Do you always clay before you polish?

svtcobra said:
In regards to my specific car 03 Cobra I do not clay bar it, but just start off with polish.
I only do this because it's never really parked outside and never driven in snow/rain.

Would anyone else recommend I start off with a clay bar on the Cobra?

In regards to my 00 Lincoln LS I would definitely start off with a clay bar because it's parked outside and been driven through Chicago winters.
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The best way to tell if claying would be benefical is to wash the car normally then feel the paint with your hand. If you can feel little bumps or grit and the paint isn't perfectly smooth then its ready for clay.
 
ok, question here. i have washed my car and dried it, and ran my bare fingers across the paint and it was smooth as glass. Then, I tried the bag test and it was totally different. The surface of my car was not smooth with the bag test. I didnt feel any "snags" so to speak, but the surface felt bumpy.

Now, are the bumps im feeling CAUSED by the bag, or is the bag allowing me to feel something that you cant feel with your bare hand?
 
sd37 said:
ok, question here. i have washed my car and dried it, and ran my bare fingers across the paint and it was smooth as glass. Then, I tried the bag test and it was totally different. The surface of my car was not smooth with the bag test. I didnt feel any "snags" so to speak, but the surface felt bumpy.

Now, are the bumps im feeling CAUSED by the bag, or is the bag allowing me to feel something that you cant feel with your bare hand?
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The plastic bag MAGINFIES the contaminants. You are exactly right... it allows you to feel the bumps you can't feel with your bare hand. Time to clay.:wink:

This is a picture of the claybar I used last week on a perfectly smooth and clean white car. This picture was taken right after I washed and dried the car.

IMG_2313.jpg
 
i recently 5-stepped (clay,intensive polish,final polish II, finishing glaze, FMJ) my wifes sequoia ltd and it was in BAD shape. not like the worst pics from here but bad enough(pics coming). i couldnt imagine not doing the clay. having said that, i plan on putting another couple coats of FMJ on it in a few weeks.

knowing that, what would you experts recommend on doing before i put more FMJ on it? obviously a wash/dry, but after that, which step? claying then wax?
 
goathead said:
i recently 5-stepped (clay,intensive polish,final polish II, finishing glaze, FMJ) my wifes sequoia ltd and it was in BAD shape. not like the worst pics from here but bad enough(pics coming). i couldnt imagine not doing the clay. having said that, i plan on putting another couple coats of FMJ on it in a few weeks.

knowing that, what would you experts recommend on doing before i put more FMJ on it? obviously a wash/dry, but after that, which step? claying then wax?
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Claying will be counterproductive if you want to simply add another layer of wax... just wash it well, quick detail after/during drying, then apply the wax.
 
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