Polishing is an excellent way to get your car looking brand new again, and, as many owners and hobbyists already know, the technique works wonders on darker vehicles. However, should you ever polish a white car?
It is a good practice to polish white cars. It keeps the paint looking shiny and new by removing swirl marks and scratches. However, it is more difficult to see imperfections and marks on a white car, so you’ll need to examine it more thoroughly before and during the polishing.
In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss why you should polish your white car in greater detail.
I’ll also take you through some care tips and the ideal polishing frequency for a vehicle. So, keep reading to learn more!
Reasons To Polish a White Car
There’s no shortage of reasons why you should polish your white car.
For example, as with any other-colored vehicle, the end goal is to create a smooth, shiny finish.
However, as you’ll be able to see in the following sections, polishing often comes with various hidden benefits.
These are the major reasons why you should consider polishing your white car:
Removes Light Scratches and Swirl Marks
Polish is an abrasive material, so it wears away scratches and other imperfections.
By using polish on your white car, you can get rid of swirl marks and unsightly scratches, making it look brand new.
It achieves this by wearing away at the top layers of paint, thereby disclosing a new, fresh layer underneath.
Improves Shine
Polishing your white car will give it a shiny, glossy finish, and this is generally one of the main reasons people choose to polish their cars in the first place.
However, it can be challenging to really notice the shine on a white car.
Generally, darker cars are much more visibly glossy, so don’t be put off if you can’t see a massive difference in your white vehicle after you’ve polished it.
Prepares The Car For Paint Protection
Car polishing is the best way to prepare a car for high-end paint protection like a ceramic coating or a clear bra.
Actually, polishing is mandatory for most of these protections.
If you think about getting high-end paint protection for your car, make sure to polish your car beforehand.
Improves Durability of Paint Protection
Polish helps to protect the paint of your white car when used in conjunction with car wax. The wax will seal in the polish, which keeps the surface ultra-protected.
However, polish by itself won’t protect the paint.
While polish cleans and smooths out the color (which is an essential step), the wax locks that smoothness in.
Therefore, polishing without waxing isn’t a good idea, and waxing without polishing (or at least deep cleaning) is an equally bad idea!
Removes Dirt
Polishing a white car removes dirt and dust particles from the top layers of the paint.
As a result, not only will your white car look shinier after a polish, but it will also look a lot cleaner!
This is especially true if you prep your car correctly before polishing.
This includes washing it thoroughly and using a clay bar before starting the process.
Result Lasts A Long Time
Polishing your white car may seem like a time-consuming and high-effort process, but you’ll only need to do it once or twice a year.
You may even be able to get away with fewer polishing sessions throughout the year.
It’s best to polish the white paint once it shows signs of wear.
If it has been a year since the last polish job, but you think it still looks shiny and clean, there’s no need to repeat the process.
To make the polish job last as long as possible, you’ll want to keep your vehicle as clean and well-protected as possible.
If you don’t care for your car correctly, the polish and wax will inevitably fail the test of time.
Increases Resale Value
A freshly polished car will look absolutely perfect if polished correctly.
Surely, the effect is strongest on dark-colored cars, but also a white car’s appearance will benefit from a good polish.
A car’s appearance is one of the main factors that determine the resale value.
Improving the car’s appearance by polishing it will almost always have a positive effect on the resale value of the car.
Can I Polish a White Car?
You can polish a white car. Polishing works by smoothing out the paint, so it doesn’t matter what the color of the vehicle is. Although a white car may not look as shiny as a darker-colored one after a polish, the process still helps. However, it can be slightly trickier to polish a white car.
The primary reason that it’s trickier to polish a white car is that it’s much harder to see imperfections on lighter colors.
As a result, it may take longer to remove all scratches since they can be so hard to locate.
According to a study by the Institute of Industrial Research, white is the most reflective color, with a reflection percentage of 65.7%.
Consequently, scratches don’t show up as much, particularly in broad daylight.
By examining your white car both in daylight and the dark, you can better understand where all the imperfections may lie.
You should also examine it closely and feel around for any roughness.
How Do I Keep My White Car Shiny
As stated, there are multiple reasons why you should polish your white car.
After having the car polished professionally and investing money into it, you should make sure to keep the car in pristine condition for as long as possible.
Below you will find the main ways to keep the car shiny and in pristine condition for as long as possible.
Avoid Parking the Car Outside
Parking your white car outside will make it more susceptible to dirt, dust, sand, sap, and industrial fallout.
Therefore, keeping your vehicle indoors (like in a garage) will help keep it shiny for longer.
Additionally, direct sunlight can fade car paint and cause oxidization.
This can end up turning your car’s shiny, white paint into a yellowish, dull color.
When you go out, try to park your car in a sheltered area, like a multi-story parking lot.
Apply Paint Protection
Using paint protection will help lock in shine while also protecting the white paint.
Without this type of protection, the white paint will get damaged and worn easily, making it look dull rather than shiny.
Waxing is an excellent way to seal in the gloss and shine of car paint while protecting it at the same time.
Wash the Car Regularly
Regularly cleaning your white car is an excellent way to keep it shiny.
Often, all you need to do is remove the layer of dirt on the white paint to reveal a shiny, vivid white color underneath!
Leaving your car unwashed for too long will allow dirt to build up, which can end up staining and damaging the paint.
Avoid Automatic Car Washes
Although it’s essential to wash your white car regularly to keep it shiny, you’ll want to avoid automatic car washes.
They are generally damaging to your car’s paint and can cause scratches.
Additionally, they’ll never be as efficient as a thorough hand-cleaning.
Cleaning by hand is a more detailed and gentler approach, which is why you should always take the time to hand wash your car rather than going for a quick five-minute automatic wash.
Alternatively, you can get your white car cleaned by a professional.
Wax Your Car Regularly
Although regular polishing isn’t necessary and can damage your car’s paint, regular waxing can be beneficial.
Since wax is non-abrasive, it won’t wear down the paint.
This means you can use it often without worrying about damaging the top layer.
In general, it’s good to wax your car once every two or three months. Before waxing, it’s essential to clean your car first.
If you don’t, applying the wax will spread dirt around the vehicle, making it look worse.
If you wash your car once or twice every month, you don’t need to wax it every single time.
Try to wax on every third or fourth wash if this is the case.
Polishing a White Car
When it comes to polishing a white car, you can’t just go in with a polish straight away.
So, first, let’s look at how to prep your white car for a polish.
Preparation: Clay Bar
After washing your car thoroughly, the next step is to use a clay bar on your car paint.
A clay bar is a compound that you use to remove any roughness from your car.
Examples of imperfections a clay bar removes include dust particles, industrial fallout, and tree sap.
To use a clay bar on your white car, you should apply a lubricant to the paint.
This will allow the bar to glide across the paint easily while removing all the dirt and debris.
You can use any car lubricant, or you could opt for a mixture of dish soap and water; it’s up to you!
Once you’ve applied the lubricant, you can begin gliding the clay bar across the car’s surface.
As you do this, you will feel the roughness slowly lessening.
Your car should feel and look a lot cleaner and smoother by the end of this preparation process.
You’ll be able to see the contaminants on the clay bar as you go, which is an indicator that it’s working.
After finishing with the clay bar, you can wipe off the lubricant.
Polish
Once you have prepared your white car’s exterior, you can polish it.
Polishing will further clean the paint and give your car a glossier appearance.
First, you’ll need to use compound polish. Then, you can use a finishing polish.
You can polish your car by hand, but you can also use automatic equipment if you’d like.
As you can imagine, using a machine is much quicker. However, you can be more detailed if you use your hands, not to mention it’s also cheaper and safer to do it this way.
Once you have successfully polished the entirety of your white car, you can move on to the final step, which is sealing the polish.
Wax
It’s essential to seal in the polish once you’re finished.
Doing so will protect the paint and ensure your hard work lasts as long as possible.
The best way to do this is to use car wax.
When waxing, it’s essential to apply a thin layer.
Applying a layer that’s too thick will make the removal process more tedious, which is undoubtedly best avoided!
Spread the wax thinly and evenly over your white car by going in straight lines rather than circular motions, as this will prevent any swirls.
Once you have waxed your car, you should give it time to cure.
Then, you can gently remove it with a microfiber cloth.
Avoid Over-Polishing
Although it’s good to polish your white car to keep it looking shiny and new, you should be careful not to over-polish, as this can cause damage.
The main reason over-polishing can be damaging is that it’s rough and wears down your car paint.
In short, polishing once or twice a year shouldn’t pose any issues; however, doing it any more than that will wear down your paint too much.
Eventually, you may end up accidentally removing the entire top coat!
Additionally, if there is a color that doesn’t need to be polished often, it’s white.
As I mentioned earlier, white is the most reflective color, which means that scratches and imperfections on white cars are the least visible.
This characteristic can be both a pro and a con. It can be beneficial, as it means your white car will look new for longer than a darker colored counterpart.
However, on the other hand, it can be more difficult to see scratches when polishing, meaning you may miss a spot or two.
As long as you avoid over-polishing, your car’s paint shouldn’t get damaged.
Additionally, there are different types of car polishes to choose from. Some are more abrasive than others, so if you plan on polishing regularly, be sure to go with a less abrasive one.
Key Takeaways
Sources
Universal Technical Institute: How to Restore Faded Car Paint
