Great question! Any input?

 

Well that depends on a lot of different factors...particularly the history of the car, how good of a detailer you use, and what washing techniques you're using between polishing.

For heavy compounding to correct a badly scarred finish, you may remove just 1~3 microns. If you take care of it properly afterwards (proper washing and drying techniques), then you should only need a light polishing once per year where you may end up removing just a scant .5 micron if even measurable at all. At least on modern base/clear systems, you can remove 8-10 microns before you risk compromising the UV protection in the clear (the clear layer itself will be 35-50 microns thick in most cases).

So as you can see, there is no way to say exactly how many times a car can be polished during its lifetime. Good detailers (a) know what they're doing, (b) continuously monitor paint thickness, and (c) always use the least aggressive method necessary to achieve the desired results.

Proper washing and drying is the key to keeping your car looking its best, and will reduce the amount of polishing required from time to time.

I hope this helps.

Todd

 

so impressive