RocketDawg

if you're going to use polish, such as Menzerna Intensive followed by Final Finish, prior to waxing? Seems to me like the polish should remove all the things that the clay bar does.

spdkilz911

The clay bar cleans the paint and gets it ready for polish. The polish is harder to apply and remove if you skip the clay bar. I thought the same thing years ago and found out it took twice the time to polish when skipping the clay bar step. I tried the nano pad on the porter cable and used the bar for the tight areas. The pad worked great and saved some time.

RocketDawg

Do you use the nanoskin pad like you do a clay bar, i.e., with detail spray or soapy water as a lubricant?

cegusa

I've used a Nanoskin with soapy water and also with detail spray. Better results with detail spray on my end.

Snowwolfe

It might remove them, but do you really want all those contaminants on the buffer pad twirling around at high speed possibly scratching every inch of the paint?

spdkilz911

I used detail spray. Soapy water is cheaper but I get better results with the detail spray. The detail spray also does not leave any residue.

CheckeredFlag

Some companies (Meguiar's for one) make a "Cleaner" wax


In their 3 step process you use the Cleaner wax, then polish, then wax.


I've tried the plastic bag test (You know what I'm talking about ?) after using the cleaner wax, and my results seemed to be the same as when I've tried the clay bar.

envyz06

A problem is those embedded contaminates can get stuck in your pads and create worse damage. 30 minutes to clay before a polish is worth it.

KBsToy

May I suggest also that you use a product like Iron X after wash before claying, this will help get out the contaminants that are in the paint.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

Iron-X and Claying are both quite valid steps in car care, especially for those specializing in each step for the best of finishes.

Wash --) Iron-X --) Clay --) Polish (multi-step) --) Protect

jedblanks

An un-clayed car is like woman with unshaven legs.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

msp1055

I have been using clay bars since 1996 when a dealer friend gave me a bar to get the "train dust" off a white car that would not wash off. Its always one of my steps when detailing a car.