Should I Machine Polish my car?
An example of a car that was heavily oxidised and then machine compounded
Machine polishing has a myriad of different variations and applications.
Primarily machine polishing is used when ‘compounding’ a car. Put simply compounding (Sometimes called cutting or cut and polish) is a more ‘aggressive’ form of polishing. Compounding is required when your paint is oxidised – that white powdery faded finish. Light compounding may also be used to achieve a nice, even finish in preparation for general polishing or waxing.
While compounding can be achieved by hand, you would have to be built like the Rock and have the stamina of superman to achieve a good finish.
Machine polishing can also be undertaken in the general polishing or glazing stage of paint preparation. Professional use of a machine buffer can produce fantastic lustre and beautiful even finish.
Your Supernatural Master detailer will choose the correct polishing pad (there are literally hundreds of different pads for different applications) and a suitable polish, compound or glaze once your vehicle has been assessed.
Machine polishing is truly an art. You may have seen cars on the road with swirl marks or holograms in the paint – this is caused by incorrect technique. It is a difficult process to learn and even more so to master.
We do not recommend machine polishing as a ‘do it yourself’ part of detailing. Use a professional detailer who will do it right the first time… that’s us by the way 🙂 It’s much harder to correct bad machine polishing than to have it correct initially