Protecting a freshly painted car???

[Kevon1]

Was wondering if any one could help . A chinese food takeout guy smashed my car up on the 19th of Jan. I am getting my car back tommorow & was wondering if I could wax those freshly painted areas or if there is some time I must wait before detailing them. Front bumper, Hood, right passenger side front quarter panel, both passenger side door skins & rear quarter panel. Any advice on what I should do to this new paint work before I drive it. I have all products PC 7424 , Clay Magic, Pure yellow Carnuba wax. Eagle one Nano "Which I was very impressed with". My car is a silver metalic paint Sterling mist to be exact . I am aware of there being some sort of waiting period but I have to drive it & here on the east coast there is so much salt on the road right now I am afraid to leave it unprotected. Any help would be apprecitated.

[White95Max]

You should wait 30-60 days before you apply any type of wax or sealant to the new paint. The paint needs to cure before you can protect it.



Sterling mist huh? Is it a Maxima?

[Eliot Ness]

Welcome to Autopia :welcome



You don`t want to use a wax or sealer on your car for anywhere from 30-90 days because it will prevent the paint from properly curing. Ask the body shop for the time frame they recommend based on the paint and whether they baked it, etc..



Until then use a glaze to protect your new paint. It won`t protect as long as a wax or sealer, but you can reapply as needed.



I would gently wash the freshly painted areas and reapply a glaze as frequently as possible to protect your fresh paint from all the salt and crap caused by winter driving.



Some products that come to mind are:



- 3M PI III FG (Finishing Glaze) -my first choice, mostly because I have plenty and it seems to do a pretty fair job.

- 3M IHG (Imperial Hand Glaze)

- Meg`s #3 Machine Glaze

- Meg`s #5 New Car Glaze



Here is a recent thread on the same topic that has some good info you may want to read:



http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49863&highlight=fresh

[Scottwax]

Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze has a `breathable` polymer protection that is safe for new paints.

[Kevon1]

Originally posted by White95Max

You should wait 30-60 days before you apply any type of wax or sealant to the new paint. The paint needs to cure before you can protect it.



Sterling mist huh? Is it a Maxima? Ya I had a flawless paint finish too. It is a 2000 Max with a very much babied 48000 miles. pics on my homepage. http://www.cardomain.com/id/kevon1maxima

[Kevon1]

Ok so its safe to use a finishing glaze like the ones listed above but if it was yourself would you use anything or would you just wait until the time was up?

[togwt]

A glaze will not provide durability but it does offer a sacrificial, renewable protection (in that it will take the abuse from airborne contaminants so the paint doesnâ€â„¢t have to)

[Eliot Ness]

Originally posted by TOGWT

A glaze will not provide durability but it does offer a sacrificial, renewable protection (in that it will take the abuse from airborne contaminants so the paint doesnâ€â„¢t have to)

On a car that is being driven, especially in the winter, I would apply a glaze for the reasons TOGWT mentions above.

[jimc]

You should wait 60 - 90 days before apply anything on top of curing paint.

[ben54]

Definitely ask the body shop how long before you can apply anything. I just got my car back and was told 1 week before polishing the repainted area. I`ll probably wait a little longer just to be safe before apply a sealant or wax. I may go the glaze direction for now.

[White95Max]

Originally posted by Kevon1

Ya I had a flawless paint finish too. It is a 2000 Max with a very much babied 48000 miles. pics on my homepage. http://www.cardomain.com/id/kevon1maxima



Beautiful! :up



I plan on getting a 2000/2001 Max 5spd after this one. I love the color on yours. :)

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Kevon1

Ok so its safe to use a finishing glaze like the ones listed above but if it was yourself would you use anything or would you just wait until the time was up?



Welcome to Autopia!



Definitely put the glaze on it, let alone this time of year. I`ve been using fresh-paint-safe glazes on fresh paint since the mid-`70s, it really is a lot better than nothing.



IMO the Meg`s #5 ("new car glaze"), while a little tough to find, is the way to go due to its extreme ease of use. The stuff is about as easy to use as any product can be.



The "wait-before-polishing" is general advice to laymen based on the fresh paint being a little soft until it cures. Soft paint abrades differently from hard paint. The shop quite possibly already polished (or even wetsanded) it, but they`re familiar with what works on the paint they use. Unless you`re familiar with the paint in question, I probably wouldn`t polish it for a while. If you *do* want to polish it I`d use the #80 that ScottWax recommended. But note that although it`s called "Speed Glaze", it does contain abrasives and I *have* had it be a bit too aggressive for fresh paint (but that only happened once with RM brand paint).



FWIW, I generally wait at least two months (and usually three) before I wax/seal fresh paint, even when it`s "baked". Might be overkill, but I`ve never had a problem either.

[imported_dpeezy415]

My car is three weeks from the paint booth and I had a similar dilemma. I have used Megs #7 in the meantime and it looks great. I think it gets a bum rap because durability is an issue and it is tough to get off...



I`m waiting at least until the smell from the paint goes away. It seems like the paint is still curing and gases are evaporating so I`ll wait for the process to end.

[Kevon1]

I appreciate all the feedback. I just cant leave the paint out there in the elements with out some sort of protection. I am garaged but for 8 hours a day she sits out there all by herself while I am working .HaHaHaHaHa let me stop. To my surprise the guy at the shop had applied 3M imperial hand glaze to the new paint & said to do so bi weekly after a good wash to keep the paint clean & that approx 45 to 60 days later to glaze and wax/seal the paint. By the way the car looked incredible 3 coats of paint & 3 clear. I will have pics on my website as soon as possible. Thanks again for all the advice. I look foward to being on this board often.

[White95Max]

PICS!!!!!!!

after the first detail!