Difference between Car Polish & Car Wax | Science vs Industrial Practice
Know the difference between car wax and car polish.
So you are still confused about what your car needs, a car polish or car wax? Let’s first understand what is the difference between wax and polish.
Ingredients of a Wax
Typical wax may have all or some of the following ingredients:
- Water
- Carnauba Wax
- Bees Wax
- Paraffin wax
- Polyethylene wax
- Candelilla wax
- Microcrystalline wax
- Oil
- Silicone oil
- Color
- Fragrance
- Preservatives
Ingredients of a Polish
- Very fine grade abrasives
- Water
- Carnauba Wax
- Bees Wax
- Paraffin wax
- Polyethylene wax
- Candelilla wax
- Microcrystalline wax
- Oil
- Silicone oil
- Color
- Fragrance
- Preservatives
So what is the difference between wax and polish?
The only ingredient that turns a wax into polish is an Abrasive. Abrasives are fine-grade particles that remove a very thin layer from a car’s clear coat/car paint.
So when you apply car polish to remove swirls marks or scratches, you actually remove a very thin layer of clear coat/car paint to make the surface even.
Polish and wax do not heal car paint or a car’s clear coat.
If you polish your car daily for 1 year (365 days) you may end up having an aluminum car body with no paint on it.
But on the other hand, if you apply a car wax daily for 5 years (1825 days), you will still have a paint and clear coat on your car’s aluminum body.
“Car wax is for protection and Car polish is for car paint correction”
When you apply car polish, you actually fix the issues with car paint, by removing contaminations, oxidation, and scratches.
And when you apply car wax, you are actually protecting the car paint/clear coat from dust, pollution, and water.
How car waxes and car polishes are made?
Every manufacture has its own recipe for car wax and car polish. A manufacturer can name its product “car wax” and still it may have abrasives in it.
As per industry practice, abrasives are included in the car wax, but the percentage of abravices in a car wax is very low as compared to the percentage of abrasives in a car polish.
That little amount(e.g. 0.5%–2% ) of abrasives in a car wax help easy removal and buffing, and in bringing shine by removing invisible contaminations and dust.
Final Note
- Polish your car once a year, at maximum
- Apply wax regularly (every month or every 3 months)
- Always read the product label, and instructions on the back
- Vehicles are expensive, take good and proper care of them
About us: Buraq AutoMate manufactures eco-friendly car care products that have the least environmental impact.
