Remove wax before claying?

[Daniel3507]

Im new into detailing so sorry if i ask dumb questions. I have a coat of wax on my truck currently and am wanting to clay bar it to get the smooth finish back. Do i need to wash it with a soap that will remove the wax before i clay? and just to be clear, the proper order is:

wash

clay

polish

wax

correct?

[JSFM35X]

Im new into detailing so sorry if i ask dumb questions. I have a coat of wax on my truck currently and am wanting to clay bar it to get the smooth finish back. Do i need to wash it with a soap that will remove the wax before i clay? and just to be clear, the proper order is:

wash

clay

polish

wax

correct?



I would wash with a strong mixture of original Dawn dish wash. That will clean off all the wax the car. Then clay with lots of lube. You can mix 2 oz of car wash soap with water in a 32 oz bottle for lube and then clay the car. Rinse really good. Wash with car wash soap and dry, polish and (wax or seal).

[the other pc]

You don’t need to remove old wax.



You wash it with soap to remove any grit sitting on the surface. Clay removes bonded contaminants. You want to remove loose dirt from the surface so you don’t drag grit over the finish or load up the clay excessively.



So yes, your order is correct;



Wash it with high lubricity car wash shampoo.



Clay it to remove bonded contaminants.



Polish to get the finish where you want it.



Wax it to protect it.





pc.

[Saleenman607]

If your planning to clay the entire truck, then yes to the above process. If your doing a section at a time, an ISO spray or prepsol will remove the wax quicker than a 2 bucket wash. Sometimes this is more applicable to determine your test spot for the proper polish/pad combo.

[MichaelM]

You don’t need to remove old wax.



+1. The chances of there being a layer of remaining sealant that is substantial enough to interfere with any other step in the process is virtually nonexistent.

[GS4_Fiend]

What happens when you don`t strip the wax/sealant before polishing?

[Accumulator]

Unless a vehicle is in simply deplorable condition, I always do a proper wash first, even if I`m gonna wipe it down with solvent or wash with something like Dawn/FK1119/ValuGard "A". Regular shampoos have better lubricity and encapsulation, and why add new/additional marring?



Note that any solvent residue will *REALLY* mess up clay, so make sure it`s evaporated 100% or been wiped perfectly clean before claying.



The way I suspect that most people clay, the clay will remove, or at least compromise, any LSP anyhow. Whether that *should* be the result of normal claying is, uhm...debatable :think:

[Saleenman607]

What happens when you don`t strip the wax/sealant before polishing?





IME I have done both with different polishes. Some gum up, some don`t. I qualify that statement by saying I ALWAYS do a test spot to determine the proper polish/pad combo to use. Why start the entire vehicle only to find out you need a lesser/more abrasive polish, when it only takes a few minutes for a test spot.

[MichaelM]

What happens when you don`t strip the wax/sealant before polishing?



Try it for yourself. After you have the paint prepped and ready for polishing, wax a small section then polish it and an unwaxed section next to it. Nothing will happen, the abrasives and solvents in the polish will tear right through any microscopic wax or sealant layer. Polish gumming is more likely caused by something other then wax contamination.

[GS4_Fiend]

THank you guys for your inputs.