The Flitz Guide to Car Wax Vs. Car Polish

After a fresh wash, maintaining your car’s shine is a top priority. You may be deciding whether you need to polish or wax your car – or perhaps both. Some may be unsure of which method is better for their car’s needs and often wonder “what’s the difference between polishing and waxing your car?” Here’s our car polish vs wax guide that will show you the advantages of both and when to use each product on your car.

Car Polish

Car polish is a product that helps to eliminate surface scratches, swirls, oxidation, dirt, and other minor imperfections. Polish should be used before wax, as it helps to restore auto paint that has lost its shine due to oxidation. Car polish does this by removing a very fine layer of the paintwork so the appearance of scratches is minimized as they settle into the coat.

Car polishes vary in terms of their levels of abrasiveness. Non-abrasive polishes like  Flitz Polish do not contain any ingredients that chemically abrade paint, so it is safe to use by do-it-yourselfers and professionals alike. Just make sure to apply gently and in a circular pattern. Abrasive polishes on the other hand contain ingredients that physically abrade paint, so make sure you know what you are doing and follow directions carefully if you choose to go that route. 

The effects of polish last much longer than wax and can help your car shine for up to a year. Our own car polish can be found in both  a concentrated cream and also a liquid form depending on your preference. It is non-toxic and manufactured here in America. 

Car Wax

Car wax protects and enhances a car's paint coating. Wax is best used after cleaning and polishing to make your car’s paintwork shine. It does this by smoothing out the painted surface by filling swirls and scratches with a protective coating. So instead of removing a fine layer of paint like polish does, car wax puts a smooths coating on top of the paint. So simply speaking, polish removes and wax smooths!

The most common ingredient found in car wax is Carnauba wax. This specific ingredient works great in auto wax because it will not wash off with water, withstands high heat and leaves a beautiful, glossy finish when formulated with other ingredients. 

Many waxes will be a mix of natural waxes like carnauba wax, solvents, and colorants. Some waxes have UV inhibitors that will further protect your car’s paint from fading cause by the sun’s rays. 

A New Alternative

Recently, Flitz has introduced our Ceramic Sealant and discontinued our Speed Waxx product. Our Ceramic Sealant is easily applied and delivers a shine that lasts four to five times longer than car wax.

We hope that this guide helped you understand the difference between polishing and waxing your car. Now you're ready to move onto our additional guides that will explain How to Polish a Car and How to Wax a Car. 

If you have any questions about using our products we're always here to help! Please feel free to contact us.