Hey everyone, so I'm reluctant to report my TL was involved in an accident on Friday (Some guy went through the red light, claimed he skid on the ice, and slammed into the passenger side / front bumper). You can read more / see the pics in this thread.

But anyway, to my question; in the past when I've had body work done, they say not to wax the car for a month. Now, I need more information on this. Why is this? Is the clear coat still setting? I'm sure they figure the average person does this by hand. Do I need to wait longer when using the UDM? I wanted to do a clay / polish / seal in the next month or two. Is this going to be possible? Anything I should watch out for or be careful with??

Oh, I'm going through detailing withdrawls without my car. I'm off to do the NRWS on my Mom's Honda Pilot, despite the fact that it's 6 degrees out with -10 windchills (I do it in the garage).

Thanks guys!

 

I've always been told to not do anything other than a wash for 45-60 days. Your best bet would be to follow the recommendations of the shop you're taking it too.

 

+1

 

Sounds good. Whether it be 30, 45, 60 days - I suppose if it passes my quarterly polish / seal I can handle that for the good of the long run

I guess now that I think about it, I was asking more, when they tell you 45 - 60 days, would that apply to the UDM as well? Or would it be longer? I'm sure they'll know at the shop...I can ask them when I stop by on Monday.

 

just had my driver's side front and rear doors popped and painted. the shop i used said leave it alone until spring (done 12/28). its oven roasted and hard, but microscopically it will still set more. a coat of wax will clog it up. not sure of it's validity but if that's what he said then i'll wax come spring. i'm sure if it didn't matter he'd tell me to do it the next day. i do notice winter dirt is more attracted to the newly painted areas.

 

fresh paint that is applied by an autobody shop will be soft and also will be outgassing for about 30-60 days, depending on the amount of paint and other factors. It is recommended that you hose the car down with low pressure water to clean it off as high pressure may ruin the finish. Waxing will delay the outgassing of the paint.

 

Yep, typically fresh paint takes about 60-90 days to fully cure. Solvent escapes as the paint cures, if you wax it will trap the solvents and may cause imperfections/ flaws. If it was painted with a fast curing base/ clear and baked properly your safe waiting around 45-60 days to wax. Also don't let water droplets dry on fresh paint, rinse clean w/ water and dry it off. Water spots can develop on fresh paint, and its sensitive to polluted acid rain which can etch into the clear.