Glaze vs. Polish

**pagliaci** · 07-28-2003, 08:11 PM

Dear Gang,
What the heck is the difference between a glaze and a polish? I know what a polish is but what is a glaze?

I`m not sure what is right for me. I have a 02 Camry(11 Mos old). Its in good shape(Been clayed twice and waxed 5 times)

Thanks. Jason.

**rhillstr** · 07-28-2003, 08:21 PM

I`m not a "pro" by any measure but I have researched the same question hoping to sort the whole thing out and this is my conclusion-

The car care or detailing industry lacks standardization for terminology. In particular I have found glaze and polish to be indistinguishable and used interchangeably.

This is just my 2¢

-Rob

**Poorboy** · 07-28-2003, 08:23 PM

a glaze is a temporary filler or enhancer

a polish enhances and removes a little of the finish and smooths depending on how abrasive it is..

as simple as I`ve known it..

**ACE** · 07-28-2003, 08:46 PM

The problem is, there are no standards for what companies can call their products. ie. Race Glaze is actually an all in one cleaner, polish, protectant. In purist terms, as PB stated, polish is a mildly abrasive product meant to smooth and clean the the paint surface
and remove fine surface defects. Examples would be Poorboys Pro Polish or Griots Machine Polish #3. Glaze, in the purist sense, is a cream used after polishing to shine, lubricate and fill any minor surface defects. It has no abrasive qualities and is usually considered a "luxury" step to really refine the finish of dark cars. Examples would be 3M Imperial Hand Glaze or Meguires #7 glaze. True glazes have absolutely no protective qualities, so the good looks must be sealed in with a coat of wax. Same with polish - no finish protection. In the truest sense, wax is meant only to seal in your polish and glazes which give the shine and gloss. Wax itself is not what makes your paint look good. Sorry for the long post.

**Poorboy** · 07-28-2003, 08:51 PM

it wasn`t too long..you saved me from making the really long post..lol

**rp1821** · 07-28-2003, 09:48 PM

I use most of the meguiars line. I have found that the glaze does not apply right if the finish was not polished first. It almost brings out the defects more and it comes off very hard, unless you polish first. Problem is, I often resort to using the megs consumer polish, becuase the closest thing I can find to a polish with very low abrasive qualities in their proffessional line is #9. I sometimes just skip glazing on light color cars, becuase to the un-trained eye there is very little difference.