[SSport16]

Originally Posted by Joe M 2012 2SS

It's always best to do a strip wash before polishing to remove any old sealant or wax from the surface.

You want your polish to be working on the paint, and if not removed, old stuff on the surface can clog the pad quickly, keeping the polish from doing it's job, and with Essence, keep it from bonding to the paint properly.

As far as claying that depends on what your car has been exposed to since your last polish/seal. Check the paint with the baggie test to be sure no contaminates are present. The horizontal areas generally get more bonded contaminates on them, so you may only need to do these areas.

While you can use wax on top of Reload, I've found that it diminishes the hydrophobic effect somewhat. Glazes, soaps with gloss enhancers, and some detail sprays with gloss enhancers really diminish it a lot.

The hydrophobic effect from Reload will sheet water extremely well, and also keep dirt from sticking as much. This makes cleaning easier and safer.

I like using the EcH20/Reload mix to boost or detail on top of Reload, works real well and it keeps Reload intact while working like it should.