If you've come here thinking you'll get a rundown of wax/polish products, you are mistaken, I'm afraid.
You see, contrary to popular opinion, wax and polish are very different products: polish is abrasive and creates a shine on paintwork; wax is a protectant that you apply to paintwork following a polish.
Don't feel too bad, even some product labels can't get it right. However, what you will find in this article is a range of top polishing kits for restoring paintwork and getting it to gleam.
If it's wax you're after, see our other guide to the best car wax.
Also, for a full rundown on polish, read our guide to the best car polish.
First up, polishing kits for hand application:
Auto Glym Super Resin Polish Complete Kit
Popular choice
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An incredibly popular hand polishing kit. Autoglymu2019s polish produces a great glossy finish, and included in this kit are a microfibre cloth and polish applicator. Itu2019s a good price for a great kit.
Meguiar's Ultimate Paint Care Kit
Best complete paint care kit
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Think of Meguiaru2019s kit as a more comprehensive version of the Autoglym set above. Complete with compound for scratch removal and colour restoration, polish for shine, and wax for protection, your caru2019s paint will never see better days than when you attend to it with this set. Comes with microfibre pads and applicator.
Turtle Wax Jet Black
Best for dark colours
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Black paintwork is the hardest to keep looking magnificent, but this set is specifically for black and dark grey paint. Itu2019s not a polishing set as such, but it does a proper job at shining up and protecting your paint. In the kit is a pre-wax cleaner that gives the shine; carnauba wax for protection; and a detailing spray for upkeep. It comes with polishing microfibre pads, too.
Autoglym Metal Polsih
Best for metal
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To be honest, we'd normally recommend the Quixx Metal Restoration Kit, but it has been rather hard to come by lately. Our runner-up recommendation is from Autoglym and is suitable for any metal that can be polished. Like regular polish, it removes scratches and restores shine. Use it on your car's chromed exhaust tips, for example. You can also use this on stainless steel, copper, brass, and aluminium.
And for polishing tools:
If you need a full guide on polishing tools or polishing pads, read our respective guides on these subjects.
Sealey Pro Polishing Compounding Kit
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For a complete kit including a polishing tool, you canu2019t miss this. The polisher included is a 600W Sealey 150mm dual action unit. It oscillates rather than spins, which makes it easier for DIY users to complete a quality polish without running the risk of burning the paintwork as you do with a rotary polisher. You'll receive fine cutting compound and polish, too, for restoring your paintwork and giving it a glossy finish. As an added bonus, there's a trio of polishing pads: one dense, one medium, and one ultra soft, plus a microfibre finishing mitt.
3M Perfect-it 150mm Polishing Pads
Best quality pads for 150mm polishers
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Everyone knows the 3M name, and this 2-pack of 150mm foam polishing pads are for polishing tools like the Sealey above. You get good longevity out of these pads, which is why they are a bit more than other, cheaper pads. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a quality job done.
Kent Car Care 8-Piece Clean, Buff & Polish Pad Set
Best value kit for 10-inch buffers
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For those of you who have a 225mm to 255mm (9 to 10-inch) polisher like the Ryobi tool pictured above, Kent Car Care has a great eight-piece polishing pad set for you. Included are four applicator pads; a pair of terry cloth cleaning pads; a woollen buffing pad; and a microfibre pad.
Some of you may use a random orbital sander for polishing, and that is absolutely fine. They are great for it. Some of you may not have realised, but by all means, use your random orbital sander for polishing. They oscillate like dual-action polishers, so they behave like a fast hand polish.
If you want polishing pads for your random orbital sander or need replacements, the polishing sponge is excellent. The one below is for a 125mm random orbital sander.