Last Updated November 11, 2024
Freshly polished cars look beautiful, gleaming like a mirror in the sun. Unfortunately, over time — especially if the paint isn’t protected — scratches, contamination and oxidation will dull the shine. So how often can you polish the paint to get it back to shiny again? That’s what we’ll be answering in this article.
How Often Should I Polish My Car?
You should polish your car as little as possible.
While you can polish a car multiple times over the course of its lifespan, you should polish as little as possible so you don’t remove too much of the clear coat.
The clear coat is what protects your car’s paint from oxidation caused by the sun’s UV rays.
Oxidation is what makes a car’s paint look cloudy and dull.
You have to remember that polishing is not like applying a wax or ceramic coating.
Waxes and coatings add a defect-filling protective film to the clear coat to make the paint smooth and glossy.
Polishing removes a thin layer of the clear coat to level out defects such as swirls, water spots, scratches and oxidation in order to make the paint smooth and glossy.
Polishing removes 2-5 microns from your clear coat, which is typically 30-50 microns thick.
The Dangers of Over Polishing
Car manufacturers typically apply 30 to 50 microns of clear coat—less than a sticky note and about half the thickness of a human hair.
When you polish, you can remove anywhere from 2 to 5 microns or more, depending on the polishing or compounding method and the abrasiveness of the product used.
The clear coat’s top layer contains UV inhibitors that shield your car’s paint from sun damage. Once this layer thins out, the paint will become cloudy and eventually the body metal will be exposed. At this point, rust and corrosion can start to eat away at the body metal, compromising your car’s structural integrity. By then your car will be a desiccated husk of its former self.
Should I Polish My Car? A Decision Tree
Polishing your car as little as possible means only polishing when absolutely necessary. But how do you know when it’s absolutely necessary?
To make things easier, we’ve laid this out in a decision tree:
- How often do you wash your car?
- Not Often: 🛑 Don’t polish your car’s paint — if you cannot maintain the restored finish after it’s been polished, there’s no point in getting it polished.
- Automatic Wash: 🛑 Don’t polish your car’s paint. The automatic wash brushes will just scratch it up again.
- Regularly or As-Needed: Proceed to the next question 👉
- Do you like how your car’s paint looks?
- Yes: 🛑 Don’t polish your car’s paint.
- No: Proceed to the next question 👉
- Can you get your car’s paint to look the way you want it by cleaning the paint?
- Yes: 🛑 Don’t polish your car’s paint.
- No: Proceed to the next question 👉
- Can you get your car’s paint to look the way you want it by applying a wax, sealant, ceramic coating or other shine-enhancing top coat?
- Yes: 🛑 Don’t polish your car’s paint.
- No: Proceed to the next question 👉
- How thick is your clear coat?
- Under 20 Microns: 🛑 Don’t polish your paint.
- Over 20 Microns: Proceed to the next question 👉
- What kind of imperfections in your car’s paint are bothering you?
- Light scratches or swirl marks 👉 Go to 7.
- Heavy swirl marks 👉 Go to 8.
- Deep scratch 👉 Go to 9.
- Oxidation (UV color fading) 👉 Go to 7.
- Water spots 👉 Go to 7.
- Residual bird dropping stain 👉 Go to 7.
- Residual insect remains stain 👉 Go to 7.
- Light Polish: Polish your paint using a light polish or an AIO. Follow with protection in the form of ceramic coating. If using an AIO, you’ll apply protection while removing the scratches.
- Paintwork Correction: Polish your paint using a two or three step process to remove the heavier swirls and scratches. Protect with ceramic coating to maintain the newly restored finish.
- Is white or gray visible in the scratch?
- Yes: 🛑 Do not attempt to polish. The scratch has penetrated the clear coat and base coat and requires re-painting.
- No: 👉 Go to 8.
To summarize this decision tree: You should only polish your paint when it’s the only option to address your visual problems with the paint and your clear coat is thick enough to safely withstand polishing.
Remember: Always Protect Paint After Polishing
Even if you’ve got plenty of clear coat left after polishing a car’s paint, you should never leave it unprotected.
Remember, most of the UV protection that keeps your paint from fading in color due to sun exposure is in the part of the clear coat you just removed by polishing. Applying a ceramic coating with UV inhibiting properties will restore that protection.
Protecting the paint will also make your paint stay shiny and defect-free. Exposed clear coat is susceptible to scratches from washing and drying the car, so having a ceramic coating that makes dirt and grime come off easier will reduce the need for rubbing all over the paint with wash mitts and towels.
Another Tip: Use Soft, Clean Wash Mitts & Towels
Using soft and clean wash mitts and towels is crucial for preventing scratches in your car’s paint, so it’s of utmost importance when maintaining a freshly polished car.
Dirt and debris trapped in towels and mitts acts like sandpaper, creating swirl mark scratch patterns in the clear coat as you wash or dry the surface.
Always inspect your wash mitts and towels for embedded particles before washing or drying your car. Be sure to also use the two bucket method with one bucket for rinse water lined with a Grit Guard. This will help trap dirt and particles, keeping them off your wash mitts.
Following these basic best practices for washing and drying will help keep your car’s paint from getting scratched, and therefore from needing to polish it too often.
Final Word of Advice: Consult a Professional Detailer
While we love the DIY crowd over here at Behind the Detail, we can’t help but think that if you really need to look up this article, you should probably take your car to a professional detailer.
Click below to get in touch with Dr. Beasley’s and find an Authorized Detailer in YOUR area.
Great worthwhile post.