You want lots and lots of Microfiber towels. i would recommend the super plush orange MF's CarPro sells.
You'll want at least 5 to do the entire car.
Tips.. Use Eraser before hand, make sure everything is clean.
Honestly, I would do one panel at a time. For a beginner you need to time it properly, and it's easier to just do a single panel.
You'll want to let it sit for 15 minutes or so, then try to level it with the towels. You don't want to wait too long or it won't level properly. You want it to be slightly tacky, but not perfectly easy to remove, so if its wiping off easily, wait 5 or so more minutes and try again.
Apply thin. Use the cross hatch pattern it shows in their tutorials.
Leveling, the most important and time consuming part... This is why I say do one panel at a time
Use lots of towels. Fold them into fourths, and when you get done with part of a panel, switch to a clean fourth. A clean towel is key to proper leveling. Make sure you spend a lot of time doing this, and use lots of lighting to make sure you have no high spots.
High spots will remain and look like garbage once the product dries. If you are doing this in the daytime, pull the car out into the sunlight to make sure there are no high spots.
Use a clean towel per panel. Maybe even wash and dry your towels, and continue the next day.
Also, you want to be GENTLE. Ford's black paint is finnicky as hell. It marrs very easily, and even the plushest MF's with too much pressure will marr the paint. Hence why I highly recommend as many clean towels as possible. A towel with CQ residue will marr the paint if you aren't careful.
Also, I think you might need a better polish than the meguiar line... Place another order through CQ and order Reflect and the Rupes Ultrafine White Polishing pad.
Your finish after compounding will look marred to hell upon a close look. It'll get your major swirls out, but the marring will be terrible. Reflect and your ultrafine pad will be your finishing step, and will eliminate the marring.
PM if you have any questions.
And yes, it'll be `10000% improvement over a wax or sealant. Honestly, I would recommend waiting 24 hours after your first application, and applying a second, and maybe more coats.
3-4 coats and you'll never have to touch your paint again. 1 coat will get you a year or two.
