Waxing/polishing a new vehicle, how soon?

**irv** · 05-14-2009, 08:17 AM

Hi and sorry if this question has already been asked (did a search and ended up with a blank screen?)

I am purchasing an 09 GMC Sierra SLT this wknd and it comes with Carbon Black Metalic paint, my question is, how soon should I apply a coat of wax to my new truck?

Should I let it sit/cure for some time before even considering this or is it ok to apply a coat of wax/polish as soon as I get it?

I have no idea at this point when the truck was actually made (days or months ago?) Is there a set time one should wait before actually doing this or is it ok to wax it when you bring it home?

I like Meguire`s Cleaner/polish that I purchase from GM but I assume it is probably not the best to use especially on a new vehicle? Thanks in advance..........Irv

**imported_RZJZA80** · 05-14-2009, 08:46 AM

It will sit and be moved/shipped for several months at least before hitting the showroom floor, so you can go ahead and wax it all you want. Generally speaking, you want the paint to cure for 2 months before applying wax, and there`s little chance any new car hits the showroom floor sooner than 2 months.

**cptzippy** · 05-14-2009, 08:57 AM

I would definitely clay and wax a new car (I did). As mentioned by the time it is transported and stored in facilities along the way it has picked up a lot of contaminants and had ample time to cure. I`ve been told that the way factory finishes are done they are able to be `handled` a lot sooner than body shop paint jobs.

**AeroCleanse** · 05-14-2009, 09:31 AM

Clay and wax right away!

**Scottwax** · 05-14-2009, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by RZJZA80

It will sit and be moved/shipped for several months at least before hitting the showroom floor, so you can go ahead and wax it all you want. Generally speaking, you want the paint to cure for 2 months before applying wax, and there`s little chance any new car hits the showroom floor sooner than 2 months.

New vehicles are baked at much higher temperatures than repaints. The paint is pretty much fully cured when it leaves the factory. You could wax it then.

**Furd** · 05-14-2009, 11:20 AM

Now.

There is no need to wait with a new car. They can bake it at a high temperature since they don`t have to worry about damaging the interior or whatnot.

I think that most would agree that you should wait some time after getting it back from the body shop. How long is the subject of some debate.

**irv** · 05-14-2009, 03:46 PM

Thanks everyone, that is good to know, I was hoping I could wax it right away to help protect/preserve the finish.

I am not too familiar with the clay bar thing other than hearing they work great, but to be honest I thought they were only to be used on older/contaminated finishes, not new ones?

Is there much to it?

How about my suggestion for wax, any concerns with it? :nixweiss Thanks again........Irv

**Furd** · 05-15-2009, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by irv

Thanks everyone, that is good to know, I was hoping I could wax it right away to help protect/preserve the finish.

I am not too familiar with the clay bar thing other than hearing they work great, but to be honest I thought they were only to be used on older/contaminated finishes, not new ones?

Is there much to it?

How about my suggestion for wax, any concerns with it? :nixweiss Thanks again........Irv

A new car is going to have dust and other contanimants on it, so you should clay it.

Using a clay bar is a can of corn. http://www.autopia.org/publish/artic...int/Page1.html I use a soap and water solution (car wash and water in a spray bottle) as a lubricant.

I don`t use wax, so I can`t help you there.

**cptzippy** · 05-15-2009, 01:29 PM

I wouldn`t use a sealent without using clay, even on a new car. Even if you order a car as I did, it leaves the factory and sits waiting to be loaded up (what kind of stuff goes into the air around the factory). Gets loaded on a truck and down the highway. Sits on another lot waiting to go on a train (or a boat). A train (or boat ride) and both of those are definitely in a hermetically sealed environment (not). Then another truck ride. Then sits on the dealer lot till you come get it. Lots of chances for stuff to get on it that you don`t want under your sealant.

I would just consider luck if all you have to do is clay and seal. I won`t even start my soapbox about DISO (dealer installed swirl option).

**bcwang** · 05-15-2009, 02:22 PM

I`d consider doing a decontamination before claying and sealing your new car. Helps get out any embedded particles that could cause rust blooms from forming that even clay cannot remove.

**irv** · 05-19-2009, 08:58 AM

Thanks again guy`s, great info and links:goodjob

I picked up my new truck on Saturday and my dealer offered to polish/paint seal/perma shine my new truck for free. ($399.00 Canadian) as there was an issue and this was his way of making it up to me.

I am not entirely sure what it is he is offering, I believe he said paint sealant or perma shined? He said the truck will look amazing after it is done and I would be 100% satisfied when I seen it?

Does anyone know what method or are they familiar with what GM uses/offers at their dealers? Is it good or a waste of time?

I am a little leary, not sure I want it done as I remember yrs ago many people had problems with their paint jobs after having them perma sealed.

The color is Carbon Black Metalic and it is a new truck (09)

The paint shines like crazy now when it is clean so how much better will this make it look? If I knew it would have that permanent wet look I would probably do it, especially for free? He also said the dirt washes right off with a garden hose?

What do you all think, yea or nay?..........Thanks.................Irv

**cptzippy** · 05-19-2009, 09:08 AM

I wouldn`t take them up on the offer. IME, they are just offering a generally less than skilled detail with cheap poducts. Not sure what products they use and I doubt they are consistent from dealership to dealership.

**Accumulator** · 05-19-2009, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by cptzippy

I wouldn`t take them up on the offer..

Same here. I`d worry that even if the products were OK the guy doing the work would mess it up.

irv- "Dirt washes right off with a garden hose" :think: The guy`s BSing you and I wouldn`t let a BSer work on it. If you`re not "100% satsified" he can`t turn back the clock and undo whatever`s not satisfactory. He`s offering that because it`s a near-zero-cost (to him) way of making up for the issue.

Doesn`t sound like he`s planning on decontaminating it or even claying...most of these dealership sealant jobs (which *can* be OK for some people) are just a quickie synthetic-wax job done by unskilled people who do more harm than good.

FWIW, I too decontaminate (and clay) my new vehicles. It`s basically like doing a three-step wash. Maybe it`s a bit more than a normal person would bother with, but I just hate the idea of letting any dealership guys work on anything like this.

But I bet that even if all you did was clay it, use some kind of paintcleaner/polish and some decent wax, you`d get better results *by far* doing it yourself.

My DenaliXL has that paint. It won`t show rust-blooms or other such stuff the way silver/etc. will so even if you don`t decontaminate/clay it it might not be the end of the world. No, I`m not advocating skipping the clay, but seriously... just doing it (whatever "it" means to you) yourself will almost certainly mean it`ll turn out better.

**irv** · 05-19-2009, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Same here. I`d worry that even if the products were OK the guy doing the work would mess it up.

irv- "Dirt washes right off with a garden hose" :think: The guy`s BSing you and I wouldn`t let a BSer work on it. If you`re not "100% satsified" he can`t turn back the clock and undo whatever`s not satisfactory. He`s offering that because it`s a near-zero-cost (to him) way of making up for the issue.

Doesn`t sound like he`s planning on decontaminating it or even claying...most of these dealership sealant jobs (which *can* be OK for some people) are just a quickie synthetic-wax job done by unskilled people who do more harm than good.

FWIW, I too decontaminate (and clay) my new vehicles. It`s basically like doing a three-step wash. Maybe it`s a bit more than a normal person would bother with, but I just hate the idea of letting any dealership guys work on anything like this.

But I bet that even if all you did was clay it, use some kind of paintcleaner/polish and some decent wax, you`d get better results *by far* doing it yourself.

My DenaliXL has that paint. It won`t show rust-blooms or other such stuff the way silver/etc. will so even if you don`t decontaminate/clay it it might not be the end of the world. No, I`m not advocating skipping the clay, but seriously... just doing it (whatever "it" means to you) yourself will almost certainly mean it`ll turn out better.

I believe you there! I am also very leary of someone else doing this for me, I am pretty anal when it comes the look of my vehicles and if I noticed swirling, scratches etc after he was done I would be absolutely peed!!

I am going to ask him exactly what it is that he wants to do just for curiousity sake but I am going to decline, especially after what you and others have said here.

I do want to try the clay bar but I think for the time being I am just going to wax it (time constraints/shiftwork) I will use Mequir`s cleaner/wax that I get from the dealer so hopefully that will be good enough until the fall?

Thanks again

........Irv

**Accumulator** · 05-19-2009, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by irv

..I do want to try the clay bar but I think for the time being I am just going to wax it (time constraints/shiftwork) I will use Mequir`s cleaner/wax that I get from the dealer so hopefully that will be good enough until the fall?

Smart move, and though some will consider it more of my Autopian Heresy, I do think you`ll get by OK without claying it. Though it wouldn`t add much time/effort to the job to do a quickie clay job

Sad to say, the Meg`s cleaner-wax is *extremely* short-lived (and keep it away from the black trim). Next fall? You`ll be lucky if it lasts until next month (and I`m not joking). There are a zillion choices (most of which involve ordering products) but what you might consider is just putting something durable (e.g., Collinite brand wax) over top of the cleaner-wax. The Collinite will last for a long, long time and is what I have on my DenaliXL.

My one concern is that using the cleaner-wax will clean off any dealer-applied glaze and perhaps thus uncover a lot of currently hidden marring.