Car paint vs. car varnish vs. car polish?

I was just wondering, what's the difference between car paint, varnish and polish?


I'm guessing that paint is gives the car the color, polish makes the car shine, and I have no idea what varnish is.





Can someone please clarify?


Thanks a lot in advance! :)Car paint vs. car varnish vs. car polish?
Car paint is the color....it is actually weak in strength and only serves the purpose of covering the primer and sealer and to give the car color. Clear coat that is applied over color is what gives the finish its durablity and shine. Without clear coat, the car will have no shine.





When you wax a car, you are waxing the clear coat. Wax is nothing more than caranuba wax from tree's (same stuff that is in candy, candles and bubble gum). The wax is smeared on and fills the tiny voids and crevices in the clear coat. The finish might feel smooth to the touch but under a microscope it is full of hills and valleys. Wax fills these allowing water, dirt and other items to slide off the surface. Plus since its wax....its hard for items to stick to it (dirt).





Polish is similar but its man made and is all chemical. Normally has teflone in it for protection. Polish also just fills the hills and voids in the finish but since its a polymer base, it will last longer and can give a higher shine and gloss.





When a detail shop uses a high speed buffer on a car, they are heating up the finish with the pad and a polish/wax/compound and this heating smooths down those hills and valleys, making the finish even smoother to the touch. This is how scratches are buffed out of cars as well.





Compound is like a fine fine grit sandpaper and it is used to smooth down really rough paint, to remove scratches and to remove oxidation (when the paint hasn't been waxed in ages and it actually starts to dull and a powder substance begins to form).





Varnish is for wood and for older cars, it is no longer used in automotive.





Wax use to be the thing to put on a car but no more (even though many still use it due to brain washing). Wax gives no protection to the paint and finish on cars today. As they are actually a layer of plastic rather than actual paint. Polymers or polish is the item to use on todays cars finish, anything from 1998 and up.Car paint vs. car varnish vs. car polish?
call advance auto parts store they can tell you.
Car Paint is what it sounds like, paint. Car polish is like shoe polish, it makes it shine but it鈥檚 usually liquid and thin. So it may wear out quickly. Car varnish is basically car wax. It usually a paste-like, you rub it on, let it dry, and rub it off. It make it shine, helps protect against rain and sometimes hide small scratches