How to buff a car?

To many of us, a quick car wash at the local garage is enough. Some, however go that little step further and buff their car to a brilliant shine - getting this done by a professional can be expensive. But with the right know-how and the correct equipment, it's not difficult getting that perfect gloss on your car. This guide will explain how to wash, how to polish and how to buff a car.

Getting the right equipment

You will need: A large bucket
Two large natural sponges, or two large high quality syn-aesthetic sponges
A chamois leather
A car 'shampoo'
A 'body polish'
A 'window polish'
Four light natural cotton cloths

Preparing the car

Before you begin buffing and polishing your car, it is vital you wash all of the dirt and grime from your car. The first step is to drench the car with water, either with a pressure washer or standard garden hose.

Washing the car

The next step is to take one of the two sponges and fill a bucket with warm water and car shampoo. Create a lather and use the water to wash your car, getting into every nook and cranny. Once the entire car has been washed, use the second sponge with a bucket of non-soapy warm water to get rid of the suds on the car. Use the chamois leather to dry the car to a streakless shine.Once you have washed the car, it is time to use the polishes.

Polishing the car

For each polish, you need to divide the natural cotton cloths into polishing pads and buffer pads, which are best folded into squares of several layers deep. Starting with the body polish, apply a small amount to the tip of the cloth and begin to work into the body of the car in small circular motions. Continue this until the entire car is covered with the polish. Then, using the second cloth (the buffer pad) begin to remove the polish in smooth clean strokes across the body of the car. The same steps can be applied when polishing the windscreen and other windows.

Hints and tips

1) Try to avoid getting polish on the plastic door sills or rubber linings of the windows. The polish will stick to the sills and can possibly stain the rubber trimmings. 2) If any of your sponges or cloths fall on the ground, dispose of them and get a new one - or wash thoroughly and double check. Stones can scratch out your paint work, and a car scratch can cost a lot to fix. 3) Using a can of compressed air (for cleaning P.Cs) can be used to blow excellent polish dust out of areas the cloth misses.