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No need to go bankrupt and make your car look like a million dollars.

There is no need for salary-like equipment or professional repair shops to keep your car looking fresh. "Wheel"—that is, polishing the vehicle with rotating wheels, just like a professional detail designer—by temporarily heating the clear coat of paint until it softens into a viscous liquid, filling in and eliminating blemishes. To prevent permanent damage to the paint, limit this polishing method to once a year and wax your car every few months. Follow these steps and your ride will look new in a few hours.

The first step: first wash the car by hand in the shade. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly, but do not wipe it dry.

Tips: Cleaning is a messy process, so please cover things you don’t want to clean later (such as other cars, pets, and nearby walls). Use softer pads and polishes on dark cars because they are particularly sensitive to swirl marks. More aggressive compounds and pads can be used for lighter shades.

Step 2: Put a clean, slightly damp mat on the polishing wheel, and then apply an appropriate amount of compound on a body panel. Use a grinding wheel to apply the polishing compound at a moderate speed. The key is to keep the rotating pad parallel to the surface of the car to avoid vortex marks. Apply constant pressure and work back and forth across the entire surface of the panel. As the varnish heats up and the paint becomes hot to the touch, the scratches will begin to disappear. When the mixture and water are thrown aside and absorbed by the foam pad, the shiny surface becomes visible. stop. Move to the next panel and repeat.

Technical Tip: Keep the area moist and use enough polish for each panel.

Step 3: If necessary, stop and rinse the foam pad with a hose or electric washing machine to prevent it from being saturated or sticking to the compound.

Tips: The outer edge of the mat moves faster, produces more friction than the center, and it usually performs less polishing-this is the secret of scorching. Therefore, be especially careful around complex decorative areas, such as washer nozzles, mirrors, signs, and complex bumper contours, which can only be polished using the outer edge of the pad.

Step 4: After completion, wash and rinse the car by hand again, including the door, trunk and hood side frame. Dry thoroughly.

Step 5: Apply a layer of wax to the paint to help cover up the swirl marks and cover most of the remaining surface defects. Install the soft foam pad on an orbital sander, and then apply a mixture of approximately 60:40 paste wax and fine polishing agent on the pad. Use a sander at a moderate speed to move the wax back and forth to the vehicle with slight but steady pressure. Leave enough waxy haze when dry.

Step 6: When the wax dries, clean other areas of the car (windows, interiors, etc.), and then use a microfiber towel to remove the wax-bath towels or rags may damage the surface. Apply refinish paint to the chip and any lingering scratches as needed. Move the car to the sun for final inspection. Crack a cold one and enjoy.

Griot's Garage Paint Clay & Speed ​​Shine set, $39.99

DeWalt Right Angle Orbital Sander, $152-241

For polishing lighter and deeper scratches:

Micron's SoftBuff Cutting Mat

Mothers Professional Machine Glaze, $29.02 (32 ounces) or

Micron’s Ultra-Cut Complex, $32.99 (32 ounces) or

Griot's Garage Machine Polish 2, $12.99 (16 ounces)

Used to polish dark and light imperfections:

Micron SoftBuff Finishing Mat

Mothers Professional Foam Pad Polish, US$36.89 (32 ounces) or

Micron’s Ultra Finishing Polish, $37.49 (32 ounces) or

Griot's Garage Machine Polish 4, $16.99 (16 ounces)

Griot's garage foam wax pad

Mothers California Gold Carnauba Wax, $10.99 (16 ounces) or

Micron’s high-tech yellow wax, $13.99 (16 ounces) or

Griot's Garage Best of Show Wax, $11.99 (8 ounces)