Hand polishing with 3-in-1 - does it really remove paint?

[Zzpomzz]

I know this is posted on occasion because I have found a ton of posts regarding it. But I have found some misleading information and am hoping to get set straight. I recently bought a new car, a Honda Fit which I use for daily driving and for work (I am a musician full time). It’s not much to some but for me I need it for all my daily and nightly stuff so I want to keep it running and healthy and the paint is part of that. When I got it it had lots of white specs and such so I did research.

I got a clay set, wax and wash, a waterless wax spray, 3-in-1 wax, plus ultimate wax. Just all kinds of stuff to have to care for the car at various times. I managed to get the car looking great and removing the little marks and used the 3-in-1. I did a bit more on the hood as I noticed some swirling then used ultimate wax. This was a good thing overall as during the waxing process I noticed a small paint defect I am now going to get fixed. After everything was done I noticed some swirl but co considering I used many microfiber towels I’m thinking most was caused by the initial car wash at the dealership.

Here lies my question. I learned that the 3-In-1 polishes which “removes paint” and some people on Facebook told me I could damage my car by using it more than once. But others have told me it’s safe to use multiple times a year? I never plan on using a power tool to buff, I am only applying Gently with my hand. Is that removing any paint at all that’s measurable in microns or am I being misled? If I use this a few times a year for general cleaning, will I have caused much paint loss if any over five years or a decade? Because some people in detailing groups are claiming this even though that seems super unlikely to me considering I’m just barely pushing on my car.

[Murr1525]

Re: Hand polishing with 3-in-1 - does it really remove paint?

Technically speaking, breathing on the paint removes some molecules of paint, so I guess you could be careful with that.

More realistically, you want to be using good quality towels and applicators, so they dont put any extra marks in the paint. Also, using even pressure under your hand, rather than focusing under one or two fingers, helps prevent wearing away in one spot.

Now that you have your basic cleaning done, you may only need to repeat two or three times a year or so, with the spray wax used after future washes. So if you keep your car 10 years, that is 20-30 applications. The paint can easily handle that, esp just gentle application by hand.

[Zzpomzz]

Re: Hand polishing with 3-in-1 - does it really remove paint?

good to know. I think my plan will be to do general washes, and after the rainy season use the 3-in-1 and maybe once more later in the year. And use regular wax otherwise. That seems like it shouldn

[Nick Winn]

Re: Hand polishing with 3-in-1 - does it really remove paint?

good to know. I think my plan will be to do general washes, and after the rainy season use the 3-in-1 and maybe once more later in the year. And use regular wax otherwise. That seems like it shouldn

I would agree, using a regular non cleaner wax as your main source of protection, in addition to a cleaner wax as needed, is a better idea. That said, the amount of paint you are removing with a combination like our 3 in 1 Wax applied by hand is extremely minuscule, but yes you are still removing, so as mentioned, it is better to use a non cleaner wax as your main source of protection.

[Zzpomzz]

Re: Hand polishing with 3-in-1 - does it really remove paint?

thanks Nick! I also spoke to someone for a short period of time on Facebook who was super helpful and told me that the cutting power is very limited when a foam pad and not much pressure is applied. I was told not to worry about multiple applications if this is how I

[Murr1525]

Re: Hand polishing with 3-in-1 - does it really remove paint?

It's really the old style working with a rotary, strong pads that wear through the paint, no matter the product. You could wear the paint through waxing.

Common sense, even pressure by hand won't even remove a swirl. So definitely not all the paint.

[Zzpomzz]

Re: Hand polishing with 3-in-1 - does it really remove paint?

thanks man! I figured as much. I’m gonna stop worrying about my two applications and just enjoy. It made the car look super nice. It didn’t remove any swirl but it really improved the look of the car. From now on I’ll use a regular wax and use this when the rain has been a tad heavier than usual.

It's really the old style working with a rotary, strong pads that wear through the paint, no matter the product. You could wear the paint through waxing.

Common sense, even pressure by hand won't even remove a swirl. So definitely not all the paint.