I''m no professional detailer but I learned alot from ppl in here and I would say grab your self the following and check out youtube for techniques and how to's. Autoality is a great place to get a membership to for detailing supplies. Detailing becomes an addiction if you invest in the equipment though. The prices are cheaper on most things with the discount and you can buy in bulk if you desire. Customer service is also really good.
List:
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Two Buckets with grit guards
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Dawn dish soap or some type of car wash soap that is meant for stripping waxes/sealants.
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DA polisher. I use a griots garage one.
LINK
Amazon.com: Griot's Garage 10813STDCRD 6" Random Orbital Polisher with 10' Cord: Automotive
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Microfiber cutting pads to get rid of heavy defects
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Green/Blue Polishing Pads - for light defects.
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HD Adapt -Can be used for cutting and polishing so it's easier to work with for beginners imo
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Masking tape for trim
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Isopropyl Alcohol diluted to wipe down after you apply HD adapt and to check for remaining defects
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Good Lighting to check for remaining defects/swirls. This is something that alot of people overlook.
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Small brush to clean detailing pads
: Your choice of wax or sealant. I use Sonax Polymer net shield bc it gives a good shine and is very hydrophobic. My car is a daily driver that sits out though so I am more concerned about protecting the paint than maintaining. depth/clarity.
What I did in order when I did mine:
1. Washed car with dawn to remove sealant/wax
2. Dryed car with leaf blower to prevent swirls
3. clay barred car
4. masked trim. (most compounds will haze your trim so you want to make sure it's masked well.)
5. Went over one section at a time with HD adapt and microfiber cutting pads on my griots garage to remove heavy defects. Here is a video for some pointers. Chemical guys have some good beginner type videos. There are other videos out there on youtube.
6.Wiped down with diluted IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) to remove haze left from compound.
7. Used lighting to check paint condition
8. Worked area again with HD adapt and Green/blue pads on griots garage to remove rest of small defects/micromarring left by the cutting pads.
9.Applied diluted IPA again to remove haze.
10.Rewashed car with your choice of premium car wash. I used some type of chemical guys car wash. Don't remember the name at the moment.
11. Dryed with leaf blower to remove most of water and prevent water spots/swirls from towel drying. Used detailing spray and a clean soft microfiber to dry rest of water left over.
12. Apply your choice of wax or sealant. I use Sonax polymer net shield. Video of what I believe is vadergt's old subaru with it. The sheeting is amazing.
Some other hints:
-When applying compound to the pads, don't use too much or it will sling everywhere and cause a mess and waste your product. On the other hand, too little and it won't be enough to work the paint sufficiently. I use about 5 pea sized drops once the pads been pre-lubricated.
-Clean pads with stiff pad cleaning brush often. They get caked up often.
-Most importantly, take your time and enjoy the results.
Some pics of my car and my wifes after I was done.
My car after correction
Stock headlight before and after
