Should I polish a fairly new car before waxing?

[jse67]

I agree with 986DTM. An all in one, such as HD Speed would make that paint "pop" and you would be surprised how good it would look.

[custmsprty]

Get some HD Speed and a orange Buff and Shine pads and stand back and admire your work.

[idriveblackcars]

Why not just use some sort of all in one? I don't even bother with doing much of a dedicated waxing step anymore. If you're going to be waxing by machine you may as well use an all in one and polish it at the same time. It's no extra work and you can still put some spray wax or something on top afterwards.

I agree. This imo is the perfect example of when a AIO would be used. The customer isn't looking to get every scratch out, yet the car would look a whole lot better after a light polish wax one step.

[FUNX650]

I'll start with the standard wash and
then clay and if I can skip the polish
I'll go straight to wax

Definitely going to clay.

I always plan on doing at least one
(light) polishing step whenever I clay.

Something else to keep in mind:
The ScratchX may not finish out to
your satisfaction: a follow-up step,
with the aforementioned (light) polish,
may be necessary. {While you're at it...
may as well (lightly) polish the rest of
the vehicle---IMO: that'll provide for a
more uniform look.}



Bob

[mossyoakglock]

I ended up doing a full polish using UP. I tried the Pinnacle but wasn't pleased with it but I also didn't have much time to experiment with it so I went with something I've used before and knew works. We have a '95 Wrangler whose paint is pretty neglected which will be my test vehicle for the Pinnacle Compound and Polish (previous owner used it as s dedicated trail rig so you can probably imagine the Mother Nature Pinstripe that is on it). I did use the Pinnacle Souveran which I did like. We'll see how well it holds up compared to the UW that I used on my truck.

I didn't have a chance to snap a picture since it was dark but I'll have her take on this morning in the sun. I think it turned out pretty well for a weekend novice.

[TMQ]

Custmsprty,

Buff and shine pads on a Rupes?

Tom

[JustJesus]

Personally, if it don't "need" polishing, I wouldn't do it. But keep in mind, if you clay the car, you may end up with some light marring.

That said, if I plan on a clay job, I also plan for a light polish to follow up the clay. (this also depends on what customer wants and/or pays for)