Troy H

can you polish too often? We'd all agree that you can't wash the car too much (though once or twice a week is probably enough) nor can you wax too often (though once a month is more than enough, probably 4-6 times a year is plenty). Soooooo...............

Is it possible to polish too much? Please consider both pure polishes (Meguiar's #7 or P21 GEPC) and mild abrasives (Meguiars #9 or 3M IHG) in your answer.

Style12v

Yes, it is possible

and it is technically possible to wash and wax your car too much. Anytime you rub something on your car, you are causing micromarring on some level. Even with extremely soft microfibers it is going to cause some very small micromarring. So it is possible that excessive washing and waxing can lead to swirls and hazing, but its nothing really to be worried about since its so small it would be very easy to buff out.

Any abrasive compound will remove clearcoat, so over a very long period of time you can polish straight through it. Clear coats are very thin, its about as thick as a 2x5 notecard.

HDClown

they specifically say its not for removing any type of swirl marks and classify it in a different category than their finese-it products and swirl mark remover.

it fills swirl marks which is why it can help hide minor ones.

Singletrack

That being said, the paint will only get so glossy before it is pretty much pointless IMO. Plus you have to wax over the glaze which is a lot of work.

-st

Singletrack

I always laugh when people say they use a particular wash mit, sponge, etc. to wash there car and it causes NO scratches. Washing is the act of applying friction to the paint to pull dirt off of it, it WILL scratch the paint everytime you do it. The soap helps a little, but it by no means prevents scratching.

-st

RKA

It has the consistency of hand lotion. Slather it on your car, buff it off, then wax. So, my answer would be GEPC it as often as you like.

RickM

By what process is a "nonabrasive" polish like GEPC or Zymol HD Cleanse making the paint smooth? If it isn't rubbing contaminants off with a physically abrasive action, and it isn't pulling them off like a sticky clay bar, it must be dissolving them, right? If it can quickly dissolve contaminants to render the paint smooth, is it also having some sort of chemical action on the paint itself? Let me emphasize that I'm not suggesting there's anything dangerous in the mere use of GEPC or any other chemical-type car polish (One Grand's Special Touch is also a nonabrasive polish, and I've started using that when necessary). All I'm saying is that there's some kind of chemical action going on that makes these products work, and you'd be foolish to think that it can't adversely affect your paint over time if repeatedly used to excess. It's virtually impossible to find info on exactly what these products contain and how they work, so I'm obviously speculating to a degree here. But the lack of uncertainty is just one more reason for caution, IMO. We wince at the thought of "touchless" car washes spraying acids on our cars to remove dirt. How can you be so sure about what's in your car polish and what repeated use -- and overuse -- of it will or will not do? One thing's for sure: just because it resembles hand lotion or smells nice doesn't mean it's safe to use every day on your car (yeah, I know, nobody has said to use it every day -- I'm exaggerating for effect, but the point remains the same -- every day, every week, every month).

Fortunately for me, I'm too lazy ever to have to worry about using polish or wax "too frequently"!

Seattle Scott

Grasshopper, dripping water will eventually carve the mighty stone. Wind can fall the giant oak.

RKA

Can't you go back to writing poetry? I miss that!

RickM

<ul><li><a href="http://www.stupidpoetry.com/">If it's poetry you want, it's poetry you'll get.</a></li></ul>