Paint-Care Products

What's the difference between a wax, polish, and glaze? Is a paint cleaner the same as a carwash solution?

What's the difference between a wax, polish, and glaze? Is a paint cleaner the same as a carwash solution? When should you use a polish and when a polishing compound? It's confusing out there on the shelves of the local auto parts store and no wonder car owners have a hard time figuring out which products are best for maintaining their vehicle's finish. Even the finish-care industry can't decide what to call its products. Some formulas have the same name but do different jobs. Others are designed for basically the same purpose, but are called by different names. What's a concerned buyer to do?

In many cases, there's no way to know what a paint-care product does just by its name. Some manufacturers, for instance, use the terms "wax" and "polish" virtually interchangeably. Yet, other companies--as well as professional detailers--draw a clear distinction between the two, each having its own specified job and application. To further complicate things, a wax is often labeled as such, even when there's no wax in the product at all. Throw in more terms like "glaze," "swirl remover," and "protectant," and the fact that some products combine the benefits of different formulas, and you can really get heads spinning. Do you buy one of each or do you simply close your eyes and pick one, figuring they all do the same thing, anyway?

Finish-care professionals don't have the same quandary because they know individual products are designed for specific tasks, and using each product for what it's designed to do is the key to maintaining a showroom-like shine. In an effort to help you through the maze, we've tried to identify the major types of paint-care products and give you some insight into what they're designed for (whatever they're actually called).

Let's start with the easiest: a car wash. This is exactly what it says it is: a light-detergent solution formulated for washing surface dirt and grime off the paint. It also may be called a "shampoo," but the purpose is the same. The key here is that the product is prescribed specifically for use on a car; household detergents and cleaners can be too strong and could strip off the protective layer of wax and even stain the finish. For tough road grime, use a bug-and-tar remover, which is a heavier-duty product than the average car wash.

Although a paint cleaner sounds like it should be related to a car wash, it's actually at the opposite end of the spectrum. A cleaner (also called "precleaner" or "prewax cleaner") is an abrasive product designed to remove fine layers of paint in order to "clean" away dulling paint, oxidation, old wax, or stains and dirt that have worked their way into the paint. A cleaner will also smooth the surface, restoring shine and reflectivity, and, therefore, is a good place to start when restoring an old finish that's showing signs of dulling or oxidation. On the other hand, a cleaner usually isn't needed on a like-new, showroom-quality finish since the paint doesn't need any improvement, only protection.

Some companies offer different levels of abrasiveness--fine, medium, and heavy--to give you more control when tackling differing levels of deteriorated paint. If you choose this route, start with the lightest abrasive product you can to avoid removing more paint than necessary. If you find that this product isn't doing the job, then move to a heavier abrasive. Keep in mind, though, that a heavier abrasive leaves a coarser finish, so it should be followed by a fine-abrasive cleaner to provide a smoother surface. The use of a cleaner is generally followed by a polish, glaze, or swirl remover, and then a layer of wax for protection.

A rubbing or polishing compound, meanwhile, is a similarly abrasive product used for basically the same purpose as a cleaner. A rubbing compound usually contains a heavier abrasive than a polishing compound.

The terms polish and glaze are often used interchangeably, and it's usually safe to think of them as the same product. A swirl remover also falls into the same general category. A polish is used to provide a fine improvement to an otherwise good-quality (or just-restored) finish for maximum reflectivity and that highly sought "wet-look," mirror-like appearance. Other benefits of using a polish is to hide light scratches, swirl marks, or spider-webbing. It's often the final "paint improvement" product to be applied before a protective wax, and on a well-maintained finish that suffers only from light scratching, a polish may be all the improvement that's needed.

Some polishes contain no abrasives and rely on filling in swirl marks and light scratches to make them "disappear." Others (like swirl removers) can use a light abrasive that takes off minute layers of paint to further smooth the surface. When done right, the result is a deep-gloss shine that adds particularly good depth to darker colored vehicles.

After any paint-improvement steps have been taken, a wax should be applied to the finish to provide a layer of protection against environmental deterioration. A true wax is solely a protective product; there are no abrasives for cleaning or polishing. While it adds a cosmetic shine to the paint, it doesn't improve the paint surface itself; therefore, a dull, low-reflective finish underneath a layer of wax will still be dull. Still, it's arguably the most important of all finish-care products because a good wax will resist the adverse effects of sunlight, acid rain, bugs, bird droppings, and the like, and help keep the paint from looking aged and lifeless. In fact, new vehicles fresh from the showroom (as well as others with well-maintained finishes) usually only need regular washing and the application of a wax on a regular basis to maintain that like-new look.

Despite being called waxes, not all these types of products actually use wax. Some are synthetic formulas that employ polymers or silicone resins to make them easy to spread and provide long durability. Even formulas that use natural wax still can be blended with synthetic elements for a desired effect. Carnauba, for instance, is the hardest wax known and is common in many protectant products. However, pure carnauba is actually too hard for automotive paint. It's necessary to blend it with other ingredients to create a manageable, effective formula.

While professional detailers tend to use these types of specialty products, each with its own distinct function, many products marketed to the do-it-yourselfer combine a cleaner or polish with a wax to create a simpler "one-step" formula. Since these generally use a light abrasive to help smooth the paint and restore shine, they aren't really suited for bringing back aged, dull-looking finishes. At the other extreme, they can be overkill for a finish that's already in immaculate condition and simply needs good wax protection. For average finishes, though, that are showing slight loss of reflectivity and need a light sprucing up, a one-step product can work fine and reduces the "elbow grease" factor.

Finally, another class of paint-care products is the instant detailer, or spray-and-wipe formulas. These vary somewhat in formulation, but all have basically the same purpose: to remove light dust and provide a quick shine without having to do a full wash or wax. Some are touted as waterless washes or simply as shine enhancers, neither of which contain wax and so don't contribute to the paint's protection. Others, however, do contain a slight amount of wax that leaves a light protective layer on the surface. While this may be a good selling point, don't rely on it as your only wax protection; they're no long-term substitute for the real thing. Even products with wax generally fall into the "quick shine" category.

By the way, while any wax-type product--natural or synthetic--can be described as a generic protectant, the term "protectant" is often reserved for products designed to be used on vinyl, rubber, and the like, not paint.

Even knowing all this, it's hard to tell the products without a scorecard. When in doubt, read the description on the label. Then categorize it in your own mind, using the terms listed above. If a wax product, for example, claims to remove oxidation, it's actually a combination cleaner/wax that uses a light abrasive, plus leaves a protectant layer on the paint. If a polish is described as leaving a protective layer with no mention of filling in swirl marks or light scratches, it's actually a "wax."

Also be aware of the level of abrasive in a product. One boasting that it'll remove old paint has a higher abrasive level and shouldn't be used on a like-new finish. On the other hand, be wary of a product that overpromises, such as a wax that claims to make even old finishes look new again. Sure, it will leave a wax-like gloss over the old paint, but without any cleaning action, it won't improve the paint's reflectivity or provide a mirror-like luster. It's a jungle out there on the auto parts shelves, but with a little insight and careful label reading, you can cut through the confusion and choose just the right product for your finish.