Wax vs polish

[beep119]

Ok...still very new to detailing...so this might be a dumb question. I have read that if you polish then no need to wax and vice versa. But, also read polish then wax. So which is it? And when would you put a sealant on?
Thanks everyone

 

[AeroCleanse]

Polish is a corrective stage, wax has no correction. Polish also has no protective properties. Now there are all in one products that are polishes with a wax build in.

 

[Kinalyx]

polishes have abrasives in them, waxes are just protection for your paint. Sealants should go on top of clean paint, then if you want to wax as well, the wax can go on top of the sealant.

shawn

 

[Lowejackson]

Just to confuse things, polishes can also be non abrasive i.e. they are chemical cleaners but completely agree with others, polishes are normal designed to remove paint.

Different grades of polishes out there. Compounds generally remove (relatively) quite a lot of paint, polishes remove less and finishing polishes remove very little. As the polishes get milder, they increase the gloss of the paint. So you could use a polish to remove some swirls and then a finishing polish to increase the gloss

In reality it is more complex than my example but the basics are valid

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Ok...still very new to detailing...so this might be a dumb question.

I have read that if you polish then no need to wax and vice versa.

But, also read polish then wax. So which is it?

And when would you put a sealant on?

Thanks everyone

Great questions and you already have received GREAT answers. Part of the problem in this industry is there are now laws or regulations stating what words mean so companies can use any word they want to name their product.

Because of this you'll get products with the name "Polish" on the label when in fact it's not a polish in the true sense of the word but a wax or synthetic paint sealant.

You'll see products with the word "Glaze" on the label when in fact they are either a wax or synthetic paint sealant.

I have an article on this and I also cover this in my how-to book...


Word Definitions - Compounds, Polishes, Glazes, Paint Cleaners and Waxes


Here's a snippet from the above article,

Judge a product by the function it performs, not the name on the label
Because there's no universal or industry accepted standards for definitions for words and terms used in the car care appearance world, my practice and recommendation to others is to judge a product not by the name on the label but by what function the product serves.

The other thing you can do is when in doubt, simply start a thread and ask your questions, like you did here...

 

[tuscarora dave]

And then to confuse things even more, have a look at Duragloss products such as DG # 111 Duragloss Clear Coat Polish (CCP) #111 #111 is actually a polymer paint sealant and not what most of the detailing world would consider a polish at all. Duragloss uses the term "polish" pretty loosely in the marketing of their products. I think this confuses a lot of people.

Now have a look at Meguiar's Mirror Glaze # 205 Ultra Finishing Polish.
Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing Polish, final polish, Meguiars polishes, car polish, 205 FP
This product is a polish in the regard that it will abrasively remove light paint imperfections such as minor to moderate swirls, buffer marks from compounding or can be used to simply gloss up a paint finish that needs a little extra POP. This product contains zero protective materials such as wax or polymer sealants and needs to be followed with such a protective product.

Then you have the non abrasive, "chemical polishes" such as Poorboy's World Pro Polish original formula Poorboy's World Professional Polish 32 oz., Poorboy's Car Polish, auto polish (Pro Polish 2 contains strong cleaners and non-diminishing abrasives) Pro Polish (original formula) is a non abrasive chemical polish that is actually quite "aggressive". See... there is a difference between the terms "abrasive" and "aggressive" Pro Polish contains very little (if any) abrasives, but is quite aggressive chemically.

The chemicals in Pro Polish can chemically soften and remove layers of paint when used while machine polishing. This polish needs to be followed by a wax or polymer sealant. When removing hard water mineral deposits, nothing beats Poorboy's World Pro Polish, except for maybe Pro Polish 2 if you're dealing with extreme amounts of mineral deposits. Both Pro Polish original formula and Pro Polish 2 are quite capable of removing severe paint defects, depending upon the machine and pads used.

Then you have your AIO, or All In One type polishes that contain a means of both removing paint defects and leaving behind a protective product. An AIO can be non abrasive such as the following products.

Poorboy’s Polish with Carnauba (BLUE): A Quality Poorboy Polish & Protectant For Dark Paints! poorboys blue polish, dark polish, car polish, clear

Poorboy's Polish with 100% Carnauba: Clean and protect in one simple step with Poorboys carnauba polish! finishing polish, poorboys carnauba glaze

32 oz. Poorboys World Polish with Sealant, Poorboy's Polish & Sealant, PB PWS

Then you have abrasive AIO products such as these.

Meguiars D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream

Duragloss Marine RV Polish #501 cleans, polishes, and shines gelcoat fiberglass boat and RV finishes. Duragloss durable boat and RV polishes.

Optimum Poli Seal, paint sealant, optimum detailing products

These are just a few of the AIO products on the market. There are many to choose from. So many in fact, and many using different terms such as cleaner wax, cleaner sealants, polish etc. that it can really be confusing.

In the end, it is always best to read the product description and/or post a question about a specific product or give the manufacturer or AutoGeek a call to be sure you know what it should be used for before ordering it.

I hope this helps you more than just confusing you even more. TD

 

[BobbyG]

Great response everyone!!

Understanding the difference in products and their intended purpose goes a long way while detailing. Dave's given some great examples of both abrasive and non abrasive products....rops: