My bad, LSD, I was thinking about Limited Slip Differential

 

Lol lsd lsd lsd

 

I'm going to have to disagree a little here. I do agree that the prep work is the most important, and that you'll never achieve that flawless finish w/o machine polishing. However, I will disagree about the LSP only providing minimal additional shine/gloss. After machine polishing I have a highly reflective surface with no visible swirls or marring, but not a lot of depth. But after adding the LSP is when the surface has a deep gloss with that "hard candy shell" look.

Also, when feeling lazy and pressed for time, I have applied waxes with a fair amount of fillers (CG Black Light for example) and they did a pretty good job of hiding minor swirls and adding gloss to a surface that should have been machine polished. We're not talking about a small amount of shine/gloss, we're talking about a finish that from thirty feet away looks flawless (until the fillers wash away).

 

I do agree with you here and would like to clarify a bit more on my previous post. What I meant is that MOST (not all) shine/gloss comes from polishing. the LSP does amp up the shine even more but not as much as polishing does to a crappy paint condition.

The shine/gloss that LSP gives is usually temporary such as fillers or polymers/gloss enhancers that will be gone quickly. I have tried glaze, wax, quick detaiers, spray wax, spray sealant and yeah they do amp up the shine a bit but doesn't last too long.

I'm sorry to disagree that the word "deep" gloss is overused and technically wrong. The LSP such as wax, sealant, glaze... add only a super super super thin layer, it does NOT add any "depth" to the paint technically. It is like 0.02 micron at max. That is not in any sense more depth. I know that the paint is "deeper" is a regular expression but man detailers should replace that word with a better one. Now, if it is paint coating such as CQUK, Opticoat etc, those typically add 1-2 microns, that is technically will make the paint "deeper" but no way can wax/sealant do that. With wax, may be it is "warmer" but definitely not "deeper".

Also, I have to say that paint coating really changes the look dramatically to a glass like shine which is different from the factory brand new car shine.

In summary:
1. I stand firm that "polishing" step is what contributes more shine than LSP step does.
2. LSP does amp up the shine but not dramatically as polishing and LSP shine is usually temporarily in term of few weeks to few months except paint coating.
3. Paint being "deeper" with wax is overused and technically wrong because wax only adds 0.02 micron. May be it should be called "warmer" or something else.
4. Paint coating in fact adds more depth which is 1-2 microns (100 times thicker) than wax.

Darn, I can't believe I have typed so much already haha

 

IMO, the "depth" some products add is due to the way they refract and reflect light, not the physical thickness of the coating. I still use some carnauba on show cars of particular colors for that "depth" of appearance. Some LSP's deliver a look that makes you believe you could fall into the paint, never be seen again, while many sealants make a car look like it is wrapped in plastic wrap. Much depends on the look you want to achieve. Granted, the difference is subtle but apparent.