well a conversation was going on in someone else's thread and i didnt feel like completely hijacking it, so i decided to make my own.
my 2nd gen tl is NBP, my brother got it for me late august last year. came with coilovers, with 1 stupid issue i wont go into, a carbon fiber hood and a lip kit.

i've had experience washing, waxing, polishing and claying, this is my first car so all i learnt, i have learned in the last few months.

i got some turtle wax cleaner wax or something, ice liquid clay and polish, both of which i think is crap. NXT generation wax, got on a whim cause it was the most expensive thing autozone had. buncha rubbing compounds. plastx, meg's claybar and the spray detailer. im not afraid to spend a couple of bucks on supplies, but when it approaches 2 or 300 dollars i get a little hesitant. i also love DIY so i would rather not send it to a shop.

the problems, this could be a long one.

1. the b pillars are shot, i tried to repaint them but couldnt remove, so i painted with it on the car. underestimated the power of overspray, hit the rest of my car 2 feet away from the pillars. removed overspray from glass, clayed from sides but havent gotten 100% out yet.

2. spiderweb pretty hard on the front fender, and someone keyed it.

3. the rear fender where the spoiler rests over, the great bodyshop fudged it up and so the wing hits the car when it closes, causing pretty much all paint to be gone.

4. when they repainted the trunk, they left the badging on. so when i removed them last sept. they have the indents of the badging cause the surrounding area was one paint job higher.

5. side door has a sideswipe from some idiot not knowing how to open doors.

6. the roof has lotsa scratches, dont even know how, so i touched it up with touch up paint brush. but i havent sanded it out so it looks pretty ughh.

7. the CB hood doesnt sit flush with the fender, someone suggested heat gunning it

8. one headlight has nasty oxidation that musta taken off 1mm of plastic. turned all yellow and gross in the affected area.

9. swirl marks, lots and lots of it

i dont have pix right now but i will have them by monday or so. if you guys could suggest fixes without going overboard like with the PC or UDM. i also have not have much experience with sanding, so i think imma go get a hood from a junkyard and practice on that.

and if someone could just tell me the order of which to do things, i'd appreciate it. the waxing and sealing and stuff got me all confused. this is what i understand
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Polish
4. Wax
what after that?

Looking forward to the tips, thanx in advance

 

The basic detailing process consists of the following . . .

• Washing - removes road film, dirt, debris and contamination from the vehicle's surfaces.
• Claying - removes bonded particulates (brake dust, rail dust, industrial fallout) from the painted surface. Highly recommended if not been done before.
• Polishing - removes/corrects minor surface defects such as swirls, scratches and oxidation while providing reflectivity and gloss to the painted surface.
• Sealing - protects what you just previously accomplished namely the painted surface of your vehicle. You can use a natural (Carnuba) or synthetic wax (most polymers provide durability and longevity).
  
  There are a number of online sites that provide superb info regarding detailing like Autopia, Autogeek, Detail University and Paint Care-n-Detailing. Hopefully this will give you a start....

Pictures will provide a reference to better assess what can or what needs to be done. If you plan on doing this by hand, you're in for several long days and given the description, you'll probably need it. Frankly, the best and possibly the easiest method to remove/eliminate swirls and other surface imperfections is machine polish (PC/UDM). The condition of the painted surface will dictate what polishes and what pads to use.