Cleaner Wax vs Polish, by Hand

[expdetailing]

Could someone please advise me which product, a cleaner wax vs a polish, would be a better choice for prepairing a 2011 Toyota Carolla by hand. Theere are a few scratches and swirls, but I'm primarily concerned with prepping the surface for wax. Thank you for your advise.

[Mike Phillips]

With a cleaner/wax you can be done in one-step.

With a polish you will have to do two step, polish and then wax.

[expdetailing]

Mike,
How did you respond so quick? Your answer was there before I clicked over!

[godfearingman]

With a cleaner/wax you can be done in one-step.

With a polish you will have to do two step, polish and then wax.

Will the cleaner wax make the vehicle look as good as polishing?

[Desertnate]

For the most part, the cleaner wax will not look as good as a good polishing. The cleaner wax will do just as it's name says; it will clean the surface. The abrasives in the cleaner wax will not be aggressive enough to do much, if any, correction. There may be a visible improvement using the cleaner wax, but nothing like what a polish and/or compound would produce.

An important thing to keep in mind is the work will be done by hand. A big improvement with either product will be very difficult to achieve by hand.