Preserve That Shine ... A Crash Course on Car Polishing
09/25/08
Every car owners enjoys the look of his brand new car. However, such a joy is short-lived as within no time the paintwork becomes scratched, stained with oil marks and dust. Ageing of the exterior paint is a natural process that gives a dull look for the car. Car polish helps give your car a bright shiny finish. To give the car a new look the car polish must have ingredients to remove the scratch marks as also the dust and grime.
It is critical that one understands the difference between a car polish and a car wax. Normal car wax gives a water protective layer and a shiny finish. Since car waxes normally do not have abrasive ingredients they cannot remove scratch marks. A car polish on the other hand removes scratches on account of abrasive ingredients forming part of their composition. Hydrocarbon solvents in the car polish remove the dust, grime and the oil marks while the abrasive ingredients remove the scratches. The work of the abrasive ingredients is to remove a very thin layer of the pain, just a few microns so that the scratches are literally abraded away. This peeling of thin layer removes the old paint leaving a brand new layer on the top.
However, this new look does not yet have the 'shine' due to the abrasion carried out. To get back the shine, the car polish must have a wax component. There are different varieties of car polishes available in the market. Water solvent polishing agents based car polish is one of the types. Automatic car wash systems use aqueous dispersion car polish. The most common type of car polish being used by car owners are Silicone based car polish. Silicone has some very useful properties for getting a good shine. The silicone acts as a lubricant, water repellant and as a high gloss ingredient.
Car polish comes in various forms - in tins as a liquid, or even as a spray. Aerospace technology used by NASA has also been incorporated to produce patented car polish. These patented car polishes use "Electrophoresis Dynamics", a principle, in which the polish ingredients bond with paint surface after the abrading and cleaning. They are held tightly by magnetic force of attraction thus giving the paint an extra protective covering for long durations. Polishing a car involves hard labor, either manual or by use of automated tools. Polishing a car is a three-step process of polishing with hard, medium and soft pressure. Car polish is not just 'nice to have' but a necessity for the upkeep of a car.