I'm completely new to this so i have some questions. BTW i've read some posts here. Here is my problem, after i wash my car, it looks nice, you can see the metal flakes give off different colors under the sun, but you can also see lines or like teeny tiny little scrathces that are all over the car and they kill the shiny look i think. I'm not talking about scratches like somebody scratched the car, they only visible when car is spotless and under the sun. I want to get those out. Here some questions:

1. Diff between wax and polish which do I use or do I use both?
2.Is the term buffing means getting those lines out, making paint smooth and like new again?
3. After reading some threads I found out that the whole process of detailing seems to be:
Wash with soap
Polish (is that just applying with cloth?)
Wash (just with water?)
Wax (is that with those round microfiber things?)
Wash again with water i'm guessing
Am i missing anything? Also i'm getting some used BBS golden rims, can i just use the same polish and wax on them to wash em, instead using over the counter cleaner?
And whats a good wax or polish that i can buy at local autozone? I've looked at formula 21 polish, and it seems turtle wax is a lot of peoples favorite.
Sorry for all the noob questions, i've never done it so i want to do it right the first time, without wasting products and money.

1. Polish means paint correction while wax means paint protection. Although some waxes have cleaners in them, they are far weaker than polish. Polish contains some abrasives that sand away your clear coat, albeit at a micrometer level, to create a uniform surface.
You will want to use wax at least but it sounds like you need polish to remove your surface imperfections.

2. Buffing describes the process of polishing, and yes.

3. The guideline is in this order: Wash, clay, wash, polish, wax.

You will most likely need a machine buffer to remove your scratches.

Whatever you do to the car's paint can be done to the wheels. Wheels can take stronger cleaners though.

I would hit up Carquest and look for Duragloss products.

...instead of reinventing the wheel, I'll point you to a link with several articles covering the subject:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html

Pay special attention to these....

Washing & Drying:
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-wash.html

Clay
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-clay.html

Paint Correction
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-paint-polish-clinic.html

Polishing
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to-polish-a-car.html

Polishing & Waxing
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-perfect.html

Waxing
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-wax.html

You will notice some of the above articles I pointed out may seem redundant. ....you will also notice in the first link that there are many more articles cover specific facets of each. However, I would highly recommend reading through them all. Although you may not use all of the techniques, products, etc., you will have a far better understanding of the subject and (hopefully) will be more confident in choosing a direction that you feel comfortable with (in regard to effort, expense and expectation).