Newbie, New Custom White Paint, Few Questions

[AMarkham]

I`m new here and have did some searching but I figured I would post and see if I could get any more answers.

My car will be coming out of the paint booth next week. I had it painted a bright white with multiple layers of clear to help give it a deeper look. I have always bought Mothers or Meguiars products at my local parts stores and had no idea of the products available on the internet. I just learned what a paint sealent was, lol.

Anyway, I want my paint to shine, lots of reflectivity but I need damn good protection from the elements also. I live in the mountains of Virginia, and we have awful hard water. I don`t have a garage, just a car cover and hopefully a car port in the next month. Right now I`m leaning toward Poorboys EX-P as the sealer, and I still haven`t decided on the wax. I am curious about Adams Butter Wax and then topping that with their famous Detail Spray at the car shows.

Since my paint is new how long should I wait before I start the detailing process?? I`ll ask my body man what he recommends but any feedback is helpful also.

If he says it`s ok to start detailing my car withing the next month should I still clay the car or is it ok to skip that step since it is new paint??

[GregCavi]

HEllo and WElcome!! I am going to point out that the key to a great shine is all about the process and has little to do with the sealent or wax you choose. You can find many great products and tool from the sponsers on the left. A great tool to invest in is the Porter Cable Random Orbit Buffer or as we call the pc. You might want to buy a megs or mothers 3 step process to start out. If you want to go deeper into then you mgith want to try poorboys ssr`s. You will have to talk to your paint guy to find out when you can work on your car. If your paint was baked on then you should be good to go but always try to ask you painter and get plenty of details so when can help you. HTH

Greg

[JaredPointer]

:welcome Greg hit it pretty much on the head. Talk to the paint guy and see what he recommends you wait on putting a wax or sealant over the paint. :) As far as recommendations go, the Poorboy`s polishes are hard to beat and UPP will make the bright white really stand out. It will also give you good protection from the elements.

[laefd]

Yep...talk to the paint guy first. I use and prefer AIO followed by either UPP or the Klasse SG. UPP is very easy to use both on and off while the SG will give you a bit better protection and a tad different plastic type shine. I`ve also used Wolfgang over white with good results; it has a "muted" look but not as much POP as the UPP or SG.

Clean, white looks great - you`ll be happy with either sealant you choose. Have fun with it and wait at least 24 hours between applications and give it 2-3 coats.

[wytstang]

I currently use AIO topped with Megs #16 on my white stang and it looks great for old neglected paint. I have heard/read many reviews/post that AIO topped with UPP looks great on white and silver.

AIO=Klassa all-in-one
UPP=Four star ultimate paint protection.

[Mikeyzr]

Gotta give props to the EX-P, great stuff :headbang

Although I`ve never used UPP, I`ve heard a lot of good things about it as well. Do some, or lots of research on the site and learn how to PREVENT further damage to the paint. This makes keeping it look good sooooooooo much easier...especially when you can start from scratch!! :headbang :headbang

Mike

[AMarkham]

Aren`t AIO and UPP both sealants?? I thought I was suppose to apply a sealant then apply a wax to give it more shine.

[matthiasj]

AIO is a cleanser, UPP is a sealant. I`ve heard good things about PB`s Natty`s Paste Wax. Might wanna give that a try.

[dpeezy415]

UPP is a sealant, AIO is not. AIO stands for All In One. It`s supposed to polish, clean and protect at the same time. Many people consider it a great "base" for their LSPs (Last Step Products)...

You`d be hard pressed finding an LSP that you wouldn`t be satisfied with of those mentioned. All are great.

As far as claying goes, it "depends". I`d do the sandwich bag test. After washing the car go over the surface with your hand in a sandwich bag and check for any grittiness. If it is, then CLAY. I clayed my car less than two weeks from paint and the bar was filthy.

To answer your "How long to wait to wax?" question, my paint guy said 30 days. I`ve read up to 90 days. If the car was UV baked then you could wax right away. I waited six weeks before I Klasse`d my car, and I could still smell the same fumes from when I just got her. I have since had it painted again, and this time I`m waiting longer, closer to the 90 days.

I had my car shot with an extra coat of clear and it was more deep and wet looking than the first time. While it cures, I`ve applied Megs #80 Speed Glaze which is a polish that contains new paint safe protection.

Hope this helps a little,
Dan

[tubafeak]

All of these are great ideas, but if your car is just out of the paint booth you`ll want to give it a month or two to let all of the solvents in the paint evaporate. If you don`t do this your paint will soften up like crazy and release itself from the car. That would suck a lot. My reccomendation is to wash the car once every couple of days so that contaminants are kept off of the finish. You may polish with a mechanical, body shop safe polish (look for the words body shop safe on the bottle for everything you use that`s not a car wash concentrate). After a month or so you should clay the entire car thoroughly, polish using a chemical cleaner such as AIO, and seal the car with UPP, applying several coats with 24 hours between coats. Since your car is white you probably won`t see much difference if you top it with a carnauba and you`ll lose slickness. Once you`ve done that you should sit back and enjoy your work, you`ve earned it.

[Thomas Dekany]

Until you find out the answer from your painter, use something like Meg`s #80.

For VERY durable protestion I`d suggest FK1 Sealants. www.fk1usa.com

But if you really want to protect the paint.... do what I do. Wash the car very often and put on a coat of wax (under several layer of sealants) on every other time you wash the car. The end product is something to see. That way by the time winter comes, you`ll have enough layers there to last all winter.

[togwt]

Quote: Since my paint is new how long should I wait before I start the detailing process?? I`ll ask my body man what he recommends but any feedback is helpful also. AMarkham

Newly re- painted vehicle-
•Oil-based paint, lacquer or enamel are formulated with solvents (30-80% dependant upon manufacturer) once applied paint needs to dry and the solvents need to (out-gas) evaporate for sixty to ninety days (60-90) to enable the paint to harden (cure) if the paint is covered with a wax or sealant it will arrest the outgas/cure process.
•Water-based paints used by PPG, DuPont and most other paint manufacturers do not require time for the evaporation of solvents, as they are catalyzed (i.e. a chemical process that cures paint) but I would suggest waiting for approx. seven days before any product application, which should be more than sufficient time to enable paint to (cure) harden
•The application of a glaze (Menzerna Final Polish II, 3M™ Perfect-It III™ Show Car Finishing Glaze, Zanio Z-Polish) is completely safe for any fresh paint system as they allow the solvents in an oil-based paint to evaporate (outgas) and provide some protection for any type of paint surface.
•Abrasive polish should be avoided until the paint has cured (an abrasive polish will not necessarily harm the soft new paint but unless it’s absolutely necessary I would avoid polish)
•Vehicle washing is encouraged but avoid any harsh detergents or any car wash that uses a high-pressure spray
•The body-shop or paint manufacture knows their products best; seek their advice so as not to void any warranty given.
JonM