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I'd recommend sticking with the basics of paint care for now, then you can decide how much more involved you want to get in the future.
I assume you have good quality car wash products and are getting the car as clean as possible. Roughness on the paint is due to airborne contaminents settling onto the paint. They can be removed with paint detailing clay which is available at most auto parts stores. Look for kits from either Clay Magic or Mothers (the Mothers kit comes with a small bottle of cleaner wax which makes for a nice combo of products). Here's a great article on how to use clay properly: http://www.properautocare.com/creatsmootpa.html
After claying your paint should be very smooth but unpolished and unprotected. The simplest product to use is a one-step cleaner wax product. This is the most prevalent type of product you see at places like WalMart and most auto parts stores. They clean, polish, and protect in one step. They don't do any one step particularly well but they're OK for folks who want something inexpensive and easy to use.
A 3 yr old car will probably need some polishing to improve the paint gloss and remove swirl marks, light scratches, oxidation, etc. A pre wax cleaner/polish works well here. Mothers and Meguiars sell pretty good pre wax cleaners and they're available everywhere. There are a zillion polishes on the market but the rule of thumb is to start with the mildest polish first then escalate to a more aggressive one if needed.
So, the basic steps of car care are:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Polish
4. Protect (with wax or sealant)
5. Everything else (wheels, tires, trim, interior, plastic trim, glass, etc)
I hope this is what you were looking for. I don't know how much you know about this stuff so I kept it basic. If you want more detailed info, please LMK.
posted by 64.238.98...
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