No, you don't have to go a swirl-o-matic. You can go to a brushless wash, you can go to a self-service car wash. There is no good reason to instill swirls on your car. Don't do it!
You should add Iron X as a step after washing, and before claying, especially on a white car. You would be surprised at how much contamination/rail dust there may be on a new car. The rest of your...
I agree that you should skip the dish soap. You should use a soap that is meant to be used on cars not dishes. Unless you are trying to eliminate swirls and scratches, you should be using a polish,...
Good advice from Don. I highly recommend Menzerna FG400 as a compound (if needed), and SF4000 as a polish. They are user friendly and excellent. I would not recommend using Meguiars M105 as your...