Best Car Polish & Cleaner
Car polish and cleaner is a product designed to be used after you wash the car but before you seal or wax it. These are not for use on a well maintained or new car. These products go after the deep grime that the washing leaves behind. They also will remove the old wax or sealant and some of the existing oxidized paint. So you do not want to use these every time. The goal is to get your paint clean and then keep it protected so you infrequently need these products.
These products all have chemical cleaners and in some cases abrasives in them; so I have chosen the mildest product in each product line that is meant to be applied by hand. Most of these manufactures make several grades of cleaners and polishes; all the up to “rubbing compounds”. Several are formulated to be applied by a machine, those are not on this list. If your choice does not work then you can get a stronger product. But I would not start with a strong product
After you polish but before you wax use a glaze for best results. My list of Car Paint glazes is here, Best Paint Car Glazes.
Why it's best:
Adams Polishes has formulated this polish especially for hand use prior to waxing. It is designed to chemically deep clean the paint. It claims no “harsh abrasives’ but it does say that it has “ultra fine polishes” in it. It is supposed to feed the pa... read full review
Why it's a best pick:
Einszett is a German firm founded in 1936. In 2001 Einszett North America introduced them to the USA. These products should work on all cars including the new “nano technology” German “scratch resistant” paints. This is a straight forward polish meant...
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Why it's a best pick:
This product from P21S Car Care is one of the mildest polishes. This is a creamy white cleanser. The consensus is that it does not remove scratches but it does a superb job of cleaning and leaving a deep rich gloss that is ready for waxing or sealant. It is praised for how e...
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Amazon.com
Why it's a best pick:
Mothers has formulated this to clean and to polish with ultra fine abrasives. They say the abrasives are so fine that this product can be used on clear coat cars and on dark colors. So if you have a car with some spots, blemishes etc., this is the product to try first. It ha...
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Detailing.com $5.25
Why it's a best pick:
“Not recommended for dark-colored clearcoat finishes.” That warning from the Collinite website should tell you something. This is a relatively aggressive polish. Some sites say not to use it on clearcoats at all. So this is for older cars with vintage lacquer or ...
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Amazon.com