Try Lemon Pledge or Lemon Oil for the plinth, that should bring the finish back to life.
It couldn't hurt to change to goo and belts every so often, the silicone in the cup will end up accumulating a lot of dust after a bit if you're in a carpeted room.
Just put enough goo in there to cover the paddle by a millimeter or two, do NOT overdo it as it will deaden the sound.
If you take a look at the azimuth adjusting screw, there's a hole in the horizontal post where you can put a jeweler's screwdriver in there to tighten up the amount of tension on the azimuth adjusting screw. It might be an Allen on your model. If that screw is loose your azimuth will wander.
Set up is pretty easy - set the azimuth, adjust the tracking force and then use a magnifying glass or similar to check the VTA when you pop on an album. Do that, check the azimuth again and off you go.
Hope this helps.