Originally Posted by midlife chrysler
...a last-minute check...Bascially, what (I think) I want to do is wash the car (Gold Class - maybe), dry it (right?), clay bar (Mother's system), polish it with Meg's swirl remover 2.0 (White Lake Country pad on PC 7424XP), wax it with Meg's Hi-Teck Yellow wax (Lake Country Blue pad)...the rest of the detialing of wheels, glass, initerior, etc. I think I have down...
One question,though - do I want to wash it instead with Dawn or like soap to remove the wax before I clay bar and polish?
No, that actually causes more harm. The dawn takes vital oils that may still be left as well as puts a haze on the clearcoat. I would use the Gold Class and go from there. If possible, put a second coat of wax on about 8 hours after the first. I like Mequires NXT 2.0 and I put it on, leave it on overnight so ALL beneficial ingrediants from the wax totally get to adhere to the paint so you don't rub some of it away during the "normal" waxing routine.