Polishing Frequency

[korg60]

Looking for some advice on how often to polish my car. I was thinking ever spring, but I`m not sure if that is too often, or not often anough.

[Beemerboy]

Looking for some advice on how often to polish my car. I was thinking ever spring, but I`m not sure if that is too often, or not often anough.

Welcome to the forums.

The question is how is the car stored, garage, outside etc. Weather conditions and how are you washing the car, meaning by hand or automatic car wash places.

General rule for me, twice a year...spring and fall prep...my cars are garage queens and I live in CA where the weather is not that bad.

[Evan.J]

Welcome to the forums.

The question is how is the car stored, garage, outside etc. Weather conditions and how are you washing the car, meaning by hand or automatic car wash places.

General rule for me, twice a year...spring and fall prep...my cars are garage queens and I live in CA where the weather is not that bad.

I can agree with rice a year. I`m in the Pittsburgh area so come time for winter I like to have my truck and cars polished and sealed for the winter months. Then, come time for spring I like to get all that rock salt off and get my paint looking fresh again.

Another key will be weekly maintenance like washing and quick detailing to keeping the paint looking its best.

[mjlinane]

Welcome to AutopiaForums!

[tropicsteve]

welcome to AF. it really depends on the condition of your paint. do you have swirls and scratches that you want to remove or just reduce the appearance of them ? is your paint coating getting thin ?(you may want to use a non abrasive gloss enhancing polish like bfgep instead.) my ride is kept inside, so once i get the finish looking good, it`s easy to maintain throughout the year without a lot of effort.

[Old Pirate]

Welcome to Autopiaforums korg60, I had always recommend twice a year ( spring and fall ) to keep it looking great and protected from the elements.

[TacoHerder]

Polishing I like to keep to a minimum, but I like using a glaze to jewel over the paint at least once a month. Not too sure if that is recommended though, its not abrasive so I don`t really see an issue with that

[Todd@RUPES]

I polished my Mazdaspeed once, when I first bought it. There is some light marks here and there (mild marks) but not enough to warrant repolishing. If you are careful how you wash your car and take care not to scratch it, you can go a pretty long time without polishing.

[korg60]

Thanks All,
I bought the car new 2 years ago, and have kept it in more or less perfect condition, and in the garage. Last spring I did a major detailing, and it`s still in great shape. I was just not sure how often to polish, and thought it might be too much wear and tear on the pain.
Thanks for all the input - 2 more weeks, and I`ll be doing a full detail. I`ll probably need to buy all the products again, I`m sure that don`t last kept in the bottles

[pwaug]

I thought the goal was to polish your car (with an abrasive product of some level) to get the finish in tip top shape, then protect it with whatever LSP you like and use good wash technique to maintain it so as not to introduce additional marring. Every time you polish (using even a mildly abrasive product) aren`t you removing some level of clear coat? Something you don`t want to do on a regular bases, I would think.

If by "polishing" you mean waxing or applying a sealant then the answer is different--do that to your hearts content.

[Stokdgs]

The real question is how much can you tolerate looking at the paint if it is all scratched, swirled, etc. tree sap, etc.. before you have to remove it all and start over?

Unless you are hammering your paint with heavy duty compounds on a rotary, it will take years to remove all your paint. I rotary polish all the time and barely remove even part of 1 micron ever.

Once you get the level of correction you want - (how clear is the paint when you look at it in the sun), then put on a good sealer, not a wax, because they dont last very long, and you should be ok, as long as you wash it carefully and try not to re-introduce swirls, scratches, etc. again..

This is a great Site to get perfect information and they have awesome products and advice here..

Good luck
Dan F

[ec90]

How much clear does a finishing polish take off? Just a estimate. Is it enough if you did say a polish every 4-6 months that it would be noticeable after 3-5 years? Or is it pretty safe to polish as long as its not tough compounding.

[spiralout462]

Thanks All,
I bought the car new 2 years ago, and have kept it in more or less perfect condition, and in the garage. Last spring I did a major detailing, and it`s still in great shape. I was just not sure how often to polish, and thought it might be too much wear and tear on the pain.
Thanks for all the input - 2 more weeks, and I`ll be doing a full detail. I`ll probably need to buy all the products again, I`m sure that don`t last kept in the bottles

Many products will last indefinately in the right environment. Just remember to shake well.

[Ronkh]

Whenever I think it needs it. No time frame sorry.

As someone else said, depends on condition.