Myth on when to wax your new cars paint...

[RaskyR1]

I have been seeing lots of post about people saying it is not good to wax a new car until 30+ days because the paint needs to cure. I hope this will end the misinformation that has been posted about this over and over on this forum.

Mods can one of you sticky this post?


Thanks,
Rasky

Source...
OEM Auto Paint Finishes

WHEN TO WAX?

A topic for consideration, about which many people are misinformed, is when you can wax the vehicle or apply paint sealant. Looking back at the curing process, both the 1K and 2K systems are 90-95% cured upon cool down, after the bake process, in the factory spray booth. The additional 5-10% will cure within 3-7 days. This means that by the time any vehicle reaches its destination at a dealer, the paint is fully cured. By not applying some sort of protection to the paint surface upon delivery or shortly after, the customer is actually hurting the paint instead of helping it. Salesmen that say don't wax a car for 6-12 months are misinformed. This is a huge problem in our business because customers will tend to believe a salesman who knows nothing about paint, rather than a trained professional. This is often why fairly new cars are in such bad shape even after a short period of time.

[2fast4u2]

Stickied. Thanks for the helpful info Rasky.

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by 2fast4u2

Stickied. Thanks for the helpful info Rasky.

No prob!

[Barry]

I also find it funny that when people bring home a car from just buying it they don't wash or wax it right away. Who knows how they actually did it at the dealer so much better to get some good wax on the car then just think they probably did it there.

[8thgenuser]

Thanks Rasky! We are truly blessed to have you as a regular contributor to our forum.

[luv2sipkoolaid]

sweet!..thnks for the info..

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by luv2sipkoolaid

sweet!..thnks for the info..

Originally Posted by 8thgenuser

Thanks Rasky! We are truly blessed to have you as a regular contributor to our forum.

you're welcome.

[NitrousG35]

Chad, I am so glad that you posted this and that it was made a sticky. This question comes up so often, people need to know what the truth is about waxing a new car. The notion that you can't wax a new car goes back to the time when it took longer for solvents to escape from the paint.

With today's new paint processes, the paint is ready to be waxed by the time it reaches the dealer's lot. As the article pointed out, neglected to take care of the paint right away leads to premature degradation of the paint after a short time.

Thanks again for posting this.

[drummerlauw]

haha, i remember the day when i called the dealer and he told me to pick up the car an hour later because my car is being "prepared", "wash", and "wax"...and he also said that they must do the wax for black colored cars to make it look good upon delivery.

Surprisingly, i didnt find that much swirls on my car. Just a couple light swirls on the curves..but then i washed and polished my car just two days later.

Oh yea, Rasky, i decided to buy the G-110

[JeShUa]

I want to wax my car, but I dont want to do it improperly. I claybarred my car a few months ago and took all the precautions, and want to do the same thing while waxing. I think all I'm supposed to do is de-grease, wash then dry, then wax. Is this correct?

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by JeShUa

I want to wax my car, but I dont want to do it improperly. I claybarred my car a few months ago and took all the precautions, and want to do the same thing while waxing. I think all I'm supposed to do is de-grease, wash then dry, then wax. Is this correct?

Why would you want to de-grease, and what kind of de-greaser are you talking about?

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by drummerlauw

haha, i remember the day when i called the dealer and he told me to pick up the car an hour later because my car is being "prepared", "wash", and "wax"...and he also said that they must do the wax for black colored cars to make it look good upon delivery.

Surprisingly, i didnt find that much swirls on my car. Just a couple light swirls on the curves..but then i washed and polished my car just two days later.

Oh yea, Rasky, i decided to buy the G-110

Nice! You will love it!

[jetdoc707]

I waxed my 08 si the day I brought it home.

[Anthonysuazo]

I bought an 08 Si Coupe in Black 3 weeks ago and completely neglected this aspect of waxing it. Is there any recommended wax I should go with to ensure a good look and seal it correctly or just take it to any detailing center and tell them to wax it?

[watupjoe]

thansk!

[GETxERxDONE]

ok so im getting my car fixed from my wreck. and the dude is going to fix the rock chips in my hood, so im going to put on a clear bra. on the bumper and thehood and fenders. now..the guy said dont put it on for 6 months. like stated in your OP. but i think thats alittle outrageous. i mean, i know its plastic but do they bake those peices too? or just metal? i wont need to drive my car for a few months after it gets fixed so i might wait 1 or 2 months just because. but id rather get it done soon. and what damage could it do?

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by GETxERxDONE

ok so im getting my car fixed from my wreck. and the dude is going to fix the rock chips in my hood, so im going to put on a clear bra. on the bumper and thehood and fenders. now..the guy said dont put it on for 6 months. like stated in your OP. but i think thats alittle outrageous. i mean, i know its plastic but do they bake those peices too? or just metal? i wont need to drive my car for a few months after it gets fixed so i might wait 1 or 2 months just because. but id rather get it done soon. and what damage could it do?

Most newer, high-end body shops still bake the paint but it's not like factory paint. Body shops bake at much lowers temps. The chemical make up of the paint and catalyst is different from OEM paint. I would give the new paint 30-60 days for the paint to fully cure. 6 months seems a bit excessive IMO.

Rasky

[Sean Newman]

I 100% agree. I worked at a Chrysler factory for 4-5 years in the paint shop, and car factories have a really long oven that the vehicles go through after getting painted, so it bakes it completely on and forms a shell.

That's why you'll never get as good of a paint job as you will from the factory, because you would have to take everything out of your car to bake it or else you would melt it all.

[illmaticone]

So its safe to say 7-10 days out of the body shop?

[NitrousG35]

Originally Posted by illmaticone

So its safe to say 7-10 days out of the body shop?

The thread topic is about new cars and waxing. It is safe to wax a new car upon delivery. As for a repaint, minimum of 30 days, but usually 60-90 days is optimum because the solvents have a chance to evaporate and the paint can set up better.