Hi ya..
I am a valeter and detailer.. ( http://www.pmvaletinganddetailing.co.uk )
I personally only use Meguiars products, they work well for me and always leave a great finish, but every person is different in how they work..
doing it by hand is a lot harder and won;t get the same finish as with a machine...
I highly recommend you dont use the super resin finish from auto glym i used to use it and it was very very good but they changed it slightly a few years ago and it now is very difficult to remove from paint with out leaving a grainy finish compared to other polish's
you cannot use the polish as final touch as it will not protect the paint.
A clay bar is excellent idea as it take so much contaminants from you paint you cannot see
For what you are doing i would recommend
wash
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-G12619-NXT-Car-Wash/dp/B000P0HXXM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1315290822&sr=8-7
clay bar (comes with all you need in it)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-Quik-Clay-Starter-Kit/dp/B001MPSTK0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315290867&sr=8-1
polish
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-Ultimate-Polish-G19216-473ml/dp/B004HCOE8Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1315290899&sr=1-1
wax
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-High-Tech-Yellow-Wax/dp/B004ILS93C/ref=sr_1_8?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1315290934&sr=1-8
the wax is lovely to apply very smooth and leaves very long lasting finish
to keep it up all i would recommend would be to wash once a week the follow on with
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-G14422EU-Ultimate-Quik-Detailer/dp/B001B0VDI6/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1315291010&sr=1-1
hope that helps..
with the polish just do an area of about 2ft sqaure and do not allow to dry..
with the wax do over with a FINE coat of wax (only what touches the car actually does anything so no need to pot on thick) leave 5 mins to cure then wipe off...
hope that helps..
I use meg's every day to stunning effect and never had complaint from any customers (i have a lot of but prof stuff but used to use all of the above to great effect)
done a very nice 911 on sat..
check out a few here...
http://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=192106474176509
this is a good show of what a clay bar can bring off a clean car where the paint has now really been looked after and what can be done when detailing
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.204463852940771.58650.192106474176509&type=1