Do I need to polish if using Clay & AIO prior to sealant coat?

[ShineMyCar]

I'm looking to do my first Clay / Klasse Twins / Collinite to protect car for Winter.

10 year old dark paint car, hasn't been waxed in 8 years, with little washing over past several years. Currently, the paint has nice gloss and shine when washed and with no sealant or wax. I plan to experiment with the above technique and product. Going to start on one panel for experimentation to learn how the products generally work and apply to the auto body.

I do not have a Polishing tool, so everything will be done by hand. Is it advisable to do a mild McGuiar's polish step after the Clay. Or will the Klasse AIO cleaner do the job that Polish will do chemically.

All of these steps will be first time for me, so looking to take baby steps and learn in the process.

Q: To hand polish.... or not to hand polish... ?

Thanks

[darkangelism]

When was it last polished? If it hasn't been waxed in 8 years it almost certainly needs to be polished.

[ShaunD]

Klasse AIO is non-abrasive as it doesn't use mechanical abrasives to polish but chemicals to clean and polish. It will make the paint paint looks worlds different but will not remove swirls like a modern swirl removing polish. It will clean the paint very well after claying and boost the gloss a lot. It is a quick product to use by hand IMO(I have used it on vehicles from a Suburban to VW Rabbit both dark gray paint) as you don't have to work it very long nor let it dry before removing to get great result. If you're paint is over ten years old then it has swirls and scratches that most AIOs, even if an abrasive polish AIO, won't completely remove. But, since your working by hand I would say Klasse AIO followed by Klasse sealant will be one of your better options. You can always hit up the really bad scratches with some Meg's Ulitmate Compound/Polish and then do KAIO. If you do top the Klasse with 845 I would wait 24-48hrs and then just test a spot to see if you like the results. and possibly wait a couple more days before doing the whole vehicle so you can see how the products are reacting to one another. I don't think 845 will really bond too well to klasse, that is why I am saying test it a bit before wasting wax and too much time. Klasse AIO on its own should last through winter for you, and with Klasse sealant topping AIO you should get 8+ months of protection.
Best detailing wishes.:)

[ShineMyCar]

Never been polished before. I plan to do a paint correction next summer, but with no buffer, I'll learn that after Winter rolls around. For now, just want the best paint by hand before I seal her up.

1) Should I polish ... after clay .... or before ?

2) Since I'm not correcting paint, I'm going to use the least aggressive polish. For Mothers or McGuiars, do you have a suggestion that I can pick up locally?

3) As far as technique, from watching Youtube videos, spread it around evenly and wipe with scratch proof cloth and use little pressure to wipe around in multiple directions.

* Would MF cloth be recommended for this or old cotton t-shirt?
* Am I missing anything in the technique.
* Do I need to worry about swirl patterns if using light pressure and hand buffing with least aggressive polish.

Thanks

[SON1C]

You're wasting your time polishing an entire car by hand
It needs to be polished so look into buying a da example griots or porter cable
You can use an aio if you want but itll need a compound and polish followed by a quality wax or sealant

[ShineMyCar]

If you're paint is over ten years old then it has swirls and scratches that most AIOs, even if an abrasive polish AIO, won't completely remove. But, since your working by hand I would say Klasse AIO followed by Klasse sealant will be one of your better options. You can always hit up the really bad scratches with some Meg's Ulitmate Compound/Polish and then do KAIO.

Planning on worrying about scratches next summer. So you suggesting I can get away just Klasse Twins and skip polish for now?

[SON1C]

Don't polish by hand.. Wasting time Effort and money
Just use a sealant to prevent any further damage until you do a full correction

[cplchris]

do a good prep wash, then claybar, then klasse sealant, then top that with wax, trying to polish by hand will be as others have said a waste of time, if your looking for a real good buffer i have the porter cable 7424xp and its awesome but for better correction i would suggest the flex xc3401 or makita bo6040, they are both a "forced rotation" DA which means they can correct heavier swirls and scratches than a normal DA but are more forgiving in the hands of a beginner such as yourself than a traditional rotary buffer

[RZJZA80]

Wash > Clay > Polish > AIO > Sealant/Wax

You can skip the polish if you want to, but it's what actually creates the gloss/shine of the paint, so I would always polish

[Becciasm]

If you're waiting on any paint correction until the summer, and just want to protect for the winter, then yes, wash, clay, kAIO for decontamination and to promote bonding of KSG, then KSG x 2 for a good protection plan. KAIO by hand is time consuming but will work well with KSG.. Maybe add IX in there before clay step for extra decontamination? if the car hasn't been waxed in 8 years there may exist more than a little fallout.. *shrug*

edit: agrees with Shaun D's suggestion.. :)

[ShineMyCar]

I'm gonna skip the polish and do the Claybar - Klasse Twins tonight and see how it goes.

Thanks for all the suggestions