Is Polish Over Wax Wise? Where Does Clay Come In?

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TomBrooklyn

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1. Is it a good idea to use a polish product on top of wax?

2. Also, I want to clay the vehicle if we get a break in the weather. How and where would that best fit in, in terms of doing it before polishing, or after, etc?

Notes on 1: I've waxed a vehicle a couple of times recently with basic Turtle Cleaner Wax; but I read on these forums that polish lasts a lot longer. And wax doesn't seem to last very long. I'd like to get through the rest of the winter here in NYC and northern PA without having to wax or polish any more. So I'm wondering if I can put polish on the vehicle now that has already been waxed.

I've got an old can of NAPA Blue Max Shield one step polymer car coating laying around. I wonder if using that would work OK.

Notes on 2: I didn't know about claying until I started reading these forums recently. I'd seen the product on store shelves, but didn't know what it was for. But I've also run my hand over the freshly waxed vehicle and felt a lot of roughness. I was wondering why that was and how to fix it.
 
Clay >> Polish >> Seal.

Always in that order. If you clay, you have to polish.
 
Polish is a fine compound with abrasives. It will remove any wax on your car and leave the paint exposed to the elements. It needs to be topped with wax or sealant.

You might be confusing polish with sealant, which is a protectant that typically lasts months.

If you want to use both sealant and wax, layer the wax over the sealant.
 
DogRescuer said:
What is this " you have to polish " that I don't agree with, Theresa ton of what ifs.
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The process of claying is aggressive and causes marring. I would never suggest claying to someone (especially someone that doesn't have a lot of experience) without some sort of polishing following.
 
brettS4 said:
You might be confusing polish with sealant, which is a protectant that typically lasts months.
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Hi brett, and all.

I think I was confused and wrote polish when I meant sealant, as you say.


-So my question ought to have been: Can I put sealant over the wax? I already have the wax down.


- If I am able to get to claying, which is questionable for now due to the winter weather, can I clay directly over the waxed surface?


allenk4 said:
Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides
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OK. I checked that flowchart. So if I do get to clay, it seems then I go to polish, then sealant, and then wax if I want that extra shine. How does that sound?
 
I believe sealant generally won't bond with wax. If you want to put on sealant you'll need to strip off the wax.

Claying is always the first step (after washing). The point is to rub the clay across the paint to let it grab any dirt or contaminant particles that the wash didn't get off. It smoothes out the paint so you can polish better.

After claying, some people wash the car again. Usually if your clay lube leaves any residue. But it's an optional step.

If your paint is in excellent shape with no swirls, you can go straight to sealant or wax. But usually that's not going to be the case. I personally always polish after claying.

The full detail process isn't too hard to follow once you understand each step.

1. Wash to remove the obvious dirt
2. Clay (with optional wash after) to remove the unseen grit
3. Compound (optional) if you have hard paint and bad swirls/scratches
4. Polish/glaze (optional) to remove any haze from compounding, minor swirls or to get a glossy shine
5. Sealant
6. Wax

You can do both 5 and 6 or just one of them. If you do both, do them in that order.

If you want to clay or polish, you'll need to do the sealant/wax steps after. You can't do just 2, 3 or 4 without protecting it with 5 and/or 6.

Make sense?
 
Your process sounds good but here is my 02 cents
You dont always have to polish after claying...it depends on the clay type u use. Medium and heavy clay will leave marring behind that will need to be polished out. Fine clay will not leave marring
But imo any type of claying will remove waxes and expose the paint. In that case you will be better off apllying sealant followed by a layer of wax to provide added protection and shine
 
hudson2302 said:
Your process sounds good but here is my 02 cents
You dont always have to polish after claying...it depends on the clay type u use. Medium and heavy clay will leave marring behind that will need to be polished out. Fine clay will not leave marring
But imo any type of claying will remove waxes and expose the paint. In that case you will be better off apllying sealant followed by a layer of wax to provide added protection and shine
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Even fine clay can, and very likely will, lightly mar the paint... no matter how careful you are. Clay is essentially a malleable, super-fine abrasive. I don't offer any services that include a clay treatment without at least an AIO following.
 
Nicholas@Autowerx said:
Even fine clay can, and very likely will, lightly mar the paint... no matter how careful you are. Clay is essentially a malleable, super-fine abrasive. I don't offer any services that include a clay treatment without at least an AIO following.
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Hmmm...next time i clay i might have to inspect my paint closer...youre probably right i use xmt after i clay so thats peobably why i dont see it
 
brettS4 said:
Make sense?
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Yes, I see now. Thanks.

To do all those steps it seems I will have to confine myself to just a few panels at a time, so I have enough time to complete the whole sequence of steps.
 
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