So I've decided to try my hand at detailing my cars and get them ready for the rainy season. The cars to be detailed are: 2000 Audi S4 Silver (paint is in good condition but carbon hood is hazed), 2000 BMW 540I Silver(paint is in good condition), 1993 Honda Civic White(paint is slightly dull but not chalky). My initial shopping list looked like this:

Menzerna Intensive Polish
Menzerna Final Polish
Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze
Menzerna FMJ

I have a buffer from Ultimate with the factory supplied Yellow, Orange, and White Pads (if I remember correctly).

Here's the problem. We've bought a new house, a baby is on the way, and money is REEEEALLY tight. I was going to buy the above Menzerna Products as well as a new set of Pads from CCS as the pads that came with the buffer were used and I am not so sure how they compare with the CCS pads (or really what to do to get the old products out of the pads as they were used prior).

So my issue is how do I save some cash on my shopping list? Are the pads which come with the Ultimate Detailing Machine acceptable for now? Do I need to get additional pads?

As for the Menzerna products. I know I need something aggressive for the dull carbon hood and the dulling paint on the civic. I have two products sitting in my cabinet: Meguiars ScratchX and Meguiars Gold Class Wax. Can I substitute some of the Meguiars Products for some of the Menzerna products and still get a halfway decent result? I am not looking for show winning finish here, just something that will look decent for a while. Heck, do I even need all four steps or can I cut some out?

Anyhow, that's the skinny on it, what can I do on a budget and still achieve decent results?

Many thanks!

Rob