suds or no suds

[imported_willy]

as mentioned b4 have fresh paint that seems to have very soft clearcoat 4 weeks old.

My paint man has told to just wash with water as apposed to a carwash suds as car is very dirty & dark in colour and cc scratches so easily im thinking it would be better to use a water softning,dirt lifting wash instead.

When i wax it i plan to use meguiars NXT generation Techwax 2.0,do u think it would be ok to use NXT generation wash or should i just use water and risk scratching it.

[efnfast]

if it`s as soft as you say the clear is right now, then washing it will swirl it up (any form of touching will). If it`s just an issue of it needed 2-3mths to harden, then I wouldn`t touch it with anything for 2-3mths and see what happens after it`s hardened.

[imported_willy]

But its so dirty and because its such dark colour and its got mud on it it looks stained.Been raining heaps.

[imported_RZJZA80]

do exactly as your painter says, and search a little.

[Poordude]

You need some surfactants to remove the dirt. Plain water won,t clean squat; just remove larger impediments. use a nuetral ph or buffered car wash soap. i am a sales rep for a chemical manufactering company that makes most of this stuff so I can give some valid input.

[Setec Astronomy]

My paint man has told to just wash with water...

:soscared: Forget what I said in that other thread about listening to this guy!

[SuperBee364]

:soscared: Forget what I said in that other thread about listening to this guy!

Yeah, for sure.



Here`s a link to a very long winded post that might help you wash your car without swirling it: http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...ml#post1255012

[Accumulator]

With all the dirt and rain (acid rain?) it`s been going through I`d sure want to clean that new paint, even if the cleaning resulted in a little marring.



VERY short answer: go ahead and wash it with quality shampoo and the mildest technique you can employ while still effectively getting the car clean.



If you want to *really* err on the side of caution go to the local autobody/paint supply store and get some Meguiar`s #00 shampoo and wash with that.



I`d just wash it the way I always wash everything; that`s never messed up any of my repaints. But then *my* "regular wash" is a bit, uhm..., uh..."careful" anyhow.

[kwsmithphoto]

Suds are purely visual, they don`t do anything on their own. They look pretty but do nothing. It`s just aerated detergent, that`s all.



Most modern repair-quality paints and clear coats can be washed in about 24 hours, as long the shop cured it properly.



Maybe your painter doesn`t have the right equipment or doesn`t know what he`s talking about, or both. Modern paints and clear coats are designed to cure very fast to reduce outgassing. Well equipped shops shine powerful UV lights on it to speed the process futher. The days of waiting a month or four are long gone, if your car was painted in a modern shop with the right equipment. The really good shops will deliver your car very well detailed and swirl free just a couple days after painting it.



Cheap shops without the right knowledge or equipment will tell you something else because they have to. Personally, I`d go ahead and wash with a quality car soap, lots of water, and very light pressure, especially when drying. Wait a few weeks to wax it though.