OP - to answer your question on what you need...the answer is it depends on what outcome you desire. Perform all the steps noted elsewhere in here and youll be happy with the results. Trust me youll go insane or broke or both with all the products on the market to chose from and equally insane from peoples opinions. Stick with basics and your good. Since I show my cars I took to next level. Stay away from the snake oil shit from these guys promising everything in a bottle. They likely contain fillers and other crap.

What I needed was a baseline and had paint correction done and coating. I wasnt happy with my personal results with the equipment, products, and pads I had ordered and I was too scared to go too aggressive. So I handed over to professional. Paint came out like the M5 noted above.

That poor M5, thankfully mine didnt look anywhere near that bad. That was some serious paint correction all those buffer trails YIKES. Hope he coated that thing after all that work.