How to Polish a Car

How to Polish a Car

First, you’ll need to make sure which parts of your car are plastic or metal. Many modern cars have features that look like polished metal, but which are either chromed plastic or metal that has been painted and then covered with a “clear coat” to reduce the chances of rusting or scratching.

• Test to see which parts of your car are metal. If you’re not sure if a particular part of your car is metal or if it has a clear coat finish, then dab some metal polish onto your sponge or cloth and lightly apply it to the area you want to polish.
• Inspect your sponge or cloth. If the surface is actually polished metal, you’ll see a distinctive dark grey residue. Otherwise, you’re dealing with a clear coat. Do not use metal polish on the clear coat. It will cause it to erode, causing problems later on.
• Apply the polish. Once you’ve worked out what bits of your car actually is metal, either use an electric polishing device (you can find these in specialist car care shops or online) or old-fashioned elbow grease to distribute your polish.
• Thoroughly polish your headlights and indicators with plastic polish. This will remove the layer of dirt that often settles on headlights after prolonged use.
• Remember to mask nearby areas when polishing the headlamps. This will prevent the polish from damaging or removing paintwork.
• Polish your wheel hubcaps, either with specialized wheel cleaner, or, if you know the surface is real metal (using the trick described above), actual metal polish.