(S) T-Cut or Clay bar?

Hi chaps,

Right. I have a few paint issues with my car I want to finally resolve, nothing too serious I hope (think its an obsession now[}:)]). The shine of the car is great (should be after all the Merguiars products I've thrown at it recently) but quite a bit of the car does'nt have completely smooth paintwork to the touch.

There has probably been a spray job done on the car before I got it;). It not obvious but there are arrears of what was originally thought to be tree sap that is really overspray (as far as I can tell).

I've never really used T-Cut before but there was an arrear on the back bumper that had an almost sticky feel to it. I put a few drops of T-Cut to the arrear (a bit of pressure to the cloth) and its nearly all gone and the finish is very clean.

A clay bar (well Merguiars clay bar) has been recommended to me to remove "crap" from the surface of the paint and give a glass like finish but I was wondering if anyone had done this before and how it affects the paint?

Would it be easier and safer to T-Cut the whole car? Does T-Cutting the car remove much of the paint (there a corner of the bonnet that some red paint came off with T-Cut but a body shop has now said that its been "touched up").

Also what would remove swirl marks? T-Cut?

Thanks



2001 Seicento Sporting Micheal Schumacher Ltd Edition