Ok, so we've covered the basic wash and clean so far. I have been recommending Meguiars products but I hate to sound like a broken record and if you have a product that you like better or that you want to try, by all means try it. Some paint will LOOOVE one product and other paint will only get so/so benefits from it. Meguiars is all around pretty good for most paint so thats another reason why I keep using it.
Ok, so onto the polish.
We are going to be polishing by hand to start out with. After some experience I would recommend going out and purchasing a polisher. You will get a MUCH better polish with an orbital polisher, but don't worry. you will still get a niiiiiice clean finish by hand as long as you do things right.
Don't just jump to a polish after you wash your car. Its easy to be impatient (believe me, I was) and just itching to get that paint shiny and glossy. you have to make sure your paint is clean. Thats why we go through the first two steps before polishing.
This is the polish I use
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Now, with this it is recommended that you get a slightly different applicator
It is a little gentler and will apply the polish very well. You can use a regular applicator pad with this product if you want though. It won't be the difference between a good job and a shitty job, but you will be able to tell a slight difference.
It's going to be the same old story with this, put some polish on the applicator pad and start with a section of your car. You want this stuff to sit for just a little bit. Maybe a few minutes after you are done applying it to the paint. there is no need to work it in super hard, the polish will come when you buff it out with your microfiber cloths. So to reiterate, apply the polish on an area and let it sit for about a minute. Take your microfiber cloth and buff out the area that you applied the polish. Go in circles with your cloth and you can press somewhat hard if you want. The polish is also designed to reduce the look of scratches so you don't run the risk of scratching your paint with a little too much force. Don't go conan the barbarian on it though.
Polish the rest of the car. If you so desire do it again, right after the first run through. at this step you can see the end of the tunnel so its hard for me to polish again, but if you want picture perfect don't skip the second run-through.
Wax
You're ALMOST DONE!!!!
I think this is the easiest step. Use a regular applicator pad and twist it around in the wax. Apply it to your car. Its hard to describe the amount that you want on your car. You will just get used to it by doing. the first time i did applied wax it looked good. Then after it dried and I tried to buff it off I discovered it was WAYYYYY too much and was really hard to buff out. again this will be a learn-by-doing step, but don't get intimidated b/c you can't screw it up, its just that if it is too thick, it will be hard to buff out.
Anyway, sorry about that tangent, you will be waxing your entire car at one time. the wax is supposed to dry. hopefully your car is still in the shade or in your garage. Apply and even coat of wax to your entire car. don't worry if you get it on the trim and stuff it won't hurt it, and you can clean it off later. I have had times where i get wax on parts of the car and its a b*tch to get off, but it has always come off in the end. after you apply wax to the whole car, make sure it has dried and come back with a clean microfiber cloth and buff off the wax. I hate doing this b/c i have weak arms (lol) but after a little while all the wax will be off. then you should wax again (especialy if you havn't waxed in a while).
You don't have to wax your car every time you wash it. Maybe once a month or every 6 weeks depending on how anal you are about it.
Almost almost done now.
After the wax is off, go over your car with another set of eyes to see if you missed anything. There will definitly be a spot here and a spot there that you didn't wipe off or that has a smudge or two on it. your windows by this time will be all smudged up from you putting your weight on it so you don't have to touch your car with your hands. Just get a good glass cleaner for the way end and clean off your glass. I like stoners in the aerosol can:
Some of the glass cleaner will prob. get on your paint, so just keep a clean cloth handy to wipe it off.
Tires: Any tire shine is fine. The gel stuff will last the longest.
Rims: This product sounds really cheesy, but it worked wonders for me and I didn't even scrub with a brush. With a hard bristle brush your rims will be clean. Maybe not shiny, but there will be almost no dirt, it works great!
Congrats! your car is damn pretty. Please ask questions. I am terrible at explaining things and the more questions asked the clearer the message will be.