This has worked excellent for me.........
Wet sand with 1500, make sure you have a spray bottle with water and a drop of soap in it, keep surface and paper wet. A bucket of water & soap works to. Be careful on sharp edges and angles.
Wipe surface clean. I use a buffer with Norton Liquid Ice polish. Great stuff. Pads do the work. A little goes a long way. It uses a wool pad, blue foam pad, and fine white pad. It's water soluable so clean up is easy. I have found that I mostly use just the blue and white pads.
I don't mean to sound like a commercial for Norton, but they also have a detailer spray that is amazing. No wax, silicon, or oil. I don't know what's in it, but it is unreal. Leaves surfaces slick as ice. You have to get this from someone who carries Norton products. The Big Box Marts don't.
Everyone has their own opinions and techniques. These are just mine. Lots of techniques have the same results, it's just a matter of finding what works for you.