Liquid Car Polish vs. Regular Car Polish
So what exactly is the difference between a liquid car polish and a regular car polish? Well the biggest difference of course is that one is liquid and the other one is typically a solid form. Typically the solid car polish is sold in a container, and the liquids come in a bottle.
Those are the obvious differences. However, the most significant difference that sets liquid car polish apart is that it is almost always made from synthetic polymers. Regular car polish, on the other hand, is usually made from carnauba wax. Neither is better than the other, although carnauba is the most natural form of wax, from which most wax and polish car care products are derived.
But the fact that liquid car polish is designed from synthetic polymers has its advantages. Many tests have shown that synthetic polymers cling to the clear coat surface better than carnauba. In addition, applying a liquid car polish is much easier than applying a carnauba, solid car polish. Most of the time you will have to do some buffing of some sort when applying a harder car polish. You can actually take this as a rule of thumb - the harder or thicker the consistency of the polish, the more buffing may be required.
Buffing is not a bad thing at all, but it just takes up time that most average car enthusiasts would rather not spend. Carnauba-based polishes typically require a bit more expertise than liquid polishes. The advantage to the carnauba regular polish is that it has a superior shine, and it can especially bring out the shine in older vehicle coats, and thus, it’s used a lot for car shows etc.
Overall, for ease of use, and if you’re under time constraints, definitely go with a liquid car polish. It’s also been proven that liquid polish can last longer in hot environments where a vehicle is exposed to lots of direct sunlight. So unless you’re getting an older vehicle ready for a car show, or really want to go the extra mile for some top-notch shine, it’s better to use a liquid car polish that does pretty much the same thing. Only experienced car care experts can tell the very slight difference in shine between a carnauba more sold car polish and a liquid car polish.
