The Benefits of Polishing
By Michael Mankarious
 © 2002 einszett® North America


Polishing is often neglected and overshadowed by waxing, but is by far the most beneficial step in maintaining the pristine appearance of your vehicle’s paintwork.

Although polishing produces the majority of results in vehicle care maintenance, it is often neglected because its intended purpose is not understood or it’s seen as an unnecessary step. Because polishes produce the most dramatic results, we feel it’s worth discussing their importance in the process of proper vehicle care maintenance.


What Are Polishes?

Unlike waxes, which act as a temporary shield designed to take the abuse of environmental elements so the paint surface below doesn’t have to, polishes are the real labor force in the process of paintwork care maintenance and enhancing appearance. Polishes maintain and extend the life of paint by one, removing dirt too stubborn for general washing; two, removing oxidized paint (‘aged paint’); three, smoothing out surface scratches and swirl marks (which are circular surface scratches); and four, re-conditioning the paintwork preventing it from future cracking, drying and peeling. For these reasons, it is easy to see why polishing should be given considerable weight in vehicle maintenance.

Elbow Grease

Think polishing and you usually think hard labor. Unless your vehicle is heavily oxidized due to many years of neglect, there is a lot less effort involved than you would expect. But let us add a disclaimer and state that the amount of effort required regardless of the condition of the paintwork is very much dependant on the product you use.

einszett formulates its polishes to produce the best results with the least amount of effort. We guarantee you will achieve results that exceed what you are used to with a lot less sweat. Further, you will not have to polish as often as you’re used to because our polishes last twice as long as other well-known brands. We are able to make such claims because we have guaranteed these claims for years. einszett polishes contain, on average, 20 percent less water than competing brands. Instead, we include more cleaners and protectants which results in a more highly effective product and a more protective product.

So, if the fear of hard labor prevented you from taking care of your vehicle’s paintwork before, it’s time to put that to rest and start polishing.

Types Of Polishes

Since paintwork comes in various states of condition, there are various types of polishes designed to treat each of these conditions.


New and Well-Maintained Paintwork

For paintwork that is new or very well-maintained we suggest our most mild polish, Metallic Polish Wax. Metallic Polish Wax is a polish that is defined as a cleaner-wax. What distinguishes cleaners from standard polishes is that they have little abrasive content. Their primary objective is to remove stubborn dirt, hide minor surface defects, remove light oxidation, and re-condition the paintwork.

Like all of our polishes, Metallic Polish Wax contain oils that re-condition the paintwork, adding gloss and depth, and reduce the appearance of very fine surface scratches and swirl marks. In addition, Metallic Polish Wax contains premium carnauba wax which helps protect the surface against environmental influences such as hard water, bird droppings, sap, pollutants (including brake dust), and the effects of UV (Ultra Violet) rays.  It is also formulated with concealers that disguise the appearance of holograms and clouding that appear under certain lighting conditions.  Metallic Polish Wax is not formulated to remedy medium swirl marks and oxidation. To address this concern, we move to the next step up in polishes.

Dull Paintwork

The average vehicle has paintwork that fits in this category. The paintwork no longer looks as pristine as the day you bought it. It may have light scratches and swirl marks (or spider-webbing as some call it). einszett Paint Polish 'Lack Politur' was created to remedy this type of dull paintwork. While many vehicles today have clear coat applied to the paintwork, which is designed to inhibit the detrimental effects of Ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun, it is not enough protection for the paintwork alone and in itself requires maintenance. Clear coat, which is simply non-pigmented paint with UV ray inhibitors, oxidizes and requires regular polishing and maintenance to maintain its pristine appearance.

Paint Polish is effective in treating surface defects such as oxidation, medium surface scratches and swirl marks by smoothing out the scratches using fine granules of natural clay. As you polish, the clay granules smooth out the edges of the scratches to make them appear less visible. Paint Polish is formulated to bring back average looking paintwork to its original showroom.


Coarse and Restoration

For those with vehicles that have very old paintwork that has suffered from many years of weathering, we offer a special polish called Extra Paintwork Cleaner. Extra is formulated to treat heavy oxidation and very coarse paintwork that most polishes available can not treat. Extra utilizes more abrasives than a standard polish to cut through heavy oxidation and smooth out more aggressive swirl marks. Since Extra is so aggressive, we do not recommend its use on newer paints with clear coat.  However, on very weathered paintwork, Extra is able to dramatically reduce oxidation and restore luster.  The paint will have more gloss and return closer to its smooth, original finish. 

For even better results, following-up with a general purpose polish such as einszett Paint Polish, you'll produce a more dramatic finish.  Paint Polish will further enhance the depth and gloss results produced by Extra.

When To Polish?

Now that we have noted the differences between the various types of polishes, let’s quickly recap why polishes are important. Many enthusiasts are constantly confused between waxes and polishes mainly due to false information and advertising. True waxes are designed only to protect a paintwork’s surface from environmental elements. They are not designed to clean the paint or maintain its overall condition. Polishes on the other hand can be compared to washing and applying lotion to your body. Polishes clean and rejuvenate the surface of your paintwork by removing aged paint due to oxidation, UV-Rays, temperature variances, as well as environmental influences such as bird droppings, sap, acid rain, etc. Polishes restore the gloss and depth of your paintwork and as a result extend the life of it. This is why it is so important to not rule out polishes from your paintwork maintenance regimen.  In addition, polishing the paintwork prior to waxing will allow waxes to bond better and last on the paintwork surface longer.

We recommend polishing twice a year – preferably spring and fall. After thoroughly washing the paintwork surface, apply the polish with either a 100 percent terry cotton towel or foam applicator pad (if applying by hand) or use an orbital buffer if you prefer applying by machine. An orbital buffer is safe and will not burn the surface of your paintwork like a rotary buffer can—which should be reserved for professionals. In addition, an orbital buffer will cut down your application time plus give you consistent results (read: you won’t be tired by the third hour which leads to uneven hand pressure). Whether you choose to apply by hand or machine (by the way, our polishes are designed to be applied by both methods) polish small sections at a time. Do not polish your entire vehicle and then attempt to wipe it off – three by three foot sections are ideal. Otherwise, you will find yourself attempting to scrape off the product from the vehicle surface. In the unlikely event this happens to you, simply apply more product over the prior application. This will safely soften the dried product and allow for safe removal.

After applying the polish, by working it into the surface until it is nearly dry, allow it to dry to a haze and wipe off with a clean cotton towel or better yet a quality microfiber towel (microfiber towels are highly suggested because of their very fine surface area that won’t cause minor surface scratches). Remember, when polishing do not apply too much or too little pressure – the same amount of effort as we always suggest for surface care.


Summary

The benefits of polishing far exceed those of just waxing. While one works best with the other, polishes remain the work horse in the overall maintenance of the paintwork by removing aged paint, restoring depth and gloss and reducing or removing the appearance of surface defects such as surface scratches and the dreaded swirl mark.

Simply put, polishes provide the most dramatic results.