I'll be picking up my TL in a couple of weeks and I'm wondering how soon before you can wax it? I know when I've had body work in the past, the shop generally tells you to wait 3-4 weeks before waxing to let the paint cure. Any ideas?

 

No need to wait anymore as all of those body panels on your TL have had the paint cured for quite some time. Just wax that puppy right when you get it home.

 

New cars can be waxed right away as the paint is baked on at the factory. The 30 day rule applies to fresh paint that is air dried/cured. So if you have a repair done that requires paint then you usually need to wait 30 days.

 

Wax it early and often -- the more protection the merrier

 

I try to wax my car at least once a month. If i get lazy I will use the liquid wax since it is much quicker. I love the rainX liquid wax.

 

You should do the following to get the best possible shine:

1) Wash with blue Dawn
2) Clay bar the car
3) Re-wash car
4) Polish the car (NXT, or equivelant)
5) Wait a couple of days and apply a coat of wax (#16 or #20)
6) Admire your work for months

 

Thanks guys. I'll wax it while driving home!

 

Why polish a new car. Polish is used to bring back some of the color depth and luster on not new paint. Makes no sense to me to polish a new car. Just wax it. I personally would wait about a yr before I polished a new car.

 

In case you don't know, you may want to consider using a sealant instead of a wax (although some use the two terms interchangeably.)

Advantages: Sealants bond to your paint/cc and last 3-6 times longer than most carnauba based waxes.

Disadntages: sealants tend to give a more artificial shine. Waxes look glossier and wetter with better depth. However, some sealants coming out now (like Wolfgang) are starting to get really good at giving the 'wet' look of waxes with the durability of a sealant.

Examples of sealants would be Zaino, Klasse AIO/SG, and Wolfgang.

Examples of waxes would be Meguiar's #16 and #26, and Pinnacle's P21S/S100 and Souveran.