This web site may help a little.
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.html
It’s based on paint finishes but covers all sorts of cleaning and polishing products and techniques. The painted surface is less forgiving generally.
Different guided relate to different areas of interest, one covers just cleaning alloys and protecting the finish once clean for instance.
I thought I knew how to wash a car until I read the advice on this site.
Further to all that, it explains about swirl marks and how to remove them and the different types of finish you can achieve with different products on the same surface.
Regrettably this site cannot help if the raw material is sub standard.
It may help you understand the options if nothing else.
JohnC