polishing question

[3.8twotoned]

Hey im new to the forum, i own a 2000 mustang with a custom paint job. The paint is basf paint. The paint job is about a year old now and i can feel that the it needs to be clay barred. I see that the kits out their such as meguiars sells the claybar kit which is the claybar and a detailer spray..... My question is once i claybar the car do i have to polish it before waxing or can i just clay and then wax? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[imported_smprince1]

Well, you don`t HAVE to polish between clay bar and wax but it will really improve the appearance of your paint.



Clay will only remove embedded contaminants, it won`t do anything for swirls, and it can sometime induce some micro-marring of it`s own. If you`re going to go through the trouble of claying and waxing, the end result will really be improved with a polishing step.

[Old Pirate]

Welcome 3.8twotoned, i agree with smprince1. It depends on the condition after you clay, i would polish before waxing.

[3.8twotoned]

What is a good polishing compound and can i apply by hand?

[imported_smprince1]

What is a good polishing compound and can i apply by hand?



What are you trying to achieve with the polishing step?



If you are just wanting to clean up oxidation and prepare the paint for the LSP, then something like KAIO or PB`s PwC would be a good choice and can be applied by hand. I have used both by hand for this purpose and they work well.



If you are trying to correct any marring such as swirls or light scratches, then I personally only have experience with machine applied polishes/compounds. Perhaps others can chime in ... I believe ScratchX has been mentioned as a decent hand-applied polish that is availabe OTC but I have not personally used it.



Good luck.

[3.8twotoned]

there are no scratches/ swirls the pain is in almost perfect condition