Is a wash a must....

[SpinsB]

Found some light swirls in my paint and want to try out some swirlX and some new polish I have. My car is clean other than that. Infact just a day ago I wiped it down with UQD so its not like it needs a wash. My question is can I skip the wash and just start claying to remove most of the wax to apply swirlx after claying or is washing a must??

[Murr1525]

Re: Is a wash a must....

You may want to QD again if it is dusty.

[the_invisible]

Re: Is a wash a must....

If your car was kept in the garage without being driven in the past couple of days, then you can probably get away without washing it.

However, if it was driven, and you do not feel like washing it, clean the area to be polished using a wet microfiber towel.

[SpinsB]

Re: Is a wash a must....

nice. More than likely I will wash it just b/c but for future I will make a note of it. What about the aggresivness betwen swirlx and d151. I picked up a sample of d151 from ads and have been wanting to try it.

[Murr1525]

Re: Is a wash a must....

SwirlX is a mild cleaner/polish, with defect removal ability.

D151 is a strong cleaner/wax, probably a bit stronger than SwirlX. I forget if it was Tim or Joe that said 151 can be a bit tough to use by hand.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Is a wash a must....

I would at the very least give a uqd treatment.
As for what product would be better. Try a test spot with each. See what gives you the results you desire. Then you have your prescription.

[SpinsB]

Re: Is a wash a must....

What I dont want todo is induce scratches. Start with swirlx see what I get and if not what I want move to d151? I will be doing this with a DA

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is a wash a must....

If you're only doing spot work then a wipe down with QD should be just fine. If your intent is to machine polish the entire vehicle then a full wash may be in order if it hasn't been washed in a week or so. But if you've been regularly wiping the car down with QD and you're confident that the paint is very clean, including along the windows, panel gaps, lights, etc then you could get away with a thorough QD of the entire vehicle before starting. It really is going to be a judgment call on your part since none of us can personally evaluate the vehicle.

[SpinsB]

Re: Is a wash a must....

Stoops swoops he scores, lol I was hoping you would chime in. Looks like to be safe I will be washing before I get started

[dreamps]

Re: Is a wash a must....

let us know the results between 151 and swirlx!!! im using swirlx and was also considering 151! take pics please!!! thanks

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is a wash a must....

SpinsB, as mentioned in the other post, side by side test spots of the two products would be interesting for you to test, and for others to see the results. Pictures, as always, would be nice.

[Caress Detailing]

Re: Is a wash a must....

Michael has hit the nail on the head again, in particular to the windows, gaps, lights etc.

Because if any dirt from the rest of the car gets on your pad while you're buffing, you could just be making things worse on the paint.

Personally, I think going over the whole car with QD would be just fine though.

[SpinsB]

Re: Is a wash a must....

I will b starting tonight. I will get pics just hope I can get some good ones to show results. Is the blue painters tape alright to us on my hood? I have always assumed it was cause I always see blue tape used in other pics on MOL

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is a wash a must....

When using tape to mask off areas on a vehicle it is best to stay with a high quality painters tape, with the 3M blue or green being the tape of choice for almost everyone. Stay away from plain old tan masking tape as the adhesive tends to be a bit too aggressive.