Brand new vehicle.....wax or polish?

We are picking up a brand new CX50 Hybrid tomorrow.

I plan to use iron/fallout remover and then clay mitt the car after the initial first wash.

Being brand new paint, would you then wax (Id use Megs ultimate with g9 buffer and orange pad) or should I use a product that has more polishing ability? (In this case I have Griots 3 in 1 liquid polish/wax).

My gut tells me polish would not be needed, unless I identify some imperfections and that Megs Ultimate with an orange pad would clean/polish/deepen brand new paint enough.

But I would love to hear opinions from those with more auto detail experience.

 

If you use that clay mitt you will have to polish first.

 

even paint off the lot will need some sort of correction.

 

As has been stated.....even new cars typically have some paint defects......which are usually caused by dealership detailers. Doing a chemical and mechanical decontamination is a good thing. A light polish may be all that is needed....but, by all means, do a test spot first to see what product/pad combo will give you the results you are looking for.

So you know....Meguiars Ultimate Wax is not a wax....its a polymer based sealant. The Griots 3 in 1 liquid polish/wax will leave carnuba based protection.....typically does not last as long as either a polymer based or an SIO2 based sealant....but would give you some minor correction. If the orange pad you are referring to is a Griots orange pad......that is their correcting pad. They also have a yellow polishing pad which is a little less aggressive.

Keep in mind....removing imperfections means removing clearcoat......and it seems like the newer the car is, the thinner the clearcoat is.