Car polishing: what it is, why it is necessary and how it is done

Over time, the coating of the car body scratches, small damages are formed on it. In order to renew its appearance, a polishing procedure is carried out. However, it is necessary not only for the beauty of the car. Lacquers and paint over time is covered with microcracks and other defects. Through them, various substances that cause corrosion penetrate the metal body. In order to avoid high costs to fight rust, it is better to take care of the original paintwork of the car in a timely manner.

What is car body polishing

A car's paintwork is approximately 100-150 microns thick. Polishing uses abrasives that remove lacquer that is approximately 5 microns thick. The body can be polished 10-20 times, and then the lacquer coating will need to be replaced.

The quality of body polishing depends on what means for this purpose are used. Polishes, which are based on wax and silicones, are easy to apply to the bodywork and easy to remove. However, if you wash the car two or three times, the effect is lost. Repeated polishing is required. It is most beneficial to use polishing pastes, which contain polymers. They are applied approximately once every six months. Polymer pastes are more difficult to use and are more expensive than wax or silicone pastes.

How to polish the car body

Before you start restoring the paintwork of the car, it is washed, remove traces of bitumen, anti-corrosion agents and dirt. Chips and scratches on the car, through which the metal peeks through, are sealed with special tape. Before polishing the car is not kept under direct sunlight.

The body is polished using various devices and equipment:

• Polishing compositions, pastes.
• Polishing machine.
• Polishing circles of different grits.
• Microfiber cloths.

Work is carried out in special rooms with good ventilation, because in the process of work there is a lot of dust. In addition, it is necessary to have enough light. Ideally, if the light is located in five points. Then the car is illuminated evenly over the entire surface, all defects are visible.

Restoration of the paintwork of the body passes through the following stages:

• Specialists check in what condition the surface varnish and paint on the surface of the car. He identifies various defects and assesses their degree.
• The employee of the service center grinds the lacquer coating with a fine abrasive sandpaper to remove the micro-layer, which has broken integrity. First, a higher grit abrasive is used to remove deep defects.
• For the final restoration of the surface, fine-grained sandpaper or grinding wheels are used. At the end of the procedure, the body is polished with a low-abrasive paste, which enhances the shine and increases the protective properties of the coating.

Polishing the car body can be done independently. All the necessary means and equipment can be purchased. However, it is important to know the rules for using each means and to be able to work with equipment and tools for polishing the car body. It is necessary to have a suitable room, lighting.

Therefore, body grinding is better to entrust to professionals who work in specialized service centers. There are available the most suitable conditions for work, the necessary tools, equipment and means. Workers have extensive experience in restoring the body coating of different degrees of damage.