If over the years the car has lost its factory luster, the paint has lost its former juiciness, and the body is covered with many small scratches - this means that it is time to polish the body. Most paint repair shops offer this service. However, with due diligence and responsibility of the approach, polishing the car body can be done independently.
There are two types of polishing LKP of a car body - abrasive and protective. Briefly describe each of the types of work and determine which one is suitable for your car. Protective polishing work is the application of a protective layer of polishing paste to a car body . Do-it - yourself polishing of the body can be carried out with Teflon or wax pastes. The technology of this work is simple and described on the packaging, but there are some useful tips.
Do - it-yourself polishing of the car body is carried out both manually and using special polishing machines. It is not recommended to work in direct sunlight and in drafts. Do-it-yourself polishing is carried out only after thorough washing and drying of the body. Polishing paste should be applied in detail, so body polishing should take place in several stages. 3-4 minutes after applying the paste, polish it in circular motions until a deep shine appears and traces of the substance disappear from the body. However, protective polishes have a significant drawback - they are washed out over time and the procedure has to be repeated. At the same time, Teflon pastes stay on the car body for longer.
The second and more responsible polishing method is abrasive. Polishing a car with abrasive pastes with your own hands ultimately gives a long-lasting result, the shelf life of the paintwork will depend only on the operating conditions of the car. The complex of work on this type of body polishing is divided into two stages - grinding the paintwork with finely abrasive skins to remove the oxide layer from the body elements, scratches on the varnish and directly polishing.
At the stage of grinding a car, waterproof paper with a grain size of 2000 and higher is used. Previously, it must be soaked in water to give it more elasticity. As before protective polishing, the car body is thoroughly washed, put into the appropriate room and proceed to grinding. In this case, only problem areas are exposed where there are significant scratches and risks. Grinding is carried out to obtain a smooth matte surface on the body. If after drying the body risks are noticeable, then in these places you should repeat the work.
After the final grinding proceed to polishing the car. At this stage, abrasive pastes and a polishing machine are used. The paste is applied to the part in small slides, after which it is stretched over the element by the machine at low speeds. Then the speed can be increased and go to polishing. After completion of work, the body is additionally polished with finishing pastes and acquires a deep and rich color.
Advising certain manufacturers of polishing pastes does not make sense, but they should not be saved. Better pastes are guaranteed to provide a better result, and polishing a car with your own hands will become easier and more efficient. It is also worth noting that protective polishes do not reduce the thickness of the paint layer on the car, do not last long. Do-it-yourself abrasive polishing of the car is durable, but reduces the thickness of the paintwork, so it is not recommended to carry out this type of polishing on a car more than 3-5 times.