There’s no feeling like having your car freshly maintained and seeing it all new and shiny. However, when requesting services, the car maintenance terms can be confusing to keep up with. There are three main kinds of services you can get for a simple refresh on your car’s paint job: cutting, polishing, and waxing. All of these will serve to enhance your vehicle’s paintwork, but what you need depends on the state of your car. To better understand your needs, let’s break down these terms:
Cut and Polish
This service is required for the car in a worse state than those which only need polishing or waxing. It is needed when the paint is in a pretty bad condition; as it has lots of scratches, and the paint has become dull and papery from oxidation. In this case, you need to fix the paint first. You will need scratch removal services, then wax must be put on top of that to protect it and make it shiny and new again.
Polish
Polishing provides a medium level fix for your car. If the paint has not been scratched or oxidized too severely, then you don’t need to be as invasive as a cutting service will be. The polish will still do some “cutting,” as in removing some paint, but it will only remove a tiny layer of it. You need a light cleanup to get rid of all imperfections and even dirt. With that fine layer of paint gone, the appearance of any subtle scratches or light scuff marks will be minimized.
Different polishes have different levels of abrasiveness. Some are harsh enough that they should only be applied by a professional. These will remove scratches, while a mild polish will only react with the paintwork on a chemical level to remove light oxidation. A high-quality polish that contains PTFE (poly tetra fluoro ethylene) will enhance paintwork and last longer than other polishes and waxes.
Wax
A car wax is utilized for a car with the least amount of physical paint job damage. The wax itself will not react with the paint, containing any cutting agents. It can be applied after a “cut” when the paint has already been cleaned, or when the paint is already in such good condition that it does not need to be cleaned. Waxing mainly accomplishes two critical objectives: it provides a layer of sealed protection, and it adds shine for that sparkly new feel. It simultaneously preserves and enhances the paint on the car.
At Car Care, we use and recommend Swissvax products, which produce a result like no other. One of their new products actually contains PTFE, as well as the sought after Carnauba wax ( from a Brazilian Palm tree).
Maintenance is a Regular Deal
All vehicles require cutting, polishing or waxing on a regular basis; how often depends on their exposure to the elements and the quality of the paintwork. 3-6 months is generally sufficient. If you don’t have time to take your car to a care service, Car Care brings these services to you at your home or workplace, so you don’t even have to leave your door.
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