Mark

I know you say you have tried the guides but have you had a look through the guides on Polished Bliss web site?

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acata...ek-advice.html

They have split it all up for different area's of the car, ie:

Washing/drying
Decontaminating
What is polishing
Wheels
Engine etc etc and is a very informative read.

Other thing is what sort of budget do you have as it is very easy to get cought up in the hype and whats good to buy that you soon end up spending 100's of pounds (I know, i have been there, lol).

I would be stearing clear of the G3 you meantion you have as this is very very abrasive and can leave you with alot of surface scratches that will need machine polishing out.

First thing would be to get a good wash kit such as one of the branded shampoo's
2 buckets (preferably with grit gaurds)
A good lambwool wash mit.
A quality drying towel.
Maybe a dedicated wheel cleaner and wheel brushes.
Tar remover is always worth having as well and can be got quite cheaply.

After this i would recomend a clay bar kit to remove all surface contaminants (its amazing how dirty your car can be after cleaning) and leave the paint feeling like glass.

After this you could use your autoglym polish or another polish of your choosing (there will be idea's in the guides i posted above)

Once happy you will need a sealant or wax to protect the finish you have achieved from the polishing stage.

I hope this is of some help.
I have kept this to the bear minimum in my opinion, there are other things you could use such as pre wax cleaners, glazes, foam lances, detailing sprays etc but these can be done further down the line as didn't want to confuse as you were after starter options.

Also i have tried to stay away from naming brands etc on the methods as alot is down to personal preference and there is not really any to avoid just some people prefer some to others.

Again hope this is of some help
Gavin