Polishing a car keeps it looking new and protects the paint. We look at some products you should buy. We also tell you how you should use them

They say the first impression matters the most, and you wouldn?t want people coming up to you and telling you to maintain your car, would you? Over time, your car is exposed to the elements, and the car?s paintwork tends to lose its sheen. Its original, shiny paint starts to get duller. There are specialised car detailing shops that can reverse the ageing process, but then again, these are quite expensive. What you need is to add a coat of polish on the paintwork. The best part is, you can do it yourself and without the hassle of spending too much money. And you can chalk it out as a good workout too. We are here to help, so we?ve reviewed a few liquid car polishes and waxes.

These are easier to apply than solid waxes, and yet give your car back that lustrous sheen it?s lost. The products we?ve reviewed are Formula 1 Metallic Car Polish, ArmorAll High Performance Wax & Polish, Turtle Wax Platinum Series Precision Car Wax, Abro Premium Carnauba Liquid Wax and Waxpol New Generation Polish.

We strictly stuck to the instructions provided on each product. To compare them better, we used the products on various body panels of the car?half a door or half the bonnet and likewise. Once we finished applying each product as instructed, we left them to dry and then buffed each panel using a soft cloth. We then drove the car around the city as we would on any normal day, and considering our weather and dusty conditions, the car was cleaned regularly during the testing phase. To gauge the longevity of each product, we also checked for beading of water on the panel. Here?s what we found.

Verdict

All the products reviewed here give your car a shinier appearance. The results, however, vary, with some better than the others. The product that is the best overall is Turtle Wax Platinum Series Precision Car Wax. It does need more buffing, but the end result is the best. It lasts long and retains the lustre better too. We recommend this over the others despite its higher purchase price. But remember that waxing the entire car will be a tiresome affair. Second overall is ArmorAll High Performance Wax & Polish with Abro Carnauba Liquid Wax and Formula 1 Metallic Car Polish tied for third. Buy the Wapol New Generation Polish only if you can?t or don?t want to spend, although in terms of value-for-money, it is the best of the products.

* Formula 1 Metallic Car Polish

* Application: Apply the pasty liquid formula onto a damp cloth, and then using circular motions apply it to the body of the car. As recommended, we applied it to a quarter of the hood panel at a time, until we covered the area we had designated on the bonnet. We noticed a visible difference in the sheen after applying the polish, and the finish was decent too.

* Longevity: After a week of applying the polish and three washes later, there was still noticeable beading of water. However, after two weeks of application, there was very little of the product left. The company claims it will last a whole year, but considering our dusty road conditions, this is highly unlikely.

* Tester?s notes: The polish didn?t turn as hazy on application as we had anticipated, probably because of the damp cloth, although it was easy to get the shine out. As directed, we didn?t buff the panel with much force; instead we gently used a soft cloth to get the best finish possible.

* Value for money: A decent option, considering the bottle contains 475 ml and is the third-most expensive at Rs.550.

* ArmorAll High Performance Wax & Polish

* Application: We applied this using a damp cloth just like we did with the Formula 1 polish, and the wax dried out the quickest of the lot. After buffing out the dried wax, there was a noticeable change in the panel?s appearance?it was much more shinier and the finish was good too.

* Longevity: After a week of applying this, there was a noticeable beading of water, but the shine had reduced slightly as well. After two weeks of use, very little of the polish?s sheen was still present with next-to-no discernible beading of water.

* Tester?s notes: Not much buffing was required to get the panel to shine and this was one of the easiest to apply. The snap-on bottle cover makes for easy application too. The product directs you to apply extra pressure on the parts of the panel that are scratched to remove them. We didn?t notice much of a difference though.

* Value for money: At 500 ml, it offers the most in terms of volume. However, at R505, it?s also the second-most expensive here.

* Abro Premium Carnauba Liquid Wax

* Application: Like other polishes, this is also applied first to a damp cloth and later to the car?s panels. It took some time for the polish to dry on application. However, we didn?t need to buff it much to get the panel to shine. The difference was easily noticeable. The quality of the finish quality was less shiny than ArmorAll, but was slightly better than Formula 1.

* Longevity: After a week of application, there was some beading of water, although the finish had diminished a bit more than the rest. After two weeks, there was nearly nothing of the product left on the panel.

* Tester?s notes: The bottle?s press-to-open nozzle was a clever touch and made for easy and quick usability, although the bottle itself needed a bit of pressure to use properly.

* Value for money: At 473 ml, it offers the third-highest amount of polish and is also the third-highest in terms of price, at Rs.449.

* Turtle wax Platinum Series Precision Car Wax

* Application: Unlike the other waxes and polishes in the market, Turtle Wax didn?t direct us to use a damp cloth. The wax dried quickly enough, and after buffing, there was a noticeable change in appearance. The finish was great, and the glossy appearance was the best of the lot.

* Longevity: Even after a week, there was a noticeable beading of water, and while the shine did diminish, it was still more visible than the rest. After two weeks of applying the polish, the panel was still relatively lustrous and we noticed the most beading of water here.

* Tester?s notes: It took the most amount of buffing to get that lustrous look. The push-and-turn bottle cap is helpful in preventing accidental spillage. A nozzle opening however is missing, and this makes it easy to spill if you?re not careful.

* Value for money: At R575, it?s the most expensive product here, but at 500 ml, it comes with good volume.

* Waxpol New Generation Polish

* Application: Unlike other products that are liquid pastes, Waxpol Polish is a shampoo-like translucent liquid. It dried up on initial application as it said on the bottle and the gleam appeared after buffing. The difference in appearance wasn?t huge, and the finish wasn?t the best either.

* Longevity: The product had the least amount of water beading and the shine had faded although the product was still evidently on the panel. After two weeks, it had all but completely wiped off.

* Tester?s notes: This product is a multi-purpose polish that is meant for use on varied surfaces and is not a specialised automotive polish like the rest. The relatively wide-mouth opening of the container means that the liquid is prone to spillage and the lack of instructions on the bottle isn?t very helpful either.

* Value for money: Although it?s lowest in terms of volume, at 300 ml, but it?s also the least expensive here at R107, making this product good value for money.