Anyone have experience using a sealant after clay baring their car?

I've always used a clay bar but this is the first time I've heard of using a sealant. Any idea of how to use it?

Do I use the clay bar first, sealant, then polish/wax? Or is it to replace the polish/wax? Is there something better than sealant that I should consider?

Any direction would be great guys.

 

clay bar is usually after washing

it will remove all sealant and/or wax that you put on the car. polish comes after claying but before sealing

top your sealant off with a nice wax, and you should be good to go

 

First, polish and wax are different. Second, the proper procedure is:

Wash
Claybar
Polish (if necessary)
Wax/Seal

 

wait is it wax then seal or seal then wax? I would imagine its the first one?

As for the sealant, how does it go on? Does it come in a spray or paste like wax?

 

wash
clay
polish
wax
seal

Almost all pro grade waxes and sealants are liguid. Some LSP's (last stage processes) are semi-solid and applied with bare hands instead of foam.

 

awesome thanks guys!

 

Actually you're supposed to seal then wax as most sealants available these days won't bond to a waxed surface (considering we're using the terms in that sealant is something like Meg's 21 or KSG and wax is a carnauba based wax)

 

As was said, sealants don't replace polish (in a way some waxes do because they hide defects so polishing is skipped, but polishing is permanently correcting the paint) but you can replace a wax with a sealant... you can also layer a wax on top of a sealant... I usually apply 2-3 coats of Klasse Sealant Glaze to my M3 then layer it monthly with P21S Concours paste wax.

 

That's interesting. So if I clay bar the car then use a polish, I can use a sealant after? The sealant will bond to the polish?

How many layers of sealant on average do you put? 2 - 3? I'm guessing that depends on how glossy you want it.

 

First of all, sealant won't be bonding to polish per say... polish isn't applied, it's used to remove swirl marks and other scratches... basically you'll be using the polish, then it will 'disappear'... yes some of the oils are left over, and it's recommended to use a paint cleaner such as Klasse AIO, zymol HD cleanse, or a isopropyl alcohol wipedown in order to remove these oils and leave a clean finish for a sealant or wax to bond to, but if used properly, polishes shouldn't leave much and I've never had any bonding issues even after using KLasse on top of Meguiar's polishes, which tend to have more lubricating oils than others... so in short, the sealant will bond to the very light light if any oils left by the polish, but it's not like you're layering the sealant on top of the polish because the polish gets used up while polishing... hope I didn't confuse you even more... if I did let me know and I'll explain better haha

As for layering, it's not soo much about the gloss as it is about durability... I use at least 2 coats just to ensure proper coverage (I usually apply 1 coat 1 way, for example up/down on vertical panels and front/back on horizontal, then 2nd coat the other way, so front/back on vertical panels and side/side on horizontal)... you might notice a small difference in gloss but as I said, it's the durability that increases with additional layers.