Julia

So many products??? Why would a person use a glaze and why would you use a polish? Do you need both at any particular time? Any help with terminology is much appreciated!

UDPride

some products use the term glaze. 3M does. its a polish though. smooths the paint and removes buildup.

its like some people open up a deli shop, and other people who want to charge $5 more open up a deli shoppe.

Anthony Orosco

Hello Julia,

A "glaze" is usually used in the body shop industry on fresh repaints to clean up sanding marks and give the paint a nice gloss but contains no wax or solvents so that the repaints are able to cure properly.

They are also associated more with hiding and covering up imperfections in the paint more than doing any actual paint correction. They make paints "wet" looking but also leave behind alot of oils and can be difficult in removing.

Polishes on the other hand are usually abrasive to a certain level and their main use is to be used as a medium to correct paint imperfections such as swirls, halo scratches and sanding marks. Basically what you are doing with a polish is abrading away a micro layer of paint so that clean fresh paint is exposed.

That may sound harsh but in reality if it is done properly it is perfectly safe and it will produce a beautiful shine to your ride. In reality no one actually removes a scratch or a swirl but rather one removes or "levels" the surrounding paint down to the level of the scratch or swirl. "Paint leveling" is the term most professional detailers use to describe polishing and I personally always polish paint but I never use a "glaze" because they are more headache than anything else.

Hope that helps, if not please let me know and I'll do my best to clarify.

Anthony

Anthony Orosco

3M Imperial Hand Glaze is not a true polish, it has really no cleaning properties at all.

RogueM3

Would Klasse AIO be considered a glaze then? It doesnt have oils..but it also isnt an abrasive polish.

Where does a glaze fit into the regiment of a semi-pro detailer/weekend car cleaner? (or does it not really?)

Thanks for sharing the info, Anthony.

Anthony Orosco

Hello,

AIO is not a glaze but more along the lines of a cleaner/sealer prep. It cleans paint (almost all cleaners have an abrasive quality to them, even so called chemical claners), removing mild oxidation, scuff marks, etc. It then prepares the surface for the following SG (Sealant Glaze).

Some use AIO as a stand alone protector but I would seek to always apply a protector over AIO.

A glaze should be used when you wish to temporarily hide or fill slight marring. Let's say that you are polishing your paint and you have been chasing around all day fine scratches in your paint. You have spent hours polishing the paint but just a few really tough ones remain. You are rather cautious in continuing because you fear you may be removing too much protective clear coat. So this would be a good time to use a glaze so that those last few sctatches can be hidden. This is when a glaze should be used.

Glazes can add alot of wetness and depth to paint and this is why many show car people use them.

Hope that helps,
Anthony