Polish (swirl removal) without claybar

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this is probably a stupid question, and I apologize for my ignorance (I use the excuse that I'm brand new at this) .. =P

can I shortcut and do wash then straight to polish with no claybar ?
I know you're supposed to claybar, and I might do it was just thinking if short on time can I just wash, polish, then paint sealant ?

thank you.
 
I'm sure millions of people do just what you described, but you just seal in whatever surface contaminants are on your paint that are not removed from washing/polishing alone.

If there are lots of contaminants on the paint and you don't remove them, you won't get the clarity or depth of shine that you'd get if those contaminants were removed.

Plus it makes it harder, once you do decide to clay, to get at the contaminants if they are under a layer of sealant/wax.
 
Working clean is the way to go. Those bonded contaminants can break free and cause additional damage to your paint.
 
You may introduce deep swirls if you dont get all the junk off the paint before polishing.
 
Pour some degreaser (ie. Castrol Super Clean) in your wash bucket. Pour about 2-3 oz in with a heavier amount of soap (I use a 3 gal mop bucket). Just did this on my last two details I did for my in laws and was amazed at how much it took off. My mother in laws is a 1999 Lexus RX300 that had never been clayed or anything. I didn't even need to clay it. That will def be part of my prewash from now on.
 
Iron-X, if left to dwell long enough (without drying of course) will remove most, if not all, of ferrous iron particles found on the paint and almost eliminate the need to clay. I would still recommend claying though to remove any specs of tree sap or road tar, especially from the lower panels.
 
As little time as it takes me, I never forget too decontaminate the paint before the next step.
 
thanks for all the replies, even though my answer should have been the obvoius already. =P
claybar should be a must, so I'll have to make the time.
 
I learned that the hard way. If you leave behind a nasty bit of debris you can end up with a tiny "pigtail" in the paint when you use your DA buffer. The tiny particle gets trapped in the pad and swirls around in a tiny circle as you go. I have done this to my own car once. Never again! :)
 
If you want to save time, you don't even need to wash the car...or polish it for that matter. Claying before polishing is the correct method. Check out the new towels that replace clay if you are in a hurry.
 
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