Is there a time when you can polish a car too much?

D

David703

New member
So let's say that I polish my new car twice a year. After 3 or 4 years won't I remove all of the clear? Isn' t it dangerous to polish a car too much? Or after the first polish I will only need to glaze and wax from then on?? :nixweiss
 
Personally, I think so. But I think your timeline is off quite a bit, unless you are talking about using a very abrasive techniques.



I try to keep polishing down to about twice a year, and even then only use a mild polish. I'd rather live with some defects than dig through too much clear coat. Two exceptions: car shows, and prepping a car for sale.



Curious what others respond here.
 
you don't want to use an abrassive polish like #83, sfx-1, IP, for example, on your car twice a year for the rest of its life because after you use it once, you will, with proper care, only need a pre-wax cleanser and/or SMR to bring out depth and shine before your LSP.



It would be okay, IMO, to polish with a Swirl Mark Remover(SMR) twice a year for the rest of the paint's life. And it's absolutely safe to polish with a paintwork cleanser like P21s or Sonus paintwork cleanser as many times as you like. DavidB tested this by polishing with P21S for 30 consecutive days without a reduction in clearcoat thickness.



hope this helps and welcome to autopia!!!
 
There was a recent thread which measured the amount of paint removed with different polishes.



I think the summary indicated it would take a long long time to make any serious impact on the paint if your using a normal polish.
 
with proper care and washing technique, polishing can be kept down to once or twice a year. That is, without any mishaps from the enviorenment, or accidents. That being said, polishing with IP, and FP minimize the erosion of clearcoat. I am sure there are other polishes out there which are not aggressive which I have no knowledge of, but minimum polishing with effective low abrasion polishes will no doubt extend your finish life a great deal.

(by the way my funny answer to your question is "until you run out of Clearcoat !)
 
Unless you're using a heavy cut compound, semi annual polishing will not impact the clear coat's longevity. My 18 year old Porsche 930 is single stage red . . . paint transfer like a MOFO, but no issues with polishing 2-3 times per year. Remember, as defectives are removed, polishing becomes less and less necessary.
 
Again, internet myths would have many Zaino Show Car Polish users believe that polishing is bad for your paint because it reduces clear coat thickness. This statement is true if you're using a rubbing compound or heavy cutting polish, but is not correct when talking about fine pre-wax polishes and gloss enhancing polishes. Fine polishes serve to keep paint healthy by removing microscopic surface oxidation. They also round over the edges of swirl marks to reduce or eliminate their visibility. To prove this to be true, I polished a single panel on my car every day for 30 days using P21S Paintwork Cleanser. At the end of the month I could not detect a reduction in paint thickness using an electronic paint thickness meter.



source : http://www.autopia-carcare.com/zaino.html



So I guess the answer is No, polish 'til you drop :)
 
There are myriads of polishes

From SFX 1 and 2 (1200 - 2000 grit), Menzerna IP and FP (pretty strong), Dinitrol 7020 (creamy and extremely fine)



All you need to do is detail it fully once and then in between coats of sealant every 3 - 15 months just clay when necessary and keep checking it over and do spot repair polishing as required with a paint cleanser or a very fine polish
 
David703 -Great reference material :xyxthumbs



Paint Film Thickness:

Most modern vehicle paint film systems (paint build) comprise a Primer coat of 2Mils, a Colour coat of 1-2Mils, and Clear coat of 2-3Mils. Removing more that 0.3 mil (0.0003") of clear coat will cause premature paint film failure. As a point of reference a sheet of copy paper is 3.5Mil (0.0035")



The clear coat provides protection from a hostile environment and an excellent brilliance, but is easily scratched; once it is compromised repairs involve re-painting, as the base colour has no brilliance, shine or depth, start with the least abrasive product to accomplish desired results, and only if necessary move up to the next grade of abrasive.



Q: What is the "right" paint thickness for a vehicle?

There is no "right" paint thickness for any vehicle. Automobile manufacturers paint thousands of vehicles each day with a wide variety of paint formulations; their specification has a range of thickness. For some models this can be as low as 3 Mil and, in the case of the rocker panels of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV's), as high as 17 Mils.



Q: If there is no "right thickness", what am I looking for?

Paint thickness consistency; for example, when you are reading between 3.5 and 5.0 Mils and a reading shows a sudden reduction in thickness, you know there is a cause for concern in that particular area of the bodywork.



Paint Thickness Gauge:

An electronic paint thickness gauge can be an invaluable tool, before buffing itâ€â„¢s always a good idea to check the paint film thickness to see how much of the paint film thickness is available, check periodically during the process and on completion to see how much was removed. Take measurements with a paint and coating thickness gauge (Check-Line Model DEF-900)



All the major car manufacturers specify that measurements should be taken before, during and after these steps. This is primarily because removal of too much clear coat can cause paint failure over time due to the fact that UVR absorption is the job of the clear coat. Too little clear and the colour coat won't be protected from UV radiation. For this reason, itâ€â„¢s also recommended that paint be measured when buffing since you canâ€â„¢t see how much paint is being removed during the buffing process. If too much clear is removed, either on the original OEM finish or the refinished areas, a warranty issue may develop down the road.



Itâ€â„¢s interesting to note that painters must now demonstrate proficiency with an electronic paint thickness gauge in order to become certified to perform refinish warranty work for General Motors Corp. (GM) vehicles.

JonM
 
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