All good advice said.
Here's my "secrets" for black paint. I've been using the same old rotery buffer for twenty five years. If you need wax to cover up swirls or scratches, then your doing somthing wrong. I detail my GN once a year in my garage, under florescent lights. This will show just about everything. If you can make it look good under frorescents, it should look good anywhere. If you properly polish your paint nice and flat, that polish will last longer then paint with swirl marks.
Products.
#1 Heavy cutting: Whether I'm taking off heavy oxidation or I just got done coler sanding somones paint with 1500 grit Imperial 3M sandpaper, I use Meguiar's #85 diamond cut compound 2.0 with a wool pad. Be VERY CAREFULL on corners and edges with this product. In tight areas, I use this stuff by hand. This compound is activated with heat from the wool pad. The hotter it gets, the faster it cuts. It's not a real gritty compound so it doesn't leave deep swirl marks. If you go over it lightly for the last pass, it should look almost ready to wax.
#2 Swirl remover: I like 3M swirl remover for dark cars part #39009. I use this with a Meguir's (soft) W-9000 foam pad. Note that many swirl removers (including Meguir's) have a slime in them to help cover up swirls, only to have swirls come back a week later. With the 3M stuff, you know when you've got the swirls out. your not just covering them up.
#3 Wax: If you ask 100 different people, you'll get 100 different answers and I'm sure that most of them are good stuff. I've tryed many diffrent waxes and can't say that I've found any one that stands out far above the rest. If you did step #1 and #2 correctly, then your paint shouldn't look any different after you wax it. The wax should only be there for protection, not looks.
Upkeep: I use liquid spray detailers ( Final inspection, Lucas, Quik detailer) and a micro fiber or old terry cloth towel.
Washing: I only wash my car once or twice a year with water. When I do, I use Meguiar's #62 car wash soap (about $25.00 a Gal), and a soft nylon mit. Car is dryed with an old 100% cotton towel.
This acrylic enamel paint is now over ten years old, and still looks as good as the year it was painted. I hadn't buffed or waxed my car in over a year when these pics were taken a few months ago. Hope this info helps.
Happy spooling.
Mike Barnard