New paint -- Tips?

[Neofate]

Hey guys..



New to the forum, was referred to here from the Lexus Club. I am having some touch up/ re-spraying done on my LS 400 today, the upper panel of my bumper and the panel by my passenger front wheel well and part of the lower sideskirt.



I`ve heard various recommendations on care after I pick the car up.. but would like advice from you guys on the subject.



Basically, when is it safe to wash? How long?



When I do wash it, what type of cleaner (something OTC, walmart/autozone) product is recommended?



How long till I can wax the car/seal it?



Also a question I haven`t had answered.. Is direct sunlight/heat good or bad for the new paint? IE: Should I put it outside (out of garage) when it is sunny and let it get direct sunlight, or keep it garaged as much as possible?



Thanks for any advice you can give on these questions and any I simply can`t think of atm.

[ricka]

Lots of postings on this if you do a search "new paint" or "repaint."



Just got an Audi hood redone. I washed and applied glaze ONLY for 8 weeks (what the body shop suggested). Some in here say 90-120 days. Make sure the glaze is body shop safe. I used Meg #7 (but hated it). I believe Danase DWG will work as well. Maybe someone else can chime in on that. Bob at Danase is a good guy and will promptly return emails.



I know it causes some massive impatience, but give it time for the paint to out-gas before polishing, waxing or sealing. It`ll be worth the wait.

[Neofate]

Yeah,.. the search function is pulling a page error right now for me, so I couldn`t use it. I saw your thread but it was fairly limited.. be a good time for a brush up, no? :)



I saw it depends on climate and humidity -- How about addressing some of those issues? More or less humidity = better? Hotter or Colder = Better? Direct sunlight or garage = better?



I`m hoping due to living in the south that the temperature will shorten the gas time, so I can seal this car in about a month instead of 3. That is an insane amount of time for paint to cure, and I see alot of differing opinions. General rule of thumb I see is wait at least a month. The longer the better,.. But if climate dictates the time, then perhaps I could make a better educated guess based on my weather patterns.



Thanks

[JustinDetail]

Just to be safe, I only quick detail new paint. I don`t want any wax/glaze/polishlike substance on any new paint I have. Clearkote QS works great.

[ricka]

Higher temperatures help. Leaving in the sun during the day helps. I`d probably garage it at night. The very best advice is ask the body shop what they recommend or get the paint details. You can do a search online to see what the paint specs are to wait for wax or sealing.



Believe me I felt the same way on the wait. You can QD with ONR as well (at quick detailing strength) without harming the new paint. Just like normal paint, assess the dirt first. If needed you can do a rinseless wash before QDing

[velobard]

Mirrorfinishman had a great post on new paint and curing before waxing. You should be able to come up with it on a search. Basic summary: Wait 3 months to wax, use body-shop safe glazes until then, such as Meguiar`s #5.

[Neofate]

Ok great.



So leave it in the Sun as much as possible. I would assume low humidity is best. (Even though I live in a high humidity climate).. but it gets hot here, and the spring will probably be here in a week :) Though 70`s are expected this week with sunshine, that should help. Although I bet my 100+ Degree summer days here would really shorten that time.. a 10-12hour bake everyday ;)



Few questions.. search is acting up for me.. perhaps it will work soon, I`ll switch around browsers and such.



QD = Quick detailer, right?



I have a quick detailer.. meguiers I believe.. this stuff is safe to squirt on and wipe off ?



ONR = ?



New paint and clearcoat (They will be putting clearcoat on the paint I`m sure.. ) -- should be relatively shiney anyhow. If I wax `around` the painted areas .. most of the car.. and leave the new paint un sealed it should still look fairly good considering its, well, new paint.



I will ask the shop -- but I have a feeling you guys know more about `detailing` the car than they will. They are good, no doubt.. high tech equipment and good results. They just aren`t car-care / wash/ polish etc experts. Sort of down to earth people.



I keep hearing `glazes` on this forum. What is a glaze?



I used to think there was soap, and wax.



Since I`ve learned about Orbitals, Rotary`s.. how you wash, claybar, polish, seal and finally wax (in that order) -- Skipping polish/seals or wax depending on your time and result you want to achieve.



Now I hear glaze products, mind running down a quick list of products considered glazes? Maybe some commonly seen products in Walmart and such that are glazes? Are most glazes going to be safe for the paint.. or just a small percentage?



Lastly, I know its in the search, but non-functional for me at this moment. -- What exactly does quick detailer do? I use it on say finger prints.. and what not instead of `washing` of course. It isn`t a soap, not a wax, not a polish. What is it? ;) -- maybe it is a glaze =)



Thanks,

[Neofate]

Just like normal paint, assess the dirt first. If needed you can do a rinseless wash before QDing



Oh yeah,.. what is a rinseless wash? I thought my squirting on the QD and wiping off was a rinseless wash? :)

[velobard]

Personally I`d avoid QD, especially while the paint is still curing. IMO it doesn`t provide enough lube or enough volume of water to lift the particles away from the surface the same way that a proper wash can do, rinseless or not. For a rinseless wash, look up Optimum No Rinse Wash or ProtectAll Quick and Easy Wash. I prefer ONR, but sometimes you can get lucky and find QEW at RV supply stores.



As for leaving the car in the sun, there`s a disadvantage to that. Soft, uncured paint is especially vulnerable to bird bombs and other contaminates from the outdoors. Unless you can keep it protected 24/7 then don`t necessarily obsess over it, but do keep an eye on it. The one thing I think QD is very good for is to keep handy for "emergency" cleanups. Remember that if anything`s stuck to the paint, dwell time counts.

[brwill2005]

You CAN USE a water based wax/sealant containing no abrasives during the cure period (30 days).

[BigJimZ28]

You CAN USE a water based wax/sealant containing no abrasives during the cure period (30 days).





do that and the paint will never fully cure and be super soft

and very prone to swirls



no wax/sealant for 90 days

[Neofate]

I`ll leave the wax/sealant argument at bay. The general consensus on this is to at the very MINIMUM wait a month before sealing, and if you can stand it , it is highly recommended to wait a quarter of a year.



As for the sun -- I will put it out in the sunlight when I can `check` on it -- and when I have no other option really. It will make me feel better to have a few days of 4+ hour direct sunlight on the new paint areas.



I think each successful day after repaint that the paint goes `undamaged` :) -- Is very critical . I would imagine the first couple of weeks, and especially the first few days are the most critical.



IE: If I immediately put on a Silicone based wax/sealer when I got it home today -- I would stand a much larger chance at cracking or developing some bad symptoms of choking the new paint than if I sealed it in a few weeks.



Not that is couldn`t or wouldn`t get me in a few weeks time, but those few weeks it had at least `some` time to gas out and settle vs only 24 hours or less in my first scenario.



Anyhow, bottom line I`m going to follow probably 45days or so at least, and give it a good look/rundown. I think 45 days in Alabama weather should be ok for it. If the shop owner says wait 3 months, then I guess I will take another consideration of waiting till the second week of June to wax it again. -- I`m picking it up in a little over an hour now. Maybe it will stop raining so I can take some pictures of spots. (Old vs New) .





It is going to need something to remove the road oils/water from the rain currently -- And I was told not to use Quick Detailer. But a rinseless wash. So I guess I need to head to the store for some Rinseless wash to use on those areas..



I`m hoping Autozone/Adv Autoparts will have that sort of thing.

[brwill2005]

do that and the paint will never fully cure and be super soft

and very prone to swirls



no wax/sealant for 90 days

Look, I do not just say things based on bad information. This came directly from a Dr. G, the founder of Optimum. He worked for PPG doing research on paint, and also holds multiple degrees. I believe he is highly credible on this subject. He stated it is only products that contain solvents that effect curing.

[Accumulator]

I`ve experienced first-hand the way even baked paint can continue to harden for up to four months. So I might be erring on the side of caution, but I simply don`t use anything except a glaze (usually Meg`s #5) for that outgassing period because I don`t want to risk interfering with that hardening.



I *have* read about Dr. G`s claims regarding Optimum, and I do lend a lot of credence to Ford saying it`s OK for use on post-production paintwork. If somebody wants to use that on a ~fresh repaint, or use FK2180, or Zaino (all of which are *supposedly* OK for this), I guess I don`t have a good reason not to. But I also don`t have a problem recommending that which consistently works so perfectly for me and I just feel more comfortable recommending something that I *know* won`t cause problems.



I do wish somebody would provide the specific reason(s) why non-solvent-based products are OK for this. Seems there must be controlled studies that could be referred to but I`ve never seen any references.

[brwill2005]

Dr. G stated that it does take a full 30 days for the two main components in the paint to fully cross link. During this 30 day curing period, the paint is vulnerable to products that contain solvents. The solvents will soften the paint preventing it from properly curing. After 30 days the components are cross linked properly and are not effected by solvents; with the exception of very strong solvents. I am sure based on his research backround that there is some data to back up these claims. You are right though, do what ever works for you and what you feel comfortable with.