Groucho: I suggest you download the little detailing guide I made for newbies at http://groups.msn.com/PinasDetailing...documents.msnw Hope that helps...

Fore newbies, I suggest going the non-abrasive route before jumping down to using machines and abrasives since they're more confusing to understand to use correctly. By consumer items, I mean purchasing items off the shelf that can be used by hand. They usually come in a system kit such as Mother's 123 and Meg 123 systems... They're pretty much fool proof and gives good results.

It's also important to have realistic expectations... I mean, if the paint is in really bad shape, done expect a novice job will do the trick or a session or two of weekend detailing will do the whole shebang... take your time and learn as you go... Don't rely on brand image, it means nothing if not used as directed (whether it's a match for your paint problem or the actual usage of the product).

With your questions...

1. Where and when would a glaze be helpful? What is the purpose of a glaze?
It's in the document I posted... Basically a glaze fills swirls and acts like a very fine polish that lays ontop of the paint to create a flat surface. Provides very little protection and washes off in a couple of washes. Best to use before waxing and after polishing.

2. Should I want to incorporate a sealant in the over-all plan, do I use this in lieu of the wax? I've read some threads where both the wax and the sealant are used. And if both are used, does the wax go over the sealant or the sealant over the wax?
A sealant replaces a wax in function, it acts the same way as a wax, which is provide a sacrificial layer for the paint for damages to land on. But a sealant lasts a lot longer. It's best not to use both in order to maximize the properties of each product's qualities... If you use a wax on top of a sealant, usually the sealant's durability suffers... If you use a wax over a sealant, you're just wasting sealant coz the sealant will not bond to anything other than solid paint.

3. I've read some threads, albeit foreign, that some fancy, and likely expensive, products like Klasse All-In-One are used. Just exactly what does the AIO substitute for? Does it take the place of Step 1?
Klasse, Zaino, etc are all synthetics that takes more knowledge to understand what they're specialties are, but the secret to great looking paint is still polishing and compounding (if needed), all the best topping products (sealants and waxes) just enhances what's underneath (the paint itself). AIO is an all in one cleaner, polish and acrylic sealant. Think of it as a synthetic cleaner wax... If AIO is out of your reach in terms of availability (although we do sell them), you can try Mother's Reflections. It's a good combo sealant but not that durable nor effective with paint defects, but great product nonetheless.