Sorry no before pictures but trust me, it was bad. I did this with my cheap AutoZone buffer and a lot of patience.
09 Blue Slate
Wash
Clay Bar
Polish
Wax

 

Looks good! I also just entered this hobby. Went out and dropped $700 on all the stuff, orbital polisher, cuts, finishing polish, glazes, sealants, clay bars, wax, foam gun etc. definitely time consuming, but should save me a bundle in the long run. I had my wife's 2012 QX56 cut and polished in January, they charged me $450! Which is one of the reasons I ended up buying all my own gear. Nothing is better than admiring your own hard work!

 

looks like a petty good job. how long did it take you?

 

Nice job! I'm sure it looks infinitely better in person.... pictures do it no justice.

David

 

Took me a total of 5 hours with beer breaks

Next step is getting a porter cable and seeing how much better I can get it. That little turtle wax buffer is not the best thing but it helped. Looks better in person, the reflection is nice, but when you spend this much time you notice all the paint nicks. Most came from my drive from Vegas to Texas.
I need a paint job

 

Nice! Which compound and pads did you use?

 

V36 with a cheesy foam pad with moderate pressure, moved the buffer about an inch a second then used a microfiber pad with v38, same pace and pressure. It is topped with butter wet wax