Polishing the car: Do not carry out paintwork care in the sun

Created: 07/13/2022, 16:16

By: Simon Mones

If the car paint is dull, it calls for a polish.

But if you do it yourself at home, you should avoid a few mistakes.

If you love your car, you take care of it accordingly.

In addition to regular

in the driveway at home - which is not always allowed - the paint also needs to be cared for in other ways.

Polishing is required from time to time so that it does not become dull and the car has a nice

.

But a number of mistakes can happen that can even cost the TÜV, for example if you also polish the headlights.

Beginners in particular should first work with a hand polish, since polishing with a machine requires some experience.

However, if that is too annoying for you, you should use an

at the beginning .

It moves in elliptical paths and thus removes less paint.

This reduces the risk of accidentally damaging the paintwork.

should work with a rotary machine

, as you can quickly remove too much paint if you stay in one spot for too long.

Polishing the car: Do not carry out paintwork care in the sun

You can also make a lot of mistakes

when holding the

The grinding effect increases from the center of the pad to the outer edge, as reported by

.

If you hold the machine at an angle, you grind off the paint, which generates a lot of heat.

But irregular movements or uneven pressure also cause

.

Incidentally, you should also use a special polish for machines instead of hand polish.

Otherwise

damage may occur or the paint may disappear after the first application.

If you polish your car yourself, you have to pay attention to a few things.

(Iconic image) © Panthermedia/Imago

Speaking of

, this should also be avoided during polishing.

No matter how tempting it is to polish the car on a sunny day.

The problem with this is that the paint heats up due to the

's rays and the polish dries out.

This can then no longer be removed without leaving any residue and, in the worst case, can

.

Accordingly, you should always choose a protected and shady place for the polish.

Polishing the car: don't forget the sealing

If you polish your

yourself, you should also be patient and not treat the whole vehicle at once.

Instead, the process is carried out from component to component, since the

has to be removed in between.

Otherwise it will dry up and leave unsightly residues.

The use of household items is also counterproductive for the end result, since the polish cannot be distributed evenly.

If the

are dirty, they can scratch the paintwork.

Another misconception is that only the strength of the

is important.

But the

pad or sponge used is also important.

The harder it is, the higher the grinding effect.

Once the polish is complete, the paintwork needs to be sealed.

Either with a car wax or a special seal.

If this step is forgotten, dirt and insects will stick to the paint all the more firmly.

In addition, it becomes dull more quickly and has a matt effect.