I tell customers that as part of our Standard Detail Service, we’ll polish their car then apply a coat of wax.  Inevitably the question follows, “What’s the difference between polishing and waxing?”

In the car and truck and boat detailing world, “polish” is synonomous with “buff” and they are both verbs.  They are something you do to the paint to make it shine.  “Wax” is something to put onto the paint to protect it from nature’s elements.  The confusion comes from product manufacturers who advertise on TV, saying “This new product XYZ is both a polish AND a wax, eliminating a step when detailing your car. Just put this polish on your paint and it will shine like new forever blah blah blah…” As usual, don’t believe the hype.

There is no one miracle polishing compound that does it all.  The paint should be polished first to make it shine, then a coat of wax should be applied to keep it shiny as long as possible.