Need help with the order of applying products

[phillywalz]

Hi all,
I bought my PC about 3 months ago and was raring to use it but our harsh winter stopped me. So I finally got a chance to use it. But anyways...This is the order which I did apply my work and was unhappy with the results, and need help,
1. Washed
2. Clayed
3. Meguairs Ultimate Compound
4. Ultimate Polish
5. Ultimate Wax
5. Wolfgang Spray Sealer Glaze.

My intentions was to remove some of the swirls in the paint which I thought I accomplished but found that the swirls increased. I was not aware from the videos that I had to prep the pads (apply product over the entire pad) before starting each application. What I did was use the technique from the videos using the "X" pattern and it seems that the pad was not saturated enough when I looked around.
Now, can I just start entire process all over again or could I skip some steps like washing and claying? Now that I know how to prep the pad I think I will do much better.
Any thoughts?

[phillywalz]

BTW the reason I did not post the pictures as you can see I have a light colored car and the swirls did not come through in the pics. To a regular guy/gal they can not tell but I can.

[jslym777]

you do not need to clay the car again. i would, however, wash it using a little bit of dawn soap or apc added to your soap bucket. remember to do small sections, overlapping passes and take your time with a little pressure when using the compound. what type of pads and what size pads are you using?

[James K]

How long ago did you clay and wash the car? You should not have to worry about Claying again, but definitely wash the car before you do anything else.

[phillywalz]

I have white cutting, megs soft yellow, LC, orange, black, blue, and red

[jslym777]

what size?

[phillywalz]

5.5

[jslym777]

which pad did you use with the ultimate compound?

[phillywalz]

with the compund I used the orange pad. Do think I should go a little more aggessive?

[jslym777]

no stay with the orange pad... ultimate compound has a longer working time. and dont be afraid to apply a little pressure when using the compound. dont crush the car but put a little pressure on the polisher so you can hear the vibrations slow just a bit. and make sure your passes arent too quick. is your white pad a LC pad? if it is, id use that for the ultimate polish.

[S2K]

I think Mike's best advice in this situation is to do a "test spot" and use the "least aggressive" method needed. Tape off an 18" X 18" section and start with your least aggressive product and step it up if needed, but work that area until you get the results you want, then move on to the rest of the paint duplicating what you did on the "test spot". That way you don't waste time and product doing the entire paint only to find out you need to start over.