Do I need to use a polish?

[EK993]

Picked up my new Elise last week, and thought I would try and look after the paint properly on this one, used those Albanian hand car wash places for years and always end up with swirly paintwork after a while.

So... Have been doing lots of searching through this forum and on detailing world, and so far have purchased:

Meguiars lambswool mitt
Megiuars Gold Class shampoo
Dodo Juice Light Fantastic wax (white car)
Sonus waffle weave drying towels
Grit guard for the bucket (will use 2 bucket technique)

But... still confused as to whether I need to buy a polish as well? If so which is recommended and how often do I use it?

Also, do I need a post shampoo, pre wax treatment?

[Anatol]

Think of polish as mild, liquid sandpaper.

It removes the protective paint finish the car left Hethel with. If there's a bit of damage (like a faint scratch in the clearcoat), it removes the damaged bit.

If there's no damage to remove, stick to stuff that adds a protective coating, not abrades away a few microns of the finish every time you use it.

To make things more difficult for you, many (including some manufacturers) use the word 'polish' incorrectly, when they mean a wax, glaze or sealant (which add protective layers).

I'm not a pro detailer, or even a hobby one, so I'll steer well clear of making informed recommendations as to which brands and products you should use, but my job does involve repainting cars when owners have polished so much that they have broken through the paint, or left so little a build that the film strength is compromised, so I will try and steer you away from polishing unless there is finish damage that needs polishing out. Ignore any recommendations (from makers and sellers of polish products!) that suggest your car 'needs' a regular polishing schedule. Polishing is repair, not maintenance.

Tol

[brakedust]

As Tol says, if she's brand new i would stay well clear of poilsh, just get a very good wax/sealant.
I use Auto-balm by bilt hamber http://www.bilthamber.com/autobalm.html after a recomendation from PJ S and its top stuff, just get a shampoo without added wax, again the bilt hamber stuff is supposed to be good but im using auto glym at the moment as i had lots left over!