If you truly want to start from scratch......I would wash with Dawn. Yes it does strip the wax. Then throw it away or use it for what it was intended for. From this point on you should use Maguiars Gold Car Shampoo. I've tried a ton of them and it is hands down the best. Make sure you rinse the car well before starting the wash process which should be a side to side motion, not circular. You should now have a car stripped of polish products. Depending on the condition of your finish you might want to get a scratch and swirl mark remover. Best applied with a Porter cable buffer. Maguiars makes an excellent product called ScratchX, Mike from Orange I'm sure will add his thoughts. After that's done I would clay bar the entire car. This is what will get your finish looking and feeling smooth as glass, you, will be amazed at how smooth your paint gets. Take a plastic bag and put your hand in it and rub it over the surface of your finish. If it doesn't feel smooth use a claybar. After that you can use your favorite polish product. Maguiars, Adams, Mothers, Zaino, there are a ton of them, all are excellent. I use Zaino. After a THIN coat of polish you will want to use a detail spray to bring out the depth in the clear coat.
Couple of points - use either 100% cotton towels to dry or microfiber towels.
Wash Top to bottom.
Use a wash mitt and rinse it often. I stay away from a sponge as it holds grit.
I do my wheels, tires and wheel wells first so the water doesn't dry on the car. I have a separate bucket and sponge/brush for the tires, wheels, and wheel wells.
Wash a dark color out of direct sunlight, cuts way down on water spots.
Use thin coats of polish when you apply your wax, you want to build up many light layers.
Use your detail spray after the car is dry after every wash.
NEVER, EVER PUT YOUR CAR THROUGH A CAR WASH.
Good luck, I doubt you'll get any bad answers to your question here.