As the title says, is it necessary to clay the paint before performing any compounding or polishing?

Alex

 

yes. you want the surface as clean as possible.

 

If your talking about machine compounding and/or polishing, (compounding indicates serious paint removal), it wouldn't be necessary.

If being done by hand, then I would certainly agree it's the best way to get the surface contaminants removed BUT it's always suggested that you use the least aggressive method first to see if you can get the desired result. You want to remove the least amount of your finish that necessary..

- cleaner wax (very light polish)
- clay
- polish
- compound
- wet-sand

 

Yea, as long as your taking the time to polish your
G you may as well do it right the first time. Claying
will remove the crud on your paints surface. Now you can wash, clean and wax your car for a complete
job.......don't forget the tires.

 

Yes, I will be using the Porter Cable for polishing. So as you suggested, I will skip the claying .

Thanks for your info.
Alex

 

Yes.

Even on new cars, contaminants find a funny way of latching onto the surface.

Clay will *pull* the brake dust, rail dust, IFO, rust dots, tree sap, and other harmful contaminants from your surface.

IMO, it is a quintessential step in detailing.

 

I will clay then polish! Give you guys results later tonight with pictures!

Alex

 

I'm sure Sean meant this, but just fwiw clay doesn't pull anything. It abrades anything above the layer of the paint.

But yes, it is definitely a step you want to keep in, imo. If you are polishing often you can skip it; however claying once/twice a year is always a good idea.