Polishing the car at home. Restore the gloss: how to polish the car and tools for organizing work yourself

Problems of how to polish a car begin to bother car owners already in the second or third year after purchasing a car. Even durable automotive enamels of premium foreign cars fade and fade over this period. Less durable paint budget cars not only loses its luster. The paintwork without protective polishing begins to peel off and crack.

Reasons for polishing and refinishing

The main reasons necessitating polishing, the natural aging of automotive enamel and dirt remain on domestic roads. All road debris raised by the movement of passing and oncoming cars leaves marks on the body of your car. Micro-scratches are difficult to see with the naked eye, but their accumulation affects the reflectivity of the varnish. More noticeable on the paint are traces of hard sand, gravel, flying stones, roadside branches getting into the body.

Scuffs and a dull color to car paint are brought by road chemistry, winter sprinkling of highways with salt, sand, and chemical reagents. Various bischofites and modified calcium have a destructive effect on the body paintwork. Acid rain, hail, dirty snow leave traces on car enamel.

Oddly enough, but auto mechanics consider arrivals at an automatic brush wash as an important cause of scratches and scuffs. From regular washing rotating brushes, body paint (especially soft enamels) loses its luster and tarnishes. And if the owner of a car wash saves on timely replacement worn brushes, hard ends of the bristles leave deep scratches on the paint. Road dirt is packed into micro-scratches and small chips, expanding and deepening the damage.

In addition to the loss of gloss and brightness of the factory color, all damage paintwork more dangerous consequences. Scratches, superimposed on each other, completely cut through the paint layer and can become pockets of rust, the elimination of which will require expensive body repairs with repainting the car.

Every driver wants to restore the perfect shine of the body and glass, but the services of branded technical centers and road detailing studios are not available to an ordinary car owner every two to three months. With limited financial resources, many Russian motorists have no other choice but to polish the car themselves.

How to polish a car at home

Naturally, home conditions should be understood as a dry, well-lit garage. Polishing a car on the street or in the yard is impossible even in warm summers. Dust brought by the wind, fallen leaves will instantly spoil the results of your work. The uneven drying in the sun of many types of pastes and varnishes is also important, affecting the quality of work, general form cars.

Preparatory operations

The garage must be cleaned before work, eliminating dust as much as possible. Experienced auto mechanics do not advise polishing a car at sub-zero temperatures and in hot weather (over 35 - 40 degrees). Before proceeding with polishing, a number of preliminary operations are required:

• body wash (manual or non-contact);
• removal of stains and stubborn dirt (oil, bitumen);
• pasting decorative details(chromium, nickel, rubber, plastic);
• inspection of a clean body (the choice of abrasives, grain size of polishing compounds depends on the degree of damage).

If you do not have space or conditions for self-washing cars near the garage, right before polishing you can visit a car wash, preferably contactless. After driving into the garage, you need to wipe the car again with a clean, dry cloth.

After washing, bitumen stains, oils are clearly visible, which are removed manually, with mild solvents, degreasers, white spirit. There is no need to use screwdrivers and knives. Having soaked the speck, it is easy to remove it with a fingernail or a plastic card.

In order not to hurt decorative elements(glass edging, moldings, mirrors), they are pasted over with masking tape. Professional polishers remove and nickel plated door handles, but it is not recommended for beginners during the first experiments.

Experienced amateurs of independent work with the car, simultaneously with polishing the body, also polish the glass of the car. Technologically, the operations differ little (only in the composition of pastes and protective agents), having gained experience, you will be able to polish the glass yourself. At the first attempt at polishing, it is better to glue all the glasses.

Restorative abrasive polishing of the body

Before you polish the car with your own hands, you need to take care of the tool and consumables. There are two ways to abrasively eliminate damage to the paint layer - manual and mechanical (using a grinder). For beginners independent work experts advise first to try their hand at manual abrasive polishing, which requires less material costs.

For manual polishing of paintwork you will need:

• abrasive sandpaper (R-2000, R-2500);
• sprayer for water;
• special napkins or cotton rags;
• polishing pastes and polishes.

Abrasive body polishing operations

Before use, the sandpaper is cut into small pieces and their edges are rounded to sharp corners did not leave deep scratches. Manual grinding begins with a small section of the body, later moving from it to different sides. Before grinding, the surface is moistened with water from a spray bottle.

The paint soaked with sandpaper is sanded in two perpendicular directions, achieving an even matte color of the paintwork. The process is repeated several times, wiping the water with a damp and dry cloth. After the R-2000 sandpaper, the second polishing can be done with the R-2500 sandpaper. After that, a polishing paste is applied to the polished area with a fine-grained sponge or plastic card and rubbed with effort in a circular motion special tampons or napkins.

Polishing after grinding will be greatly accelerated if you use a grinder. Instead of a machine, you can use an electric drill with a special nozzle (only drills with adjustable speed).

For mechanical polishing, you will need to add the following tools to the original set:

• grinder (with adjustable speed from 700 to 3000);
• protective glasses;
• grinding and polishing discs;
• mandrels for fixing discs of various thicknesses;
• felt or fur polishing wheels;
• stiff brush to clean the circles.

In the process of mechanical polishing, the machine is driven in a circular motion. Start work with low speed, making efforts to rub the polishing paste. In the future, the speed is increased, reducing the clamping force. Start work with pastes of greater grain size and hard circles. According to the results of polishing, they are successively changed to softer circles and pastes with a small grain size.

Working with a grinder requires proven skills, so before you start polishing the car body, you can practice on the removed body part. With the wrong choice of paste grain size, disk rotation speed and pressing force, car enamel can be erased to metal, burned (iridescent tint spots appear, paint swells). Particularly responsible places are the kinks of the body, curly stampings on the hood, wings, doors, which need to be polished especially carefully.

Choice of pastes or gels. How to polish a car.

In addition to polishing technology, the question of how to polish a car is no less important. Understanding the basics production processes, you need to choose polishing pastes, protective and restorative polishes. Polishing pastes are usually divided into powder and gel. The first type of pastes is chosen for hard coatings with numerous damages and they polish the enamel with a decrease in graininess.

Gel pastes work more gently, they are used to polish soft paintwork budget foreign cars with relatively little damage. Gel (paste-like) and aerosol (liquid) pastes in cylinders are used for various parts of the body. Gel paste is applied to the polishing wheel, it is convenient to process side surfaces(doors, fenders) cars. Aerosol paste is sprayed on the roof, hood, trunk of a car, after which it is rubbed with a soft polishing wheel.

When using abrasive polishing pastes, it must be remembered that the number of polishings is not infinite. Each buffing takes off a layer of paint, buffing your car weekly will take the paint off in a year.

In the same way, abrasive polishing of the machine is carried out after body repairs and car paint. In this case, its goal is to level the paint layer, eliminate paint streaks, “shagreen”. After painting, it is better to use gel polishing pastes.

You can see in more detail how to properly polish the car in the video:

Protective paint finishes

After processing with abrasives, restorative polishing pastes, filling in micro-scratches, level the surface of the car enamel, correctly reflect light rays, which gives the paint mirror shine. But restorative polishing does not protect the body from new damage. To prevent minor damage paints are designed protective polishing.

Manufacturers produce protective polishes based on:

• artificial and natural waxes;
• teflon;
• tree resins;
• silicone;
• ceramics;
• "liquid glass".

Before choosing a polishing paste for protective polishing, you need to carefully read the instructions for use. Some of them can be applied to the car by hand, others require the use of a grinder.

The principle of operation of protective pastes is the same. They create a thin layer on the paintwork that protects the enamel from ultraviolet radiation (the paint fades less), repels water, dirt, and chemicals.

Simple soft pastes include wax formulations, which can be manually applied to the body and rubbed with a special napkin. preventive protection the car owner can apply on the car body in an hour, but the soft paste can withstand only two or three contact washes.

Polishing protective pastes based on silicone, Teflon are more durable. They can withstand 30 - 40 washes, but you need to polish the car with a grinder with interchangeable nozzles. The polishing technology is similar to abrasive, but requires precise time delay, depending on the drying of the protective composition.

For more expensive nanoceramic protective polishes, the hard outer layer is created by polymerized compositions containing the smallest crystals of silicon dioxide, titanium oxides. The polymeric ceramic layer fills the unevenness of the paint, tightens microcracks, and protects the enamel from peeling. The protective properties of nanocreams increase depending on the applied layers of varnish (up to ten layers are used). Professional polishers highly appreciate Ceramic Pro, NANO POLISH, CERAMIC PRO LIGHT, Restor FX polishes. Determining the effectiveness of protective polishing is quite simple. If you pour a ladle of water on the hood of the car, the liquid will collect on the surface in large drops.

Compositions under the household name " liquid glass»contain plastic solutions of silicon dioxide, sodium silicate, which, when hardened, fill in microdamages and irregularities of the enamel. The mirror layer of silicon compounds obtained from quartz sand is harder than car paint coatings, therefore it becomes a reliable and durable paint protection. After finishing polishing, the car should not be washed for about two weeks, until the protective layer has completely hardened.

Self-made abrasive restoration polishing, polishing cars durable protective compounds, you will return the appearance to the car, not inferior to new car. Protective polishing operations, which need to be repeated once or twice a year, will reduce the need for abrasive restoration.

Any car enthusiast knows that his vehicle not contained in greenhouse conditions, and therefore subject to the negative influence of harmful factors environment. During the operation of the machine, small cracks, chips and scratches inevitably form on its paintwork. As a result, the car loses its presentable appearance. And what is most unpleasant - damage to the body can lead to the development of corrosion. To prevent this, it is necessary to polish the car in a timely manner.

In order to successfully polish the car body from scratches with your own hands, you should take care to create optimal conditions for the work.

• the surface of the machine must be absolutely clean and dry;
• polishing should be done in a closed, clean room with good ventilation and no dust;
• It makes sense to take care of high-quality artificial lighting. For achievement best result you should clearly see the surface of the car from all angles.

Before the procedure, you will need to remove all dents, and apply special adhesive tape to impressive scratches and chips. If deep polishing of scratches is planned, the damage is treated separately.

Important! Do not polish in direct sunlight, as under them the polish dries instantly, and this leads to stains and stains.

Only by following the above rules can you polish your iron horse no worse than in car dealerships, and at the same time win significantly financially.

Scratches before polishing

The choice of polish for the car body

Before you make a purchase of specialized compounds, you need to assess the general condition of the surface of the car and the degree of damage. If there are no visually distinguishable defects, but the color has faded and the shine has been lost, a simple protective polish will cope with the problem.

If there is a network on the body small scratches ok, well distinguishable on clean car on a fine day, it is recommended to purchase two types of polishes - with abrasive particles and a composition with a low content of abrasive elements. The means of the first composition are able to clean the layer of varnish from the depths of the scratches. The severity of the damage should be taken into account. At deep cracks you need to buy highly abrasive pastes.

Please note that products with hard particles intensively remove the varnish layer and make the surface more vulnerable. Therefore, after using them, you can not do without applying a protective composition.

In addition to the composition, polishes can be classified according to such parameters as cost, scope and consistency:

• paste polishes- have a dense consistency and are suitable for polishing scratches on any part of the car body. The price of such products is quite high, but the pastes are enriched with elements responsible for color saturation;
• liquid polishes- they are used mainly for processing the hood, roof and trunk of a car, since they spread over vertical surfaces. However, they can carefully and for a long time polish the car without fear of erasing the paintwork to the ground;
• aerosol passwords- easy to apply, easy to use. But the presence in the container of components for effective spraying contains a very small amount of polishing materials.

Polishing of scratches on the car body is carried out using selected products and can be done both manually and with the help of a polishing machine or drill. It depends on the severity of the imperfections on the surface of the machine.

Stages of a simple car body polishing

A simple polishing of the surface of the machine can also be called preventive. Those who care about their iron horse for a motorist will perform it once every 3-4 months. This procedure saves the car from minor damage and gives an impeccable shine. The process itself is absolutely not complicated and does not take much time and effort.

The required amount of polish should be applied to a soft, lint-free cloth and spread evenly. (If an aerosol is used, it must be applied directly to the surface of the car). The composition on the fabric should dry to a state white coating- then they can already be effectively polished. Next, the body is processed with smooth circular movements until an intense shine appears.

Stages of deep polishing of a car body

In order to get rid of significant scratches on the car body, a method is used deep polishing. It is necessary to have certain skills and be armed with knowledge about the procedure in order to get a really high-quality result. In addition, the process takes a long time, but changing the appearance of the machine is far from better side worth it.

First you need to prepare tools for deep (abrasive) polishing:

1. Pastes of various types - abrasive, non-abrasive and with an average content of abrasive particles.
2. polishing machine.
3. polishing wheels.
4. Sandpaper P2000 and P2500.
5. Soft rubber scraper.
6. Any soft, lint-free cloth.
7. Water in a spray bottle.

Abrasive polishing of the car surface should be carried out in stages:

• cut sandpaper into small pieces and soak in water for softness;
• wipe the scratched areas with sandpaper, while using a scraper and water to remove the cleaned particles from the surface;
• Spray the area to be treated with water and apply polishing machine with the hardest circle (white). Before turning on the equipment, apply and evenly distribute a highly abrasive compound on the wheel;
• after polishing all areas, wash the car with car shampoo.

Wing before and after polishing

The machine for grinding must be selected, taking into account the possibility of easily adjusting the speed. Car polishing should start from the very low speed machines - 900 per minute, then you should increase the speed to 2000 rpm.

Then the same section of the body is polished again, but with the use of a non-abrasive composition and with a softer wheel on a polishing machine.

Important! In the process of polishing, in no case should you press hard on the machine - this can lead to damage to the paintwork.

The process of work should go smoothly and calmly, without unnecessary fuss and haste. Particular care must be taken when processing the edges and corners of the body. After polishing the area, you need to carefully wipe it with a damp cloth, evaluate the result of the work, and only then proceed to other areas. Thus, the entire body is gradually polished.

The polishing machine moves completely effortlessly over the surface of the car, as long as there is a enough paste and water. In case of overheating, it is necessary to turn off the equipment, let it cool down and only then apply water and work on.

After washing the car with car shampoo, let it dry and then apply a protective polish that does not contain abrasive particles. But wax works too. It is allowed to simply drip onto the body and distribute it with light movements without rubbing. After drying, you need to remove the wax excess with a soft cloth or cloth.

Properly carried out deep polishing of scratches on the car body with your own hands guarantees the return of the car to a practical new appearance and gives a second, if not even a third life to the paintwork on the surface.

As we know, car paintwork is exposed to a lot of damage every day. external factors. This and constant fluctuations temperature, and fine road dust, which seems to eat into the paint at speed, thereby forming microcracks.

Thanks to the polish, a thin layer appears on the paintwork protective layer, which prevents the paint from fading and the appearance of various deformations on it. If you regularly polish, you will save that perv. this species car, which was given to him by the manufacturer, without resorting to painting services at the service station.

Types of polishes

Before answering the question of how to polish a car with your own hands, consider the types of protective equipment. They are divided into two types. Protective polishing can be either Teflon or wax based. The difference between them lies in the duration of the protective function. For example, Teflon polishes are able not to lose their properties up to 7-8 washes. At the same time, wax analogs are washed off for the second or third time.

How long does this procedure take?

As practice shows, it takes from 30 to 50 minutes to manually polish the body of a simple passenger car. The presence of special machines with nozzles can speed up this process by 2-3 times.

Regularity of execution

How often do you need to produce similar works? Experts recommend polishing the car body at least once every 3-4 months. If you very rarely use the vehicle (for example, only on weekends 1-2 times a week), it is enough to do the work once every six months. Can I polish my car more often? Of course you can, it does not harm the car. But each time before work, the machine must be thoroughly washed to remove any traces of wax or Teflon substances. On dirty car Under no circumstances should polish be rubbed. So you only harm the paintwork of the car - with your own hands you press small particles of dust and deposits into it.

How much does it cost in car services?

About 1 thousand rubles will be requested at the service station for such services. Considering that the price of one tube of TEMRO polish costs up to 100 rubles, it becomes clear that doing this procedure on your own is much cheaper. And one bottle is usually enough for 2 times.

abrasive polishing

A lot of workshops advertise such a service as abrasive polishing. It is also called restorative. This type of work is used in cases where the car needs to eliminate microcracks, scratches and other minor defects paintwork. Unlike simple protective polishing, such polishing requires more time and special tools.

This work consists of several stages: the preparation of the paintwork (this is the removal of the top layer of the coating) and the alignment of scuffs.

It should be borne in mind that along with scratches, this polish also removes part of the paintwork itself. Therefore, it is recommended to use no more than 10 abrasive restoration cycles per car. If the number is higher, instead of paint and varnish, the polish will already remove the primer.

How to polish a car with a polishing machine at home?

Oddly enough, polishing is quite possible to do at home. To do this, it is enough to have an electric drill or a small grinder and a special nozzle. The latter is called a polishing block. Also in stores you can buy ready-made machines for such work, however, the result of the work will be the same with a grinder, with such a device.

essence professional polishing is as follows: during friction, the block heats up the paintwork, while the polish fills all the small bumps and crevices on the body with its particles.

Preparatory work

Regardless of whether you use special tools during work or an ordinary rag, the process of preparing the machine is the same. It includes several stages:

1. Full car wash. We must perform it before polishing the car. After painting, part of the paintwork must dry in the sun.

2. Removal of various insect stains, tar and dirt on the paintwork near the wheel arches. Here you can use various chemicals such as white spirit, neosteril or gasoline.

3. Surface degreasing. It is likely that in small areas of the body after application detergents left traces. Such places usually have a cloudy appearance in the sun. To keep the polish on the body as long as possible, you should treat the entire perimeter of the paintwork with white spirit or other chemicals (but not abrasive). By the way, in auto shops you can buy Hi-Gear deep cleaning agent. It is intended for degreasing such surfaces. It is very easy to use it. First, shake the bottle well, then apply the substance to a soft piece of cloth and rub evenly over the entire body area.

As a result of this, you will see how the car looks noticeably fresher.

Polishing

So, how to polish the car after preparing the paintwork? Let's start with the bottles themselves. Polishes can be both in tubes (thick mass) and in plastic jars (a mixture of mass with liquid). In the latter case, shake the vial thoroughly before use.

Next, let's get to work. It is necessary to apply polish on the bodywork sequentially, in sections of 50x50 centimeters, starting from the front bumper and hood, ending with the trunk and roof. By the way, the roof can be divided into 4 parts and polished in several stages.

How to apply the mass to the surface of the body, determine for yourself. This can be done both in small circular ribbons and in the form of dots. If your polish is filled in a metal tube, in no case should it touch the surface of the paintwork - it leaves gray prints that are very difficult to remove.

Having evenly applied the mass to the body, we wait a while (usually 1 minute) until it dries a little. After that, we take a soft cloth in our hands and rub the mass until it turns into a transparent shiny film. How to polish a car with a machine? The process can be said to be similar. Only here, instead of a rag, you use a drill with a nozzle. When using such a tool, it is important to remember that the polish must be rubbed with uniform force. You should not put pressure on the body with all your weight, as you can damage the paintwork itself. If you want to know how to properly polish a car with a machine, remember that the tool must work around the entire perimeter where this mass is applied. Drive it left and right, up and down, or work it in a circular motion.

During work, do not allow the polish to dry out. Remember that the dried mass will not turn into a thin film - it will simply be scattered in pieces in the other direction.

The shrinkage period of the polish is 24 hours. At this time, you can travel by car, but it is best to refrain from them for a day in order to protective film finally entrenched on the paintwork of the body.

How to polish a car after painting?

It should be noted that this type of work is somewhat different from the usual application of a protective mass. The fact is that polishing after painting includes a whole range of works using special equipment and automotive cosmetics. It is done 3-4 weeks after painting. This is necessary so that the varnish settles and does not form dips during polishing. This work also includes removing various scratches and irregularities that could appear from high humidity or negative environmental impacts. By the way, before polishing the car, it is necessary to rub it in places with a fine-grained sandpaper. The technology of these works is very complex, so here you can not do without the hands of professionals.

Conclusion

So, we figured out how to polish a car by hand and with a machine.

As you can see, the process is not very complicated and not very long. Therefore, it makes sense to independently master the skills of using polishes, and spend the saved 3-4 thousand on a couple of new tires, pads or other spare parts.

The paintwork of the car has a limited operational period. The car body is subjected to a special load. Over time, scuffs and scratches appear on it. In order to restore appearance, do-it-yourself polishing of the surface of the car body is carried out.

Machine polishing is one of the essential procedures autotuning when processing a paint and varnish covering. It is comprehensive and provides:

• restoration of the original shine;
• giving freshness to the paint;
• protection from aggressive environments.

Self-polishing the car helps with minor damage. If the body coating has been seriously damaged, the procedure is performed only after repair work.

Body polishing is effective in the following cases:

• the paint layer has faded;
• scuffs, cloudy spots, roughness or scratches appeared;
• shagreen, enamel streaks, color mismatch after tinting, graininess formed.

The disadvantage of polishing a car is that it removes a small layer of paint. Therefore, it is not recommended to do it too often. The factory paintwork is designed for 15 standard car polishes at home.

Tools, materials and equipment

The procedure is performed using special equipment. The main tool with which the car body is polished is a grinding machine. If you need equipment for a narrow purpose, a car polishing machine is used. Optimum Power this unit is between 1,000 and 3,000 rpm.

To polish the car with this tool, you will need an electrical connection. Cars with a built-in battery are commercially available, but their use is not recommended. They are quickly discharged, so one battery may not be enough for a full body treatment.

Some drivers prefer to use a drill instead of a grinder, installing the necessary nozzle on it.

The list of additional materials for polishing the car body cover includes:

• polish;
• grinding wheels;
• sandpaper;
• degreaser;
• applicator.

Grinding wheels usually come with polishing machine but sometimes a separate purchase may be required. Additional Consumables consist of grinding paste, foam rubber, flannel.

Preparation

To polish the car, you must first prepare. Initially, a room is set up in which grinding work will be carried out:

• a ventilation system is installed;
• minimizing exposure to sunlight
• provided with artificial lighting.

The paint and varnish covering of the car can be polished at a temperature from +10 to +23 degrees Celsius. Therefore, in summer or in sunny weather, it is impossible to carry out the procedure on the street. The next step is preparing the car. It includes:

• elimination of existing dents;
• washing and removing grease from the surface;
• drying paintwork.

So that the polishing composition does not get on the inserts made of plastic and rubber, they are pre-pasted. For this, masking tape is used. Paper cloth capes are better for protecting windows or bumpers.

Types and technology of polishing

Body polishing is simple and deep. There are rules and secrets that must be followed when treating the surface of a car:

• do not use budgetary polishing products, it is recommended to give preference to well-known products with additional functions;
• do not polish the car at low temperatures, otherwise the mixture will lose its normal consistency;
• when polishing the body, do not carry out other work (for example, a primer or putty), since the smallest particles of other materials can deform the surface;
• do not wash the body surface too often.

The body needs to be degreased first. You can polish a car with your own hands or with the help of tools. The first option is carried out according to the following scheme:

• a lint-free cloth is taken, on which grinding paste is applied, after which the surface is treated with it;
• a certain period is expected, during which the substance must dry and acquire a characteristic shade;
• to give the coating a shine, a clean rag is used, which rubs the surface.

Each package of polishing compound contains a number of recommendations. They must be taken into account when carrying out work.

The use of electrical equipment helps to better remove more difficult damage such as deep scratches, pebbles and drips. Polishing work is carried out in two stages. The first one includes the following steps:

• installation grinding wheel wetted with water;
• applying paste with abrasive to the circle;
• frequency setting on the grinder 2,000 rpm;
• soft surface treatment with uniform movements.

After the listed set of works is completed, the transition to the next stage is carried out:

• reducing the frequency on the grinder to 1,000 rpm;
• applying polish without abrasive;
• parallel processing of individual sections of the car (they should not intersect).

During polishing work, minimal pressure is applied. Strong pressure can remove too much paint and damage the coating.

If there is no experience in this area, a trial grinding is carried out on the surface of an old unnecessary element or part. Polishing is a long and laborious procedure that is best done in small areas. The larger the area treated at a time, the lower its quality after polishing. This feature is due to the fact that the average duration of the surface hardening is 5 minutes. If you mark an area that is too large, you may not have time to process it in the specified time.

Simple

The technology of simple car body polishing includes a minimum number of actions, the purpose of which is to give shine to the car's paint surface. Also, simple grinding is aimed at eliminating small scratches on the car, provided that they do not touch the ground. Usually such damage is difficult to notice with the naked eye, but in the complex they spoil the look of the car.

Do simple polishing car is recommended, no matter how scratched the car is. Even if there is no visible damage, this procedure should be carried out as a preventive measure. It is performed using a mixture that is rubbed with a rag into the surface of the body.

deep

With the help of professional deep polishing, serious damage. The main purpose of this procedure is to remove scratches from the surface that have damaged the primer. Do-it-yourself deep polishing of a scratched car body takes a long time, but allows you to give the coating its original appearance.

Deep polishing is difficult to do on your own, even with experience. It requires special skills and equipment.

Features of polishing after painting

Polishing of the car body after painting is carried out if, as a result of the procedure, the following are formed:

• shagreen;
• matte finish;
• prick effect.

After painting, we polish in three ways:

• abrasive - to neutralize deep scratches and chips (using sandpaper and polishing paste);
• protective - to prevent scratches (paste can be applied manually);
• nanopolishing - processing using a special multi-component nano-varnish.

Most often, the first and second methods are used (sometimes together). First, the surface is treated with sandpaper, after which restoration polishing is carried out. When the car is dry, it can be applied liquid wax or other protective mixture.

Working with chrome

The risk of interaction with the chrome surface arises when the final polishing of parts is performed. The peculiarity of chromium is that when interacting with this element, the polishing mixture forms a matte surface. As a result, additional processing may be required.

The final polishing is done with an electric machine running at 3,000 to 4,000 rpm. The chromed parts are insulated so that paste does not accidentally get on them. This prevents the formation of a matte surface when interacting with the grinding wheel or protective polish.

Cost and results

car polishing in service center costs from 1,000 rubles, depending on the condition of the paintwork. Professional staff use the polishing machine. For protective purposes, the procedure is performed 2 to 3 times a year.

The polishing layer lasts for 8-10 cleanings of the surface. The main role in this case plays the quality of the polishing mixture used to process the body.

The procedure has pros and cons. After its implementation, the car owner receives an updated bright coating without scratches. The effect of polishing is temporary, so it is updated periodically. Proper handling extends the life of the coating.

Body polishing only seems to be an easy task. But in fact, there are subtleties that affect the process and the result. We will list the main mistakes of beginner detailers and tell you how to fix them in order to polish correctly.

1. Body polishing takes place on the street

As a rule, a novice polisher is a person who has bought a car polishing kit and is eager to try it out. Since there is no special box for polishing, you have to choose between the garage and the street. But since the garage is usually too crowded and dull, body polishing takes place on the street - and this is the first mistake.

On the street, dust containing particles of quartz and silicon quickly settles on the car. These particles are much harder than the abrasives that are used to polish the body, so they easily scratch the varnish. The effect of polishing is reduced to nothing.

Another danger of polishing outdoors is unstable temperature and humidity. For example, if the body is hot, the paste dries quickly. All this is a violation of the technological process.

How to. Body polishing should only be done in a clean, dry and heated room.

2. The car is not prepared

After visiting the car wash, the car seems clean. But it only seems. After contactless car wash static pollution from soot and fine sand remains on it, which are held on the body by a thin fatty film. Static dirt is almost invisible under normal lighting, but will definitely show up as scratches during the final polishing stage.

Another type of subtle pollution is bitumen, brake dust, residues bird droppings and insects. At the final polishing stage, the soft wheel will spread these contaminants throughout the polishing area.

How to. Before polishing, the car must be washed by a two-phase washing method, then stubborn dirt must be removed and dried.

3. Dangerous places are not pasted over

Novice polishers are always in a hurry and don't pay enough attention to preparation. They want to quickly get a polishing device and start beautifying, but they forget about safety. Plastic, aluminum, and chrome parts in the polished area can be severely damaged beyond repair. You don't want to piss off the customer, do you?

How to. Headlights, moldings, roof rails, badges and other parts that are in the polishing area must be pasted over with masking tape.

If you look at a dozen reports on the "Drive" and thematic forums, it becomes clear that local polishers do not have a pronounced and unified methodology. Some constantly experiment and learn from their mistakes, others scoff, others ask if it is possible to polish a car with a drill or polish a car without a machine. All this is reminiscent of medieval medicine, which is definitely not to be trusted.

How to. Learn the methodology of polishing and be guided only by it.

5. Wrong choice of circles and pastes

You can't just buy a machine and start polishing. As a minimum, you should read the manufacturer's instructions for polishing pads and pastes. If you polish at random, you will get one of two things: either you will remove too much varnish and make the next polishing impossible, or you will spend all day on work that can be done in an hour.

We teach polishing at the detailing school

6. Laps scored

Often there are polishers in which the polishing wheel is covered with a thick layer of paste. Many do not notice the problem - it seems to them that the more paste is in contact with the varnish, the better. But this is a mistake, you can't polish it like that.

There are pores in the polishing wheel that tightly hold the paste particles - it is due to this that the abrasive surface is formed. If the paste is applied to the circle in excess, it simply smears over the surface.

How to. During polishing, it is necessary to blow the polishing wheels as they are filled with paste. After each car, the circles must be washed.

7. Polishing without thickness gauge

Only an experienced and very short-sighted polisher can afford to determine the thickness of the varnish by eye. If you do not measure the thickness of the varnish on all elements, it is easy to make a mistake, especially in places with a thin layer of varnish: at the corners and joints of the panels. In some cases, if the car has been polished several times before, body polishing is contraindicated.

If the acceptance of the car is not correct, the entire responsibility lies with the polisher. Therefore, the use of a thickness gauge is also a protection against the consequences.

How to. Before polishing, measure the thickness of the varnish on each element of the body. Inform the customer if the varnish layer is too thin.

8. Poor lighting

In poor lighting, proper polishing is not possible. Firstly, you will not be able to properly prepare the car - small splashes of bitumen, brake dust and traces of insects will go unnoticed. Secondly, it is easy not to see the border of polishing - you will polish one element several times, and skip the other. And finally, in a dark garage, the car can seem perfectly polished, and in daylight all the flaws will become noticeable.

How to. To correctly assess the condition of the paintwork, the following combination is best suited: linear diffused cold light sources and spot warm light lamps.

How to polish the body correctly

1. Polish the body only in a dry, clean, heated room.
2. Before polishing, wash the vehicle using a two-phase wash and remove stubborn dirt.
3. Use masking tape to cover the headlights, moldings, roof rails, badges and other parts that are in the polishing area.
4. Don't listen to self-taught people.
5. Learn polishing methodology. As a minimum, follow the manufacturer's instructions for polishing pads and pastes.
6. Blow out the polishing wheels as they fill with paste.
7. Use a thickness gauge before each polishing.
8. Polish in a well lit room. Ideally, use a combination of linear diffused cold light sources and spot warm light lamps.

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