First try with a DA polisher

[Devon Z]

Been meaning to get one of these for a while and with a body shop telling me the seagull crap marks on my bonnet wouldn't polish out and many years of less than dilagent car cleaning it was time the paintwork had a bit of tlc.
Done a bit of research and it's a bit of a mine field as to what to use? start small I thought? and I know the pros will flame me but it's worked for me and now I have the confidence to progress.

These were the spots I had all over the bonnet plus a lot of swirl marks.
Well after a bit of work the results are 80% better and my bonnet dosent need reprinting!

I've always been happy with Maguires products so I've used their Ultimate compound followed with NXT Tec wax.
She now got her shine back and I'll look into some different products to remove the deeper scratches.

 

[ZimZimmer]

Nice job.
Can't really go wrong with Meguiars stuff.

Next time Try Meguiars M105 Ultra cut compound (it has a better cut than ultimate compound) on a megs purple pad, followed by a yellow pad and finally M205 finishing polish on a black pad and you will be well pleased with the results.

Best practice is to Work small sections at a time (2'x2') and about 4 passes in an overlapping crosshatch pattern speed 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 with medium pressure, wipe and inspect results after each set to see if you need to go over it again.

Remember as you have applied wax you will need to remove this prior to recompounding to get the desired results. Try Bilt Hamber cleanser fluid for this. Bilt hamber make great detailing product and are very well priced.

Also, for the best results prior to machine polishing you should do a proper paint decon first.
2 bucket Wash, dry, tar remover, rinse, iron fallout remover, rinse, clay, rinse, cleanser fluid.
Your paint will then be clean and any polishing done will then yield best results because you will be polishing a properly cleaned surface.
For maximum shine, once polished apply a glaze such as Meguiars #7 show car glaze and then finally your favourite wax.
It's a long process but once it's done and you see the results it's worth it!

Once you've done this a regular 2 bucket wash using megs wash n wax will keep the wax protection topped up and you can further top it with a final spray of ultimate quick wax.

 

[Redline]

Good work. I must be a bit of a worry when you take to the paintwork for the first time.
Nobody on here is going to flame you for trying, whatever results you get. You'll only get great help and advice like you have from @ZimZimmer (a pro detailer)