can you skip step #1(paint cleaner) and go straight to polish after you clay the car? it states it removes swirls and oxidation. i have very fine swirls all over the car, doesn't polish take care of that?
thanks

 

I believe so. It really depends on how abused your paint is at time. If you have big swirl marks then use the mild abrasive cleaner. If the paint is in pristine condition, skip it and use the paint cleaner the next time around.

I sometimes do the two step Meguiar's with the Paint Cleaner and then use the CleanerWax Polish and I am done. The CleanerWax is really Glaze and Wax.

 

I think cleaner wax is more polish with wax in one. Cleaner wax is supposed to be a bit more abrasive to clean the paint and some people use it as a first try to remove very minor scratches. Polish usually contains fillers that will "remove" scratches, and glaze brings out shine. The wax also lasts for a shorter period of time if it is a cleaner wax.

Anyway, to the original poster... I've never used the three step system by Meguiar's, but claying is the most important part of cleaning your paint as far as I am concerned. If you did a good job with that, you don't really need a cleaner and I'm not sure how well the one you're talking about would get rid of swirls. You should probably pick up a swirl remover and apply that before polishing. I'm one of those people that believes you can never completely remove swirls, but by following up with a good wax you can get rid of them as best as you can. Either way, try using the polish and see what the results are. If you're happy with it, then don't bother with the cleaner.