Glaze?

Is a glaze somthing that will add material? I dont want a polish I just need somthing that will make it shine without taking anything away as the clearcoat is very thin it seems.

A glaze such as Mothers' Sealer & Glaze will add depth in that it also has fillers (not sure of the technical term) to help hide spiderwebbing and defects. It would be an ideal product. Use a product like their Pure Carnauba Wax afterwards to protect.

Those are actually steps 2 and 3 of their Ultimate Wax System. Use a clay bar and step 1, Pre-Wax Cleaner beforehand unless you're really worried about the clearcoat.

What year/model car, and color are we talking about?

Why do you think the clear is thin?

95' caracas red VR4, it just looks like its been in the sun way too long no mater how many time I wax it it keeps coming back quickly especialy on the rear spoiler. Its not shiny and I dont think the clearcoat is very thick or its worn away some. The underlying paint is still nice and red though. Ohh and the texture looks kinda like parafin wax once its hard.

Also will clay bar take off little sap things from a hemlock? Its got that crap all over it, little dots about 1mm wide and theyre black so you see them.

If it's a non-metallic color, it's quite possible you don't even have a clearcoat.

If you're getting a lot of red on your applicator when you apply a polish, you've got no clearcoat. If you get a lot of red when you're applying a pure wax (no polishes/cleaners), you've certainly got no clearcoat, and you've likely got a fair amount of oxidation and/or failing paint.

A clay bar would be ideal for removing small dots of sap, but you might try mineral spirits. Of course, claying is a good idea regardless, but for excessive sap, use mineral spirits before you clay.

You're in risky territory, but you're better of protecting what you've got than just letting it oxidize away.

I'd probably...

- Wash it really good with a quality car wash.
- Detail the rubber and plastic trim with a Protectant or a restorative product like Back-to-Black (this avoids product staining as well as the obvious).
- Use the mineral spirits to remove the larger areas of sap (the sap will prematurely contaminate the clay, so it's a trade-off on time/money).
- Clay (I like the Mothers clay).

At this point I'd try one or more of the following...

- The Carnauba Cleaner Wax in the Mothers clay kit (which may be a tad aggressive but it might be worth a try on a panel to see how it reponds); or
- Sealer & Glaze followed by Pure Carnauba Wax (I like the paste).

Either route, I'd maintain it often with a product like FX Spray Wax for protection... you can do it after you wash the vehicle and as you dry it so it's not such a chore.