how long should i wait before i can put wax and polish on the car since it was just repainted? thanks

 

I was told it can be waxed the very next day of being painted. Not entirely sure on that, just going by what my body man told me.

 

your body man is an idiot.

dont wax it for 90 days. thats a usual rule of thumb..some people will say 60 days..

and dont pressure wash it any time soon either...

 

You should wait 3 monthes. My personal friend is a body shop owner and he said that if you wax to early, it could ruin the paint and clear coat because I was told that the clear coat is not completely cured. I was told this by 4 different shops so thats what I am going by.

 

The reason you dont wax right away is to allow the solvents in the paint to fully evaporate, but that doesn't take 3 months. 2 weeks is more than enough time, but there isn't anything wrong with waiting longer if it makes you feel better.

 

Anyone else had their bumper repainted? Any thoughts on the price? Or should they just do spot treatments on rock niches?

 

lol i work at a body shop.. what do u think happends like a day or two after its painted?? you sand it with 2000grit.. buff and WAX..
your fine to wax it in a week

 

Not all paint jobs are performed the same, not all exposed to the same elements, not all baked, ect. Cut and re-clear jobs build quite a bit of material for example. Not all paint materials are the same, different speed hardeners, ect. This is why its INDUSTRY STANDARD to wait 30 to 90 days to apply wax/sealant over solvent based paint. There is no real need to wax that early anyway. Buffing and polishing is fine, with the right products, but that's all that's needed until the finish if fully cured.

 

I was told I could wash it everyday, but don't wax it or it will ruin the paint... it only makes sense.

I got my whole car repainted... waited about 45 days until I waxed again. No problems.

 

I was quoted for $500 to respray the whole front bumper and clear coat it. That included labor of removing it and putting it on, which they charge $150 for.

 

"lol" im glad u work at a body shop...so do me and POWERFLOW,and as i said and as POWERFLOW STATED ..industry standard is around 90 days...that is the no question safe time frame..not every shop bakes thier paint jobs and not every shop uses the same product,what part of the body shop do u work in? paint? body? detailing?

me and power flow dont have 3500$ worth of paint guns just for looks. right,powerflow?

 

Yep, that's the right way to do it mang.

As mentioned, in general fresh paint is delicate and will outgas solvent vapors for awhile after initial hardening. The finish need to breath to do so. Considering how much money and effort goes into high quality work, is just not worth while to even risk it.

That's scary to hear someone give that advice that works at a body shop, its very common knowledge.

 

maybe he thought i meant just going to a car wash, i asked him a while ago, forgot what i exactly asked him. oh well, i wouldn't have the car waxed either way for a few months after being painted to be safe.

 

u should sell the high dollar gun and go pay for an education

about the hardeners.. there anything from fast - 15-20min to slow maybe up to an hour.. doesnt mean its cured either means its able to be exposed to dust after that time without getting stuck in the paint. there is absolutely no need to wait 90 days

someone said its safe to buff but not wax?? lol first off theres really no point in buffing a new paint job unless your color sanding it.. both of which are 10x more abrasive then waxing. We paint a car and roll it out of a booth within an hour or two tops.. let it sit for a day or two.. then color sand (sand the entire car with 2000grit) If needed ... buff back with rubbing compound (once again wayy more abrasive then any wax) and then apply wax to protect the finish 7-10 Days is more then enough time. Bottom line

 

I wouldnt take my car to a car wash with new paint or not.. surely not a drive thru car wash ever

 

Wow, no offense but your autobody paint and refinish knowledge is not up to par. No one said wax is abrasive, I don't know where your getting that from. That's absolutely unrelated to the given point on why not to wax for 30-90 days. I don't know how much experience you have with different product types, paint systems, custom paint work, but it must not be much if that's your professional advice to others.

 

theres a curing agent in the paint that solidifies it like a rock in less than a day, y wouldnt u be able to wax it???? my guy said y bother waxing its already compounded wait til the 2nd or 3rd wash

 

Read the above posts. Not all products are the same, not are all the same type. Some cure to very hard finish like German made Mercedes, some cure to a softer finish, like OEM Honda paint for example. Reducers also are available in different temps that evaporate at different rates in different environments. After initial hardening, the finish will out gas solvent vapors for weeks. This, as well varies in the duration of time. Wax and sealant will trap these vapors and can cause imperfections and permanent clear coat defects. This is well known among high end paint shops, and custom painters. We are not talking about very mild, light spray wax, safe for fresh paint, used in finessing, but a real wax or sealant that can trap vapor and not allow the paint to breathe. Since there are these variables in conditions, materials, process the safe bet , in general is to wait 30-90 days. Hope this clears this up a bit.

 

Apparently u cant read. I said GUNS not gun. I have several. And I went to school as well. I dont know what kind of shop u work at, maybe a custom shop, cause no collision shop sands an entire car and buffs. Only de nibs what needs to be done. And I never once said anything about cutting and buffing. Which the sand paperopens up the clear to breath out the solvents and the car is always washed AFTER being cut and buffed which takes off residue. Unlike waxing which SEALS the clear coat to protect it. And I dont know of any shops who keep a car 7-10 days after being painted. When its done the body man puts it back together and it goes to detail. Depending on the products used this can all be done SAME DAY. ur just beating a dead horse by brnging all this other stuff that me nor powerflow brought up to begin with.

 

Had to chime in here. This is a subject debated for a long time, and on many forums. I think Powerflow understands it best. The problem with wax is the silicone in it. The silicone will SEAL IN the paint solvents. However, there are wax, and polish available that contain NO SILICONE. You may use this to your hearts content on your new paint job. The product will usually state,"body shop safe" on the label. The amount of cure time has many variables. Product used, elements exposed too, etc...Hope this helps

 

yea i get it but.....if u bring it to the right people to paint ur car...my experiences lead me to believe u should be able to do it (wax) sooner than later especially if they use oem paint....i use spies n hecker on my bumpers and within a day its hard as a rock....lol minus the flex they put in there and im already adding wax.

 

there is no "OEM paint" oem color,oem color variations etc..but no oem paint..

PPG,dupont,spies,sikkens,transtar,smart,global,del tron...etc...everyone has their own mixing system and hardeners and reducers,etc...some clear coats do cure hard as shit others cure softer and eaiser to sand n buff...but that still dosent have to do with waxing,cutting and buffing yes,but most any compitent shop will tell u to wait..


there was this guy my old boss and i knew who SWORE he could buff this clear coat only NINE minutes after spraying...i think it was,deltron 2010 clear...but i cant remember exactly...anyway...everyone is diff,thats just one example..