Before componnd

Through wash, then decontamination with clay or prep towel, or you can go even farther and use Iron X before you clay. I tape off trim, plastics, badges, etc just for safe measure.
 
At the very least, wash the paint and clay it.

You should also consider taping off any trim that could be damaged by the polishing procedure.

Although its not necessary, I like to wipe down the paint with either IPA or Gtech Panel Wipe to remove any oils, waxes, or chemicals that could interfere with the polishing process.
 
At the very least, wash the paint and clay it.

You should also consider taping off any trim that could be damaged by the polishing procedure.

Although its not necessary, I like to wipe down the paint with either IPA or Gtech Panel Wipe to remove any oils, waxes, or chemicals that could interfere with the polishing process.

Why is it necessary to clay, Isn't compounding going to do the same job
 
Why is it necessary to clay, Isn't compounding going to do the same job


"Claying" - is used to remove embedded contaminate from the paint before you polish / compound.

"Compounding" - Is to polish the paint to remove swirls & scratches.


I would not want to compound a vehicle that was still dirty because you would be grinding the dirt into the paint and creating more scratches.

 
Why is it necessary to clay, Isn't compounding going to do the same job

Not necessarily. One of the bigger risks in not claying first is that the contamination can sheer off and inflict scratching in the paint as you polish. The contaminant film can have a negative impact on the performance of your compound, ie - cause the abrasives to glue together, decreasing the finish quality while causing the pads to gum up.

In general it is best to clean the surface first by claying to ensure that you get the best performance from your compound and reduce the risk of creating swirl/scratches as you polish.
 
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