I'll wash the car and then rewash using a nano skin mitt.
Dry the car.
Use a clay bar to catch anything the mitt didn't get.
-Alternative to the mitt is to use a claybar for the entire car.
For clay lube I use MeGuires quick detailer.
A random orbital such as the porter cable is easy to use with very minimal risk of burning the paint. It is speed adjustable for the type if work your using. The unit is fairly heavy so you don't need much muscle to apply product.
I've got three basic pads in my arsenal, red, orange and black. Each of these pads gas dirt of a grit or cut to them.
The red is used with a moderate to aggressive cut mix or for paint exhibiting a moderate to heavy scratch and other things like baked on bird doo.
The orange is more for a fine to moderate swirl and paint imperfections.
The black is for polishes, glazes and waxes.
The type of product you use on the pad should match the cut of the pad.
I've got three basic items I use with my machine.
Moderate swirl and paint defect polish. Only use this on small spots that are bad
Fine swirl and defect. Use this every six months for full on detail.
Ultra fine glaze with carnuba for the finish of the machine.
After the paints been perfected, I use a high quality paste carnuba for the finish. This applied by hand and then removed by hand. After removal, I use a wool bonnet with a microfiber bonnet over that to machine polish.
After wax polish, I spritz the car with a quick detailer to remove wax splatter and dried wax dust.
About once a year I'll use a paint sealant.
I've got dozens of terry towels for general purpose wipes and dozens of microfiber cloths for waxing/polishing and finish work.
You can never have too many towels.
