I use an orbital buffer, specifically, my Porter-Cable 7424. Initially I had an inexpensive Craftsman 8" orbital buffer. I thought that the bigger buffer pad on the Craftsman would make my job easier. In fact, the 6" pad on the PC is easier to work the contours of the car with. An important accessory not shown in the picture is a "hook and loop" backing plate (i.e., a velcro pad) that attaches to the buffer. You can then attach various buffing and polishing pads to the hook-and-loop pad. You can buy this buffer at Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon, or similar places. I bought mine through Coastal Tool.

You can get dozens of different pads for the PC hook-and-loop buffer system. You want to be careful to use the right pad for what you're trying to do. I'm currently using AutoGeek's Wolfgang EuroTech pads, which are color-coded based on the density of the foam. (This is true of all pad systems that I've seen.) Denser foam will remove deeper scratches, but is also more abrasive. You want to use the least dense foam that will get the job done. There are lots of philosophies about pads. Some manufacturers claim that flat pads distribute pressure and heat better. Some claim that waffle-surface pads dissipate heat better. Some offer conical pads, beveled edges, 2-ply, etc. As far as I can tell, most of those details are BS. The main thing you need to watch out for is that there's enough foam surrounding the backing that you minimize the chance of the backing (or the buffer's mounting plate) coming in contact with the car.

I started out using Griot's Garage's pad system, but now that I've learned more about polishing I can't figure out what they're doing. Most of the foam pad systems come in at least 5 different densities. Griot's systems comes in only 2 densities.

You can also polish by hand. The advantage of polishing by hand is that you don't risk (as much) scratching the heck out of your finish if you get some grit in the pad. The disadvantage is that it can be quite a workout to polish a car well, and machines do a better job if you know what you're doing.

Polishing Technique

I've picked up a few tips.

Most Important: Your car must be absolutely clean before you polish it. If there is any dirt on the car when you begin polishing, polishing will scrub the dirt across your finish and scratch it more. Some people probably think washing the car thoroughly before polishing is good enough, but I want to claybar it before polishing, too, so that I'm starting with the cleanest possible surface.

Don't drop the pad! If you drop the pad, or if the buffer tips over when you set it down and an edge comes in contact with the ground, you're done with that pad until you wash it. It doesn't matter how clean you think it is, if it's come in contact with the ground, it isn't worth taking a chance of scrubbing grit into your finish.

Apply the polish to the pad then smear it on the car before starting the buffer. If you put the polish on the pad and turn the buffer on, you'll be wearing the polish.

Pad cleaning. Clean your pads after each use. I like Snappy Pad Cleaning powder. You dissolve the powder in a 5 gallon bucket. The powder's $3.99 for 3 packs from AutoGeek.

Polish Recommendations

I haven't used all that many polishes. Here are a few that I've used.