NAILING IT
Learn a new skill today
Rich from UK Detailing Academy explains how to rejuvenate your car’s paintwork
RICH'S JOB CARD
Today we are going to look at machine polishing to brighten the appearance of your classic. While it is a skill that can take many years to master, the basics can be simply learnt and even the lightest polish will dramatically improve the colour and depth of shine of your car. There are a vast number of different machines, polishing compounds and pads available but to help simplify the activity we will be concentrating on just one brand here and using their matched pads and polishes to remove some of the mystery – although it is important to note that sometimes the best results may actually be attained by mixing and matching different grades to suit particular paints.
EXPLAINER WHY DO WE POLISH PAINTWORK?
Over time, even with sporadic use, the paintwork on your vehicle will begin to degrade. The surface of clear-coated vehicles will lose its shine and single-stage paintwork may fade or become chalky in appearance. On top of this, routine washing, waxing and even just driving along will impart minute scratches into the surface and whilst the largest of these will be obvious to the naked eye, the smallest cannot be seen individually but the cumulative effect will be to dull or bleach the finish as light is not reflected so cleanly. Machine polishing – depending upon the polish used – will exfoliate the 'dead' paint from the surface and remove or fill-in some of the light scratches leading to greatly improved clarity, brighter colour appearance and a much 'shinier' finish. More experienced users can also use machine polishing to remove paint defects, such as heavy texture, runs and sags; and even some deeper scratches or etching marks from bird droppings, etc.
INVEST
Well-polished paintwork will not only make your car stand-out from the crowd at shows and meetings, but will also make washing and aftercare much easier!
PREPARE
Take your time when cleaning and preparing the surface to be polished to ensure all likely contamination has been completely removed.
GET GOING
PREPARETHE SURFACE
1 Prepare the car
A thorough wash will not be sufficient to remove all of the ingrained dirt and grime from your paintwork - essential to avoid doing more harm than good with the machine polisher. Beginning with a good rinse and shampoo is essential though.
2 Remove bonded filth
Tree sap, road tar and iron brake dust will not be ea
