Are expensive car polishes worth the money? What is your view on expensive car polishes? Are they worth the extra and is there one you recommend? Polishes cut surface discolouration to leave the paint looking shiny. A wax sits on top of the paint, but to look good requires the paint to have been "surface cleaned." I have graduated from polish to waxes such as Autoglym High Definition and find it more effective than new-car paint treatments, but it's about £40 a pot.