sufficient degree of elasticity and softness.
But to verify the result, you have to wait until the surface dries up. When using dry grinding, you have to deal with constant wear and tear of the emery. Small pores are constantly clogged with dust, which is why you have to frequently change the material. Experts in the workshop are more likely to use the first sanding option as the more efficient one.
Before polishing the car in the garage, it must be carefully wiped down. In the end zones, it is enough to perform a couple of movements so as not to rub the edges of the body part around the perimeter. Everything needs to be done carefully and smoothly. It is better to start work from the upper section - the roof. You can move on to the next fragment after the glossy effect disappears. When performing work, the varnish layer must not be scratched by a grain of sand.
Nuances of the process
This stage begins with the application of an abrasive paste over a small area. You can try to smear the polishing wheel itself (the one that is lighter). The machine is set to the minimum mode, using the dial located at the handle.
To determine if the surface of the metal is sufficiently polished, you need to compare it with other parts. After processing, it should shine more strongly than after varnishing (evenly and without matte baldness).
Using the same technology, the following two pastes are used: first, medium abrasive, then non-abrasive.
Here are some tips on how to properly polish your car:
- The body can be slightly moistened with water so that the paste does not dry out.
- Clean the wheel from adhering paste to achieve maximum polishing efficiency.
- If the surface to be treated overheats, then it is time to move on to a new area, and then, if necessary, return to the cooled one.
- If you do not set low speed, the applied paste will be scattered to the sides. After working on low revs you can add a little, but not exceed 2500 per minute.
- Before using the non-abrasive paste, the surface is washed out and the circle is changed to another.
- During operation with a grinder, you need to monitor the cord so that it does not come into contact with the surface of the body, otherwise scratches cannot be avoided. Experts recommend throwing the power cable over your shoulder or using a partner.
- If the clipper is not held perpendicular to the surface, but at an angle, streaks will form.
- It is unacceptable to touch the plastic elements with a circle. They can be irreversibly damaged by exposure to abrasive paste and hot rotating wheels.
- It is enough to walk along the ends slightly, but do not cling to the edges of the corners, so as not to damage the circle.
Now you know how a car is polished after painting with your own hands. To complete the work completely, the car is thoroughly washed. This is where the presence of a toothbrush comes in handy. This extraordinary tool will help you extract lumps of paste from crevices and corners. After a few hours of hard work, the result will be obtained.
After the car is washed, you can start hand rubbing with finishing paste. It is applied to the surface with a dry, lint-free cloth.
Before polishing the car after painting, many motorists have doubts about the need for this time-consuming and somewhat costly process. However, it is worth listening to the opinion of experts who recommend polishing.
The procedure for using polish can be repeated. After all, depending on the brand, it can withstand from 4-8 to 8-12 visits to the car wash. When reapplying the composition, grinding is not required.
The information will be useful for novice painters and car enthusiasts.
Expert: Andrey Volkov.
Today it is more and more in vogue. This is facilitated by the too high price that is demanded in car services for the service, and the desire to get aesthetic pleasure in the painting process - a business that is akin to real art.
Why do you need polishing
What is the body paintwork? As you know, it does not last forever. Over time, the surface of the body is affected by many negative factors, including temperature changes, which can lead to complete harm. It is not recommended to keep the car under the sun, rain or hail for a long time. But still, even if the owner takes all measures to protect the paintwork, it will eventually require repair.
What happens to the coating? Cracks and chips form on it, sometimes not immediately noticeable. They gradually accumulate a large amount of dust and dirt, and the paintwork loses its former shine. Real tunnels can form on the surface, reaching the metal, which become real centers of future corrosion - a terrible disease of cars.
And if this process is started and nothing is done in a timely manner, then you can see a fatal outcome. And even polishing will no longer save the coating. In this case, it will already be necessary to repaint the body, which is not an easy and scrupulous business. It is unlikely that it will be easy to do this and you will have to spend a lot of money to give the car a normal appearance.
Video on why you need car polishing:
After painting, even the most high-tech, it can be difficult to avoid some obvious defects. These include paint smudges, graininess of the varnish surface, color mismatch after drying, matte stains in various areas, and much more. And you have to grind the surface, and then polish it thoroughly.
But, as mentioned above, polishing contributes not only to giving an aesthetic appearance. It is able to eliminate common surface defects that arise over time. It's about the same cracks, chips and similar phenomena. Polishing in this case paintwork and from various kinds mechanical damage.
Polishing - do it yourself
We sort of figured out why polishing is needed. Now let's talk about how to carry out such an operation. There can be no question of taking the car to a service center, unless, of course, everything is in order with your extra money. There they will make a jack of all trades out of the car. However, we are examining another case.
It is clear that without necessary tools and materials about any competent process and speech can not go. For normal at home, we need:
- polishing machine, preferably professional;
- special wheels for polishing (rough and soft processing);
- special napkins or cotton rag;
- high-quality polish;
- White Spirit.
Which polish to choose
Before starting polishing, you should disassemble the types and types of polishes. The entire outcome of the future process depends on this main element. As you know, polishes are divided into two main types. One of the types of polishes is called powder and contains various abrasive substances that can easily remove small cracks and scratches.
As for the second type of polishes, they have a gel-like shape and are able to fill in all cracks, forming protective layer... Gel polishes are intended for polishes on which the paintwork is still fresh.
Video demonstrating the process of polishing with pastes:
Before you go shopping, you should determine the condition of the paintwork of the car. This is a very important stage in the work, and it is advisable to entrust this matter to a person who knows. Some even visit a car service where they are given free advice.
Polishing scratches on a car, the body of which is covered with small scratches, which are especially noticeable after washing the car on a bright sunny day, forces the purchase of two types of polishes. It is necessary abrasive polish and a mixture of polish with a lean amount of grinding particles. The abrasive paste will help remove the varnish layer down to the bottom of the cracks. And when choosing polishes of this type, the size of the defects should be taken into account: the deeper they are, the higher the content of abrasive substances in the composition should be.
Often, experts advise using polishes with a color enriching effect. For example, if the car is still fresh, then such polishes can quickly remove clouded stains on the paintwork. In addition, as mentioned above, for such cars it will be enough to purchase gel-like pastes that do not contain abrasive substances.
One more important fact should be known. Abrasive polishes are only capable of grinding. In other words, they only level the enamel, removing a thin layer from the outside. And the coating itself thereby becomes more vulnerable. To protect it, you need to apply a paste on top of a gel or some other base.
In addition, it is important to know that the polish can also depend on the color of the paintwork. After all, the composition of the polishes is also different in its consistency, areas of application. And, of course, which is important for Russian buyer, the price also plays a role here.
The most popular today are polishes with a pasty composition. Due to their thick consistency, they are able to adhere to vertical surfaces and they can handle the car from all sides. It is very convenient to work with them. Although they are much more expensive, they are bought more, since they also contain substances that saturate the color in their composition.
As for liquid polishes, they tend to quickly drain off vertical and inclined surfaces. They are recommended for use on parts of the vehicle such as the trunk, hood and roof. But they also have a slight advantage over polishes with a thick consistency. They do not erase the varnish to the ground, and they can be used to polish surfaces for a long time.
Aerosol polishes are also extremely easy to use. Although such polishes contain a considerable amount of solvents and propellants that contribute to rapid spraying. This greatly reduces the presence of polishes in aerosol forms.
Preliminary preparation of the car for polishing
As with any business, polishing involves careful preparation. The first step is to wash the car thoroughly. To do this, you can apply car shampoo, and then let the surface dry to the end. And at the end, when it is already clear that the surface is dry, treat it with a cotton rag or a special napkin, thereby carrying out a control shot and removing all remaining droplets of moisture.
If you find any stains or other similar defects, you should try to remove them with white spirit. And it is also important that protective polishing is carried out on a surface that is completely cleaned of small particles of dirt and grains of sand. These small components can cause serious harm to the whole case. Therefore, after washing the car, it is imperative to treat the surface with a rag.
Polishing ESM and by hand
As mentioned above, the body is polished using a special machine. It should be used to process the surface slowly. It is necessary to ensure that the machine passes over all parts of the surface, without leaving a single area. First of all, you need to treat the surface with a harder circle with a medium abrasive composition, and then change the circle. If the car is new, then it is not recommended to work with a hard circle for a long time. After a few minutes of work, it must be replaced with a circle designed for finer processing, which does not have abrasive substances in its composition.
It is important to know that the polishing of the car must be carried out in parts, which will not allow the composition of the polish to dry out before further processing. And it is advisable to conduct each one twice, in order to avoid missing any part.
After that, when the machine has done its first job, you need to apply a small amount of protective polish to the surface. It can be the same gel polish. Then we rub this composition with a rag until it dries completely. And on a typewriter, you need to change the speed, setting them at low rates, and continue polishing. Normal polishing with a machine should take about two hours. There is no need to rush here. You need to put your soul into work.
If there is no machine, then the polishing process can be carried out by hand. By the way, the Japanese, who ate the dog in this case, polish the car only by hand. With this method of polishing, a person enters into contact with the car, feels it better and applies polish much better. It is important here to arm yourself with considerable patience.
For manual processing, the polish should be applied to a lint-free cloth and spread evenly over the surface of the car. After that, you need to stand for a while until the mixture dries and polymerizes, and then start polishing in a circular motion with a clean napkin. We polish until the surface acquires a mirror-like shine. The greatest effect can be achieved if you follow the manufacturer's recommendations specified in the instructions for the non-abrasive polish mixture.
If deep scratches are visible on the surface of the car, then you cannot do without a typewriter. The eccentric sander, or ESHM, is specially designed for this. In this case, the car polish paste will rub in much deeper. By the way, if you still can't find such a machine, you can use a conventional drill with high turnover... A special attachment is put on the instrument and the effect of polishing will be the same.
Polishing a surface with deep cracks and chips
This procedure is carried out in two stages. First, you need to treat the surface with a paste with an abrasive component, which will help eliminate rough scratches. This is the first stage of polishing, which, in turn, must be divided into two parts. First, we process the surface with a polish with a medium abrasive composition and the use of hard wheels.
The first part of the initial stage of surface polishing with abrasive components, or abrasive polishing, implies and correct setting ESHM. In this case, its revolutions will need to be set to 2000, and the machine should be moved over the surface evenly, in no case pressing it by force. It is recommended to pre-moisten the foam rubber of the circle with water.
The second part of polishing involves processing the surface with low-dose abrasive components and a circle with a softer structure.
The second stage of polishing will already require a change in the ESM rotational speed by 1000 rpm. And a paste that does not contain abrasive substances should already be used. The trajectory of the ESM is important here, which should be carried out in such a way that each next layer does not run over the previous one, but lies in parallel. It is very important.
Experts advise those who are not confident in their abilities not to start polishing their car right away. It is better to start practicing on the fender or hood, which is lying around somewhere in the garage.
DIY car polishing video:
That, in fact, is all. We hope that the tips above will help you polish in a way that you will enjoy yourself later. You will be able to enjoy the fabulous gloss twice as you have done the polishing with your own hands!
2836 viewsThe hundreds of thousands of kilometers that a car travels throughout its life negatively affects its condition. However, even a year of operation can significantly spoil the appearance, which cannot but upset the owner, who always wants to see his iron horse irresistible. One of the procedures that can restore body parts to their former shine and gloss is polishing. Today we will tell you how to do this procedure yourself and prevent offensive mistakes that beginners often make.
Why is this needed?
It is not only possible, but also necessary to put the car in order on your own. Practice shows that clean and well maintained car is sold several times more efficiently than a car with worn out paintwork and numerous, which is worth polishing. It is not necessary to mention once again that a bright and shining car will not leave itself unattended and will attract numerous glances.
However, not everything is so simple, after all, which can be produced both with your own hands and by the forces of craftsmen, can be not only restorative. By the way, above it was about this kind of such work - as a result, the car body really takes on its original appearance and becomes brighter.
Protective polishing is also a popular area of restoration work, which is gaining more and more recognition from motorists year after year. The essence of such a procedure, which is nevertheless often done by hand, is the application of a special agent to the surface of the elements of the car, which, when rubbed, forms an invisible film, which is simply impossible to see with the naked eye.
But the role that such a film plays on is simply invaluable. Thanks to its presence, you practically do not have to worry about scratches that are left by branches, bushes and other objects that harm the paintwork of the car. It is better to repeat this procedure at least twice a year, because exactly after 6 months the properties of the polish come to naught, and it protective properties disappear immediately.
Renovation work
Let us dwell in more detail on the question of how to do restoration polishing with your own hands and at home. In particular, one cannot but talk about the choice of materials that will be needed during work and will have a rather tangible impact on the final result.
Let's agree right away and clarify that working with a car body with your own hands requires significant skills or at least a couple of hours of training on some door from disassembly, which you do not mind ruining and making the paint layer unusable.
Let's say why exactly the restoration work requires a lot of attention and skills, as well as good preparation and well-chosen materials. The fact is that during the restoration work, a very insignificant layer of varnish is removed or grinded, the thickness of which is measured in microns. Together with this thinnest layer, microscopic irregularities, scratches and dirt that have adhered over time are removed.
As a result of this work, the varnish, or rather, the surface of the car paintwork, is leveled and begins to reflect the sun's rays evenly. Due to this, the old elements of the car body begin to play with new paints: a transparent layer of varnish is exposed, which no longer hides the true color located under its thickness.
In order to do the work with your own hands, you should take care of buying the so-called abrasive paste in advance. Usually, a high-quality product is not cheap, but it is enough for more than one cycle of work, and, in principle, next time you will not need to purchase another package soon. But the result with high probability will meet all expectations and leave no doubt about its high quality.
Currently, the range of such products is off the charts. For a car, you can pick it up as a product domestic production as well as pastes produced abroad and imported to our country.
In the first case, the price of materials will turn out to be low: if we take into account that the work is done at home and with our own hands, then the costs will be measured in hundreds of rubles and will be several times less than if you had to use the services of a professional.
However, it is believed that the result will not be particularly good. Strictly speaking, this economical option is best suited for those for whom a perfectly leveled surface is not of great interest and for whom the absence of noticeable scratches is enough.
Expensive polishes are often chosen by professionals, although amateurs who work with their own hands and at home also do not ignore them. The use of such pastes guarantees that the result will be of high quality. In addition, with the correct use of the material, relatively little is left, so one package will be enough for several applications.
Protective covering
The protection of the paintwork of a car plays a more practical role than an aesthetic one: in this case, the appearance of the car will not change so much. But the number of advantages from a practical point of view is truly off scale.
For many, the role of this protective means is clear: a stable coating forms on the surface of the car, which is not afraid of temperature extremes and constant exposure to moisture. However, its main advantage is that the paintwork layer is practically not damaged during physical interactions, be it a sharp object or a branch.
Car protective polish comes in the form of a paste, which, as a rule, has White color... Most often, the basis of the substance is wax, the properties of which are such that its layer does not become thinner even after several months of active use. Of course, there are also additional components: they extend the life of the protective layer and, in total, make it more durable.
It is worth noting that, unlike restoration work, the protective ones do not touch the paintwork at all and do not affect its layer. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to first restore the gloss of the coating, and only then take care of its protection: otherwise the car will not have the most presentable appearance, although it will be reliably protected from external influences.
What else do you need to know? It is quite clear that the protective treatment is best done once a season: in summer and winter. This ensures that even with the most aggressive use, the film retains its properties and does not become thinner.
The second advice is to carry out processing in a warm room, where the temperature is at least room temperature. Why is it important? The fact is that the polish is based on wax. If the surface of the car is not heated enough, the substance simply cannot polymerize and form a film, which will be the guarantor reliable protection... In addition, it is worth noting that the polish can leave streaks on the car body. In this case, it is necessary to grind it thoroughly so as not to spoil the appearance of the iron horse.
Way of work
At the moment, the most famous are only two ways in which you can polish a car: manual and using a power tool.
The first method is the most economical and is more suitable for applying a protective polish. To implement it, you will have to stock up on everything you need to avoid problems when starting work. What is the list of such necessary things?
The first is a special polishing cloth. Such napkins can be purchased at a specialty store: usually there are several pieces in a package at once, so you do not have to worry that it will not work out to be limited to one pack.
It is necessary to polish in small areas, applying successively on small squares in sufficient quantity. In this case, after application, you need to wait a few minutes until the product dries up: this way it will be easier to grind it over the surface of the body and achieve the desired effect.
In the case of working with a grinder, you will have to pay more attention to not overdoing it: the speed of rotation of the wheel is high, and it is not so difficult to spoil the paintwork. This method is somewhat more expensive: you will have to additionally purchase polishing wheels with an abrasive surface. However, the main advantage of this method is the speed of work and efficiency, which cannot always be achieved with the manual method.
Summing up
Despite the fact that polishing is more often done in special workshops, do everything necessary actions do it yourself is not a big deal. However, to achieve a tangible effect, it would be best to check out some video tutorials and articles. This will help to avoid annoying mistakes and really high quality, which will certainly sparkle with new colors.
Surely, every driver was faced with a situation when the appearance of the car lost its gloss and chic, over the years of faithful service, it turned into a banal workhorse, and after all, it was once an excellent model, worthy of attention and respect. A decade ago, one could only dream of high-quality do-it-yourself polishing without special equipment. Today, a great variety of polishing products have appeared that allow you to do it yourself, without spending a lot of time and saving the family budget on buying a typewriter. How to polish a car with your own hands, what is polishing a car without a typewriter, what nuances, features does this work include?
To return the car to its former gloss, refresh the paint and, at the same time, create powerful protection against the effects of an aggressive external environment, maybe one of the main auto-tuning procedures is polishing. Today, auto repairmen practice two types of car polishing: without a typewriter by hand and with its use, each method is interesting and significant in its own way.
Permissive attitude to external damage will not only reflect in the most negative way on your aesthetic senses, but also serve as a beneficial environment for the occurrence of corrosion of the car body.
Moreover, the work performed by hand is considered even of higher quality and jewelry, because in this case a smaller layer is removed, and not so significant damage to the body surface is caused as when working with a polishing device.
The basic rules for DIY polishing are as follows:
- Choose your polish wisely. Today the market is replete with an assortment of materials, but not all are equally effective. Not only are they divided into categories, but each brand also offers a product of one quality or another to the attention of the buyer, as well as additional functions to consider when buying.
- Polishing work must be carried out in a warm, well-ventilated and well-lit area. Heat, so that the materials do not lose their consistency, in light - so as not to miss a tiny area of the car body cover, and thus, not to nullify all the work. Well, we all need fresh air when working with toxic materials.
- V mandatory Before you start polishing the car, you must thoroughly wash the body so that the smallest particles of dirt and dust do not deform the paint and varnish surface during the procedure.
- Never carry out polishing and other work (for example, priming, puttying) in the same garage at the same time, as the smallest particles of other materials can settle on the polish and cause big trouble.
Before polishing the car, it is worthwhile to understand the question: in what cases does it become necessary, because the procedure belongs to the category of aggressive mechanical damage. With frequent polishing, polishing can do more harm than good, in particular, the removal of layers during grinding contributes to the violation of the metal surface of the car body, as a result of which the body begins to rust. So, always and in everything it is good to be guided by the rule: know when to stop.
Experts say that you can polish a car no more than twenty times, after which it is recommended to completely renew the paintwork.
So, car body polishing is used in the following cases:
- the presence of scratches, scuffs;
- the appearance of streaks and tarnishing of paints;
- shagreen formation;
- color mismatch after poor-quality painting.
Having dealt with the theoretical questions, we proceed to the work itself. In order to polish a car with our own hands, we need the following:
To work manually, you don't need a lot of tools, but now more about the technology itself.
Do-it-yourself car polishing is performed in several stages:
- thorough washing of the car body;
- degreasing (only after this simple procedure can it be polished, otherwise, all work will be in vain);
- applying polishing agent;
- drying.
The first and second stages, we think, are not worth dwelling on, you will do it yourself. Let's tell you more about how to apply the product manually correctly. Pre-shake the bottle with the product, apply in small portions in order to have time to grind the emulsion before it dries. After applying the product, we rub it with a cloth (preferably with a napkin).
Car polishing done by hand always requires physical effort: the more energy you put into your work, the better the end result will be. You need to polish the car until it shines like a mirror.
Remember: car polish dries up within five minutes after application. So, you need to meet the allotted time, otherwise you will have to repeat the work again, but in a day.
Doing this with your own hands is not so easy, but if you learn a simple technology, then it is quite possible to do it right, saving well on a car service.
If it is necessary to restore the paintwork, then the car is refurbished. Preparatory stage is no different from the above, except that here, after the process of degreasing the car body, you need to treat the surface with synthetic clay. In order to perform the processing correctly, follow the instructions:
- Knead the clay on the deformed part of the car body.
- Now you need to manually wrap the surface.
- We grind. But you need to polish only on a damp car surface, only then polishing will bring the desired effect.
The final stage of polishing a car with your own hands is finishing polishing. It is made with special pastes, without abrasive content. With an automated approach, the paste is rubbed in with a typewriter, if you perform the final polishing with your own hands, then the paste is rubbed in with pieces of foam rubber.
Now you know how to properly polish your car with your own hands. All that remains is to wish you good luck and a fair wind on the road!
An article on how to properly polish a car yourself, what to look for when polishing, tools and materials. At the end of the article - a visual video about polishing the car body!
The content of the article:
Over time, under the influence of external factors, the car loses its gloss and shine, the varnish-and-paint coating loses its brightness and richness - this is the first signal that it is time to start polishing the car. But first you need to figure out what is the reason for the loss of the appearance of the "iron friend".
Car paintwork consists of several layers: phosphate protective film, primer and several layers of paint and varnish. In a new car, this layered cake has pores and breathes through them.
As a result of operation, exposure to ultraviolet rays and temperature changes, the surface of the body paint is covered with small cracks, small chips, mostly invisible to the naked eye. Dust and pieces of dirt that accumulate over time in micro-damages impair the reflectivity of the coating, and the car loses its original shine. The formation of deeper damage on the surface of the paint leads to the exposure of the metal. And this can cause the formation of rust - the most terrible ailment of the car.
Polishing rules
In order to get a satisfactory result when polishing with your own hands, you need to fulfill five simple and accessible conditions:
- The surface to be polished must be absolutely clean, i.e. the car body must be thoroughly rinsed. Specialized means remove drops of tar, traces of insects.
- Polishing should be done in a clean environment. All available measures must be taken to prevent dust particles from entering the room.
- To maintain health, the polishing area must be well ventilated. The dust generated during operation can be removed with a vacuum cleaner.
- It is advisable to exclude direct sunlight on the surfaces to be treated. This will complicate the work, as it will speed up the drying of the working composition. In order to detect shortcomings in a timely manner workplace must be equipped with several sources of artificial lighting. You need to arrange the backlight uniform, without significant differences in illumination.
- Before you start polishing, you should critically examine the surfaces. Found deep chips can be closed up with specialized tape, and dents will require alignment. A special method is used to deeply polish scratches and chips. All plastic and rubber parts, if possible, are dismantled or sealed with tape, and the headlights are removed or sealed. Masking parts prevents contamination and damage.
Simple polishing steps
If there are no pronounced and rough defects on the surface, then a simple polishing can be used. To perform the procedure with your own hands, a special polish is applied to a microfiber napkin, then it is carefully and evenly distributed over the entire surface to be treated. When it becomes noticeable white bloom- the polish is dry, so the moment has come for the final polishing to a shine.
It is not necessary to bring the polish to complete drying - it will be more difficult to achieve an even layer, and in general it will complicate the work.
As practice shows, a perfectly flat and shiny surface can be obtained by performing 10-20 movements within a small area. In the instructions for any polish, the manufacturer recommends a simple polish every 4-6 weeks.
Stages of deep polishing
Using deep polishing car body, you can save the surface of the car from scratches. For the operation, you will need special tools and materials:
- Fine (p2000) and very fine (p2500) emery;
- Pure water;
- Rubber block.
To increase the elasticity of sandpaper, it is soaked for 15-20 minutes in advance. In advance, you should take care of an additional container for washing the sandpaper during operation.
As a result of manipulations, the entire treated area should become homogeneous. For a more pronounced effect, sand with a cruciform motion. It happens that there is a large area with a lot of damage - it is recommended to break it up into smaller areas and grind them one after another. The roof can be divided into 4 parts and the hood can be divided into two.
One more thing. Better to leave shallow scratch that will not be visible on the updated mirror surface. If you overdo it and wipe the varnish to paint, then this can only be corrected by a complete repainting.
You can improve the adhesion of polish and paintwork by degreasing the surface special means deep cleaning. The surface prepared in this way is moistened and a polishing paste is applied. The paste is dispensed with a special machine for polishing surfaces at low speed.
The speed of the car can be gradually increased. The instrument in your hands should make smooth, unhurried movements, lingering a little longer in problem areas for a better uniform result. Do not overdo it, the machine can overheat, so do not work with one area for a long time.
Do not completely dry the polishing wheel - wet it periodically. But in moderation, the paste should not fly in all directions.
We remove cracks and scratches under the handles manually. First, with a p2000 sandpaper, and then with a felt circle with a coarse paste, we process the surface under the handles. Additional measures are usually not required.
During restoration polishing, small surface scratches are removed - the original appearance of the paintwork is restored. The process of removing the top layer of enamel and varnish begins. The refreshed surface is polished. It is permissible to carry out no more than 20 such operations, since then the paintwork is violated.
To protect the car body from the effects of precipitation and other weather factors, as well as in preparation for sale, use a protective polish. In this case, the entire body is subjected to processing. They are protected from weather factors with silicone-containing preparations. To protect the intact paintwork of old cars, use a soft protective polish.
High-quality protective polishes remain on the surface for up to 5-6 months, depending on the characteristics of use and storage, the frequency of washing. The recommended frequency is 2 times a year. They carry out procedures in the complex of works on preparing the car for the summer and winter seasons.
With a high-quality polishing, the car owner postpones the moment of complex painting. Plus, a job well done will give your car's cover a vibrant new life. You can be proud that you have achieved great results yourself and saved your budget.
Polishing materials, tools and equipment
To carry out high-quality polishing and grinding, it is necessary to have materials of the appropriate level:
- A professional polishing machine is desirable;
- A set of polishing wheels of different hardness (orange is better not to use);
- Microfiber cloths or cotton rags;
- High quality polish;
- White Spirit.
Of the whole set of tools, the polishing wheel is the simplest. They are produced in two types: felt and foam. Both types differ in the level of hardness - it must correspond to the hardness of the paste used. The hardness of a circle is easiest to determine by its color:
- The hardest are white (hard paste);
- The softest are black (soft paste);
- Orange circles are suitable for all types of pastes.
Choosing a polish
Before purchasing the product, you should determine the degree and depth of damage to the paintwork. This is very important point, and you need to treat it as carefully as possible.
According to their chemical composition, polishes are divided into wax (animal and vegetable) and polymer (synthetic). Silicone and wax formulations withstand a maximum of 2 washes. Their use has a wonderful, deep, but short-lived effect.
Polymer coatings benefit with a margin in terms of durability, but they are more expensive and more difficult to work with. We recommend using only high-quality, proven polishes, degreasers and napkins.
There are a large number of different polishes on the market. All variety can be divided into two groups:
- Powder, the action of which is due to the contained abrasive substances. This group of polishes is good for minor scratches.
- Gel-like - filling cracks and forming a protective layer on the surface. Manufacturers usually recommend using them for polishing freshly painted and new cars.
Liquid polishes, unlike pasty ones, quickly drain off even from surfaces inclined at a small angle. It is most convenient to use them to polish the roof and boot lids and bonnet.
The obvious advantage of liquid polish is the inability to erase the varnish to the ground, so you can use them as often as you like.
Spray polishes are convenient to use, but the volatilizing agents reduce the polish content.
Car body polishing video:
