Polish before waxing - do I need to every time?

[mossyoakglock]

Do I need to polish every time I wax my truck? I want to get the most shine out of the paint each time I wax but I also don’t always have the time to polish before. I always clay the truck before though.

I have been using UP but I also purchased some Pinnacle Polish that I haven’t tried yet. I’ll follow-up with either UW or Pinnacle Sovereign. How does UP compare the Pinnacle?

My second question on the polish is between UP and #7. From what I read the UP has cleaners and will remove defects where #7 is purely a polish with no cleaning abilities. If I don’t have any defects or blemishes to remove, will the #7 be ok to use followed by a wax? If I do have a few defects (might have one or two on the hood) I will likely use UP on those parts and then wax.

So, is it ok to use #7 if I’m not doing any paint correction? Which offers better protection? UP or #7?
The truck stays in the garage nightly other than over the weekends we hunt. It is a 2008 Silverado in Graystone Metallic.


Below is a picture of my truck from the other day. It's not the best picture because it was overcast and it rained a little that morning so the truck was a little dirty but I think you can get an idea of what kind of condition the paint is in.

[brettS4]

I personally would polish after every claying, which I do twice a year. Otherwise, I don't polish any more often but I wax about 6 times a year.

[chet31]

^ Agreed, I only polish after I clay, and I only clay twice a year. I also only wax (with a DA) twice a year, but I'll use ONR w/ wax regularly. You can wax any time you want, you don't need to clay or polish beforehand.

[Eldorado2k]

You certainly don't need to polish prior to each application of wax.. You're likely to have to clay more often than you'll need to polish. After washing & drying your truck [just before waxing] you should do the baggie test on your paint, if it feels rough then you know it needs a clay and unless you marr the paint while claying then you can go straight to waxing.

Clay marring looks almost like little water spots, or better yet little cheetah spots on your paint and can be easily seen [use a light to get a closer look] However clay marring is more rare than most people would lead you to believe and unless your paint is uncommonly soft, or your claying technique is brutally aggressive, then you shouldn't have to worry about it, which in turn means you don't have to worry about needing to polish before applying your wax.

I apply sealant maybe 4 times a year. And as long as I remember to to do it every 4 months I never have to clay, I also rarely ever polish my own car these days, maybe once a year if that.

[TMQ]

"Do I need to polish every time I wax my truck? I want to get the most shine out of the paint each time I wax but I also don’t always have the time to polish before. I always clay the truck before though."

Absolutely not.

Compounding and polishing is "correction work". If the shine is not there or scratches are bothering you---break out the polishes. Otherwise, just clean and protect. (Waxes or sealant).

Tom

[FUNX650]

Do I need to polish every time I wax
my truck? I want to get the most shine
out of the paint each time I wax but I
also don’t always have the time to polish
before. I always clay the truck before though.

•I personally don't polish my vehicles,
every time, before I wax them.

•However:
-Since I don’t know of all of the contaminating
circumstances your truck goes through between
waxing sessions...YMMV.

My second question on the polish is
between UP and #7. From what I read
the UP has cleaners and will remove
defects where #7 is purely a polish with
no cleaning abilities.

•In a nutshell:
-That’s pretty much the case.

If I don’t have any defects or blemishes to
remove, will the #7 be ok to use followed
by a wax?

•It will be OK; but using 3M Imperial Hand
Glaze (IHG), instead, will be much, much
better, IMO.

If I do have a few defects (might have one
or two on the hood) I will likely use UP on
those parts and then wax.

•“Test Spot” to see if UP will remove
the defects = good plan.

So, is it ok to use #7 if I’m not doing
any paint correction? Which offers
better protection?
UP or #7?

•I still recommend 3M IHG, instead of #7.

•Better protection?
-UP; #7; nor 3M IHG...offers any
protection. They must be followed
with an LSP application.


Bob

[mossyoakglock]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm going to check out the 3M. I've never seen in locally so I'll probably have to order it. But, between #7 and UP which do you think produces a better shine? Throwing another polish in the mix since I already have it but what about Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish between the two (I haven't used it yet).

I will probably only wax my truck in the next few weeks since I don't really have the time do a full clay/polish/wax now that hunting season is here and we spend most of our weekends in the woods. I'll save the full polish/wax for the spring or after hunting season. We also have a '76 MGB that needs more attention that my truck right now too.