polishing using wax = covering up defects?

[kmarei]

i see a lot of the cars by detailers domains and others
(in no way is this dissing them)
and while the results look fantastic
but isn't all that just covering up scratches in the paint?
i mean will they still look like that after a few car washes?
once the wax is gone and the grooves in the paint are no longer filled in by wax
won't the paint look like it did before the detailing?
or am i missing something?
at the end of the day if your paint is scratched
nothing will repair that except a repaint no?

[eclipsisNA]

Wax does practically nothing to hide imperfections in paint. And when you say "polishing using wax," that doesn't make sense. You polish with polish, nothing else.

[Z4dave]

Polish is for scratches swirls ect

Wax just adds shine and protection.

I think what your question is how long does a good polish last?
I was wondering that also, How often would you polish a car 1-2 times a year or more?

polish meaning full wash strip all wax off the car, Clay, 2-3 step polish, and wax/sealant.

[kmarei]

ok i might have not have explained what i meant
assuming you have a car like that 1 series that was messed up by the dealer
if you take that car and give it the royal treatment
use polish to remove all the swirl marks etc
clean it and wax it etc
in the end you have not really fixed the problem
ok you got rid of the swirls and scratches and it looks good
but you also end up with thinner paint in the areas you polished
and the car is more likely to scratch in the future due to thinner clearcoat in the areas you polished

[Georgeair]

Originally Posted by kmarei

use polish to remove all the swirl marks etc

in the end you have not really fixed the problem
ok you got rid of the swirls and scratches and it looks good
but you also end up with thinner paint in the areas you polished

You have fixed the instant problem as you pointed out. Some of the pros will chime in with realistic impact on paint thickness, but the impact of one or a few "fixes" is pretty minimal from what I've read. If you take care of it from then on, you are golden.

If you continue to abuse it, sure the paint will eventually look like irreparable crap.

Would it be best not to get to that point? Of course.

Will bringing it back affect the long-term appearance and durability of a properly cared for finish? I don't think so.

[eclipsisNA]

Someone that knows what they're doing will remove only 1/80 of the clear coat, or 2 out of approximately 170 microns of clear coat. This is an incredibly small amount and has no impact on the long term durability of your paint.

[McLuVan]

so what IS used to cover up defects?

[Suprane]

Sealants and glazes cover defects better than waxes IMO. However, I'm with Georgeair,..just fix it instead with a two or even 3 (if in bad shape) polish cycle. You'll get your paint back great results THEN seal, wax etc.
Its the polish that gives the real durable shine. (just use good products and "safer" machines like PC)

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by kmarei

ok i might have not have explained what i meant
assuming you have a car like that 1 series that was messed up by the dealer
if you take that car and give it the royal treatment
use polish to remove all the swirl marks etc
clean it and wax it etc
in the end you have not really fixed the problem
ok you got rid of the swirls and scratches and it looks good
but you also end up with thinner paint in the areas you polished
and the car is more likely to scratch in the future due to thinner clearcoat in the areas you polished

You actually have removed the problem if polished correctly but if you continue to get major swirling then your washing technique needs to be corrected so you don't introduce swirls to the paint. I've polished using micro-abrasive polishes for years now and have never experienced problems with clearcoat.