JARblue

Claying removes embedded contaminants from the clear coat surface giving you a clean surface for applying wax. No polish necessary. If you follow demi-god Junkman's tutorials and touch your car without creating swirl marks, then you should need to polish very infrequently. Don't touch your car until you have spent a few days watching all his videos. Junkman knows all.

Scratches and acidic liquids like bird crap or bug guts etch into the clear coat beyond just the surface. The purpose of polishing is to cut into the clear coat layer enough so the scratch or etching is no longer visible - think of it like using very fine grit sandpaper to even out a surface like wood or drywall. I use a rubbing compound first that has more bite or cut to it. Then I finish with a polishing compound before waxing. I like to do this by hand because there is only so much of the clear coat layer. A machine will eat through the clear coat much faster, so imagine if you used a machine to polish every time you clay and wax the car (I know some people that wax every few weeks).

I use Adam's Liquid Sealant (great longevity) and Adam's Brilliant Glaze. The glaze is not durable at all and goes best under a wax anyway, so I like to top it with Adam's Buttery Wax. But the liquid sealant has to go on first so I can properly bond with the fresh paint surface. The buttery wax is not near as durable as the liquid sealant, but the finish with all three combined is spectacular.

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