Car polish is an invention that removes dirt, grease, scratches and scrapes from automobile paint. It is a car detailing product that comes in a number of different forms such as liquids, sprays and creams. Car detailing refers to the cleaning and shining job done on vehicles. Several car polishes contain solvents such as turpentine that clean the auto paint and remove impurities from it to allow the shine to show through.

Though car polish brings out the shine in a vehicle's paint finish, it's important to understand that polishes are not the same as waxes. This is confusing to many people since some waxes are sold as polishes and vice versa, but the two products are essentially very different. Car wax applied to automobile paint acts as a defending layer. It's non-abrasive and fills in small dents in the paint finish. Car polish on the other hand, is somewhat abrasive and it removes surface grime.

Though car polish can be used before waxing, car wax should never be used before polishing. Wax will seal in any dust and impurities rather than remove them like polish does. Years of dirt build-up and exposure to sunlight can give auto paint a dull look that can generally be brightened and improved with car polish.