arnie said:
just so i have got this straight. wash, claybar(fine) , paint cleaner, SRP, ag gloss protection and then top off with optimum car wax...
Some sorta-random thoughts follow:
-Note you didn't include any correction in the above list of processes. I too think that you need to reduce the (pretty much inevitable) marring before you'll get the look you're after.
-While SRP doesn't clean as well as some other products, using a paint cleaner before it smacks of redundancy unless you have some specific situation that requires something special.
-Much as I like SRP, it doesn't always give the "ultimate wet gloss" effect the way some other products do. That's one reason I like SRP on vintage cars. It can leave different looks on different paint, and maybe it's just not what *you* prefer on your vehicle. IME/IMO, KAIO is generally more likely to give a wet/glossy look in most cases.
-Sometimes, layering on different products gets "too much stuff between the paint and your eyes" and changes the appearance in a way that's counterproductive. Less can be more, and SRP + EGP + OCW might be too much for what you want to see.
-Once you get the paint corrected (and I mean *corrected*, not just "pretty OK in some lighting" but truly as marring-free as possible), you should see it looking "wet" and then all you need to do is find a LSP that preserves and protects that look, though
certain glazes/LSPs can amp up (or, if you pick the wrong stuff, tone down!) that look.
-If you can't do the correction properly, then yeah, you need to find products that will mimic the look of flawless paint (in this regard), but those solutions are generally pretty short-lived and thus need redone frequently (e.g., the Meguiar's Trade Secret Oils approach).
-Note all the "what *you* want.." comments in the preceding. Hard to say what another person will like on a given paint/vehicle.