From scratch removal and protectant to polish and ceramic coating, read our most frequently asked car care questions below to learn how to best care for your car with Nu Finish® products.
When you know the difference, you’ll know what’s best for your car.
Both car waxes and car polishes are used to achieve a clean, glossy appearance to your car’s paint, but there’s been an ongoing discussion as to which product works best to protect one of your biggest investments.
A polish is a substance used to give something a smooth, shiny surface when rubbed in. A wax is anatural or synthetic treatment believed to help create a temporary barrier from UV rays.
The common myth that waxes add long-term protection is not correct. Natural elements like acid rain, UV rays and road salt break down waxes more quickly than a polish that is specifically designed to protect your paint.
Nu Finish® Car Polish does not contain any wax.
It is actually a blend of advanced polymers that creates a superior protective layer to your car’s finish while adding a deep gloss. Nu Finish® uses zinc cross-linking technology that bonds to your car’s paint, giving it a full year’s worth of protection in just one application. A surface treated with Nu Finish® will continue to bead water even after 52 automatic car washes.
Nu Finish® Car Polish has the benefits of a polishing agent, and offers a protective, long-lasting showroom shine.
Yet, Nu Finish® Car Polish is a one-step system compared to labor-intensive car wax products that require a two- or three-step system of protection. Our top-rated car polish saves you both time and money while offering superior protection versus car waxes that are available today. Nu Finish® has it all and with much less effort!
Nu Finish Scratch Doctor® has been proven by independent laboratory tests to remove surface scratches better than any other scratch remover on the market. Also, most scratch removers will actually leave more scratches behind than they remove. Scratch Doctor® will not create additional scratches, and tests proved that it was the least abrasive of any of the surface scratch removers tested.
Swirl marks are microscopic scratches in your car’s finish. Harsh polishing pads, automatic car washes or cloths that have picked up abrasives from improper storage may also cause swirl marks. To avoid getting swirl marks, thoroughly wash your car’s finish before applying a car polish. Always use a clean, 100% terry cloth towel so the sensitive paint on your car has less of a chance of being scratched.
First off, all scratches are unique with varying depths and severity. While we think Scratch Doctor® is magical, we want you to understand that there are certain scratches it won’t be able to remove. Your scratch might be too deep for it to be repaired without touch-up paint from a body shop. Secondly, you need to thoroughly work the product into the surface and create a certain amount of friction to activate the product. Simply applying the product to the affected area won’t repair the scratched surface.
A scratch is a fine indentation that can be seen by the naked eye due to the refraction of light. Picture a scratch as a very thin valley in your car’s paint. Each side of the valley is sharp and refracts the sunlight in such a way that it is visible to the naked eye.
No, but sometimes it takes more than one application to remove the surface scratches. It’s important to work the product thoroughly into the car’s paint. Continue to work it in using pressure until the product disappears. Then, you can wipe off the excess to a shine. You can repeat this as many times as necessary, but you should see an improvement in the appearance of the scratch in the first application.
Scratch Doctor® works great on headlight lenses to restore them to their original condition. You will need to apply some pressure and perhaps more than one application, but you will be happy to see the improvements Scratch Doctor® can make on your old headlights.
Most scratch removers use harsh abrasives to remove layers of your car’s paint. This will, in turn, conceal the scratch by removing layers of paint much like sandpaper does to wood, dulling your paint’s surface. Scratch Doctor® uses organic compounds and microemulsions to smooth the sharp edges of the scratch. It is designed to soften the edges of the scratch with each application without harming your car’s surface. And it will improve the appearance of even deep scratches, but if you can see the metal beneath the paint only a body shop can repair your paint.
Scratch Doctor® was formulated to remove surface scratches from painted metal surfaces. We have seen it work wonders on plastic surfaces as well, but we always recommend that you test it in an inconspicuous area before applying anything the first time to a large area.
Use a prewax cleaner or a liquid oxidation remover to remove dead paint and oxidation. If your paint is seriously weathered and has lost all of its glossy appearance, you may need to use a polishing compound to remove heavily oxidized finishes. You should then polish your car with Nu Finish Car Polish once the oxidation has been removed in order to protect your paint’s surface and provide a long-lasting shine.
You probably have oxidation. You don’t usually see oxidation, but the dulling of your paint’s finish is a sign of oxidation. Oxidation is caused by the weathering of the painted surface on your car, primarily from the intensity of the sun’s rays as well as exposure to moisture. The natural oils are lost because the sun dries out the top layers of paint. If these oils aren’t replaced, the paint oxidizes. Your car’s color slowly changes due to oxidation, stripping your car of the shine that it once had when it left the showroom. The surfaces that are most affected are the flat surfaces, such as the hood, roof and trunk of the car because of exposure to direct sunlight. Oxidized paint is also described as “dead paint.”
Plastic trim is porous and sometimes difficult to remove. The white discoloration you are seeing is the clay that is in all car polishes. Use mineral spirits for removing the white residue left behind on plastic trim. Car polishes and waxes contain a cleaner that will leave a haze on plastic trim.You may need to use a tooth brush or an applicator like a tooth brush that can get into the deep pores in the plastic. It could take more than one application, especially if the polish was applied some time ago due to the exposure to ultraviolet rays.
It sounds like your paste may have been exposed to air but that should not be a concern. Our paste is thixatropic, so you should be able to do some minor stirring to bring the product back to its original paste form. Keep in mind that our paste is a soft paste so it will appear more like a cream than a conventional, hard wax. Nu Finish® Paste has an extremely long shelf life and be assured that it will not harm your paint before or after it returns to its original soft paste form.
Conventional waxes don’t last long because the common ingredient in these products, carnauba wax, breaks down quickly in everyday conditions. Neither Nu Finish® Liquid nor Nu Finish® Paste Car Polish contain carnauba waxes. No other liquid or paste products can make that claim. Nu Finish® is made up of a series of zinc cross-linking polymer emulsions that help it last longer than any other polish on the market. This is why Nu Finish® is called “The-Once-A-Year Car Polish.” Watch how Nu Finish® makes water bead month after month.
Nu Finish® Car Polish does have UV protection. In fact, we originally tested our car polish on automobiles in Florida in order to expose them to the greatest punishment. Our results ultimately lead to the statement that our product is the once-a-year car polish.
Pastes and liquids differ mainly in their application process. Some people prefer pastes to liquids because it is a more traditional method of applying protection to your car’s finish; others prefer to add that same protection in less time. Nu Finish® Paste Car Polish is one of the only soft pastes in the market today, making it much easier to apply than your traditional carnauba paste waxes.
Yes, Nu Finish® Car Polish does contain silicone. Car polishes and waxes that contain silicone are not bad for your car. In fact, all car polishes actually contain silicone, if only for lubricity. Today’s silicone emulsions found in car polishes will not cause “fish eyes,” which are small circular craters that appear in the finish of new applications of paint. Applying fresh paint to the surface of your car that was recently waxed or polished may cause fish eyes in the paint if the proper steps weren’t taken to remove the silicone or wax prior to repainting the car. But fish eyes don’t appear in your paint’s surface if you are polishing a dry, painted surface.
After applying a car polish or wax, oxidation is known to return to the surface after the first application. This oxidation might not be visible at first. A second application after 30 days helps to remove this oxidation, or dead paint, and will offer you maximum protection from the elements.
We recommend that you do not have a previous coating of wax on the car prior to applying any car polish. You won’t harm your car’s finish by applying Nu Finish® over a coating of wax. In order to achieve maximum results, a polish or wax needs to adhere directly to the paint. Applying a product over the pre-existing coating of wax will not allow the polish or wax to work properly. Carnauba wax breaks down relatively quickly so once the surface is clear of a coating of wax, you will be able to apply Nu Finish® Car Polish to achieve your best results.
Independent laboratory tests have proven that Nu Finish® Car Polish can last for a whole year in standard weather conditions. If you were to wash your car every week for a whole year, water would still bead on your car’s finish after the 52nd car wash. The beading on your car’s paint is a sure sign that your paint is being protected. We recommend that you apply a second coat of Nu Finish® Car Polish 30 days after your first application for maximum protection.
Yes. Nu Finish® Car Polish, unlike conventional car waxes, can actually be applied in direct sunlight. It’s specially formulated so that the polish doesn’t bake into the surface and become difficult to remove like most car waxes.
Nu Finish® Car Polish works great on fiberglass boats, airplanes, motorcycles, and recreational vehicles. Nu Finish® Car Polish can also be used on chrome, and it works great to protect against salt spray, bird droppings, tree sap, and road tar. Some customers report using Nu Finish® Car Polish on stainless steel, copper, kitchen cabinets, refrigerators, guitars, granite countertops, and much more.
Nu Finish® Scratch Doctor® does contain silicone emulsions. It was not specifically designed to be used on plastic or glass surfaces, but it has been known to work on these surfaces. We always recommend first testing any product on an inconspicuous area to gauge its effect on that surface.
We always recommend that you first try Nu Finish® Car Polish on an inconspicuous area, even if you are polishing your car. Do not use Nu Finish® Car Polish on vinyl, plastic trim, simulated wood, rubber or flat paint. Also, do not use Nu Finish® Car Polish on areas like tile floors and bathtubs. It makes the surfaces extremely slippery and could cause injury to others.