Still polish before coating even on good panels

[Texchappy]

I did a very light polish on my wife’s hood this evening even though I couldn’t see any marring under any light angles. I decided to anyway before I put on CQuartz Lite. Was wondering if I have other panels like that, do you think I ‘need’ to polish at all?

[dwaleke]

I would always polish before coating.

Helps ensure maximum durability of the coating.

[57Rambler]

In order to ensure optimal bonding to the surface, always remove any sealant, wax, polish residue(s), etc., before coating anything.

If you have a sealant on the surface you will have to polish to remove that, so you might as well go ahead and correct the finish anyways before coating. You can save a little time/effort here by adjusting the level of correction that you do, esp. for a DD.

Do a wipe down with a surface prep product before coating as well, irregardless of whether or not you do any paint correction first.

[Mike Phillips]

This,

I would always polish before coating.

Helps ensure maximum durability of the coating.

Plus polishing perfects the paint and maximizes gloss.

[TTQ B4U]

I would. As Mike notes, it will help maximize the gloss that the coating will help to enhance and lock-in. I would recommend their Essence Product. It's excellent. Really amps up the gloss and helps prep the surface. It also lays down a base coat of product and helps a lot in terms of removing their coatings more easily.