How to Polish a Car: The 2 Best Methods Should you polish a car by hand or machine? Should you wax or polish a car? Find out everything you need to know about polishing and waxing a car. If you polish a car on a regular basis, you can vastly improve the lifespan of its exterior. This will provide aesthetic benefits, but it will also help to protect your investment. Polishing Methods There are two common methods that can be used when you are ready to apply your wax: Polishing by hand. When applying it by hand, make sure you have something like a foam applicator pad. Put a small amount on the pad and begin polishing in a circular motion. This method does take quite some time, but one advantage it has over using a machine is that you can polish small areas the machine can't get to. Once you have a layer of polish on, take another pad or microfiber cloth and wipe down the whole vehicle Polishing by Machine. If you are using a polishing machine, make sure that the machine has a foam ... Read more »