icy CL

i had my 91 accord's exterior repainted. color is dark blue. got the car saturday. today, i went out in the afternoon and there was bird poop on the hood. so i get my meguire's quick detailer and wipe the poop off but it left an etch mark of the poop on the paint. i was able to buff most of it out with turtle wax scratch and swirl remover. my question is how long before i can put some paint protection on my car....like wax or zaino or something to protect it. the shop i went to said to wait 30 days before applying any kind of wax. what damage will happen if i apply wax or zaino before the 30 days? i was planning on using my cl car cover on it first but the accord is my commute car and would be a great pain to keep putting it on and taking it off when i use it. i know wax can minimize the effects of bird poop on car paint but will it have any severe effects if i apply it now before the car paint has fully cured?

mattg

it will lock in the solvents that are still escaping from the fresh paint. this can cause a hazy look in your clear coat.


let it cure for a month or so. if you want some polish to use in the meantime, get some PPG perfect-it dark color pad glaze. it will give a deep gloss while still letting the paint breathe. you can get the polish at an auto body supply shop.

icy CL

will it also protect the paint? see, i live in an apartment and there are lots of trees......and birds!

mattg

wax will only do so much. even a heavy coat of zaino isn't going to keep bird shit from etching your paint.

just keep the car clean or use a car cover. it's only a month, i think you'll make it.

soopa

according to sal, and according to my experience... zaino is fine to put on a freshly painted car after just a few days.

theres alot of myths about the curing times of paints. many of them are old and way out of date or completely wrong.


slap some zaino on er so ya dont gotta worry bout that new finish anymore

icy CL

soops...you sure? if you are, i'll probably wait a couple more days. need to wash it anyway. weather in va sucks man, rain, then sun, then rain again.

i know what mattg says is true too cuz i read it in several detailing websites but again, i don't know how the technology of paint has evolved through the years.

soopa

email sal. dont take my word for it

icy CL

well, i did email sal last night.....

"i have been using z2 on my 01 acura cl for almost 2 years now and am very happy with the product. can i use z2 on a newly painted car which came out of the shop about 3 days ago. the reason i'm asking is because i saw bird poop on my newly painted car today, wiped it off with a detailer and the poop left an etch mark on the paint. i was hoping i could use z2 to sorta protect the paint from such stuff. is it too soon to apply the z2 with zfx on the newly painted car? thanks."


There's alot of misinformation about waiting three months for the paint to cure.

I am a custom painter by trade. I am very familar with Dupont, PPG and all the other paint manufacturers. The most I personally would wait on fresh "aftermarket body shop" paint before
polishing with Zaino Show Car Polish is 1 week. That's more than sufficient curing time.

Zaino contains no wax, silicones or abrasives.....

The new paints are catalyzed. A chemical reaction cures the paint. The older lacquers and enamels needed time for the solvents to release. This is not the case anymore. Believe me if that paint need 3 months to dry than it will never dry.... Just the facts.

Thank You,
Sal Zaino
(732)833-8800
http://www.zainobros.com