Your Guide to Buffing a Car

Whether you are planning to sell your old car, or just take it as a pride to roll off your shining car on the streets, here’s a simple guide to buffing a car. Buffing and waxing your car manually and making it showroom-ready may take up to six hours! You can always opt for professional car services from a reputed car mechanic to save both your time and energy.

Step 1: Washing

Obviously, the first step is to get rid of all the grime, dirt and debris that has accumulated on your car. Rinse your car thoroughly with a car shampoo and a sponge, one section at a time. Start from the top and work downwards. Wash off, wipe excess water and let it dry under shade before you proceed for the next step.

Step 2: Masking

The buffer you’re going to use in the next step can generate a lot of heat. A masking tape would help to protect those components of your car which you don’t want to scuff. Use a masking tape to cover all plastic, glass or vinyl surfaces such as headlights, mouldings, taillights, badges etc.

Step 3: Buffing

Now coming to the main step, ‘Buffing’ is a technique which helps in removing light scratches and excess oxidation on the car surface. Buffing can be done either manually, or with the help of a buffing machine. Buffing is very effective in removing the outer damaged layer of your car’s surface and revealing a newer, nicer look. If you’re new to buffing, you can use an orbital buffer to remover minor scratches. It is cost effective and requires no special training. For more pronounced scratches, high speed buffers can be a great and a long lasting solution.

Pro tip: High speed buffers can help in removing scratches from your car’s surfaces very effectively and bring about a brilliant shine. However, it is needed to be done with great caution so as to avoid stripping off the paint surface and damaging the finish permanently. It is highly recommended to do high-speed buffing through professional car servicing help only.

Step 4: Polishing

Polishing is a part of the Buffing process. Once all the scratches are removed and an even surface is revealed, it’s time to give your car a showroom ready, sparkling finish. You would require a good polishing compound and a yellow foam pad for this. Put few drops of the polishing compound on the foam pad and apply medium pressure to spread it in thin layers over the car’s surface. Excess material should be cleared off delicately with a microfiber towel.

Step 5: Waxing

After buffing and polishing your car’s surface, it maybe quite natural to encounter certain uneven areas at the microscopic level. Waxing helps in filling up these empty areas. Giving a wax coating (such as with liquid carnauba waxes) to your car will ensure that the entire buffing process lasts long.

Mechanical car buffing usually lasts for about 2-3 visits. Opting for touchless car washes and getting your car buffed from a good car servicing centre will ensure that the wax coating stays long, there are no chances of slow damage or rusting, and you get the best value for money.