how long do i wait before i wax/wash new paint?

There's a thread around here somewhere in which MirrorFinishMan asked all the major paint manufacturers how long to wait. They all said 3-4 months minimum. FWIW, when I had the S8 repaired the new paint was still obviously outgassing at three months, and it was baked.



I use Meg's #5 after each wash during the outgassing period. It's about the most user-friendly product ever. The folks at Optimum claim that their wax is fresh-paint-friendly (to the point of being paintable!) and that Ford (after testing it) has agreed, and there are other products that are also supposedly OK too.
 
Accumulator said:
There's a thread around here somewhere in which MirrorFinishMan asked all the major paint manufacturers how long to wait. They all said 3-4 months minimum.
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These are the threads from MirrorFinishMan:



http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/69054-how-long-do-i-wait.html?highlight=paint



http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/64978-paint-cure-time-not-necessary.html?highlight=paint



Accumulator said:
The folks at Optimum claim that their wax is fresh-paint-friendly (to the point of being paintable!) and that Ford (after testing it) has agreed, and there are other products that are also supposedly OK too.
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Is that the Optimum car wax? And is it only for Ford paints?
 
zingyginger said:
These are the threads from MirrorFinishMan:



http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/69054-how-long-do-i-wait.html?highlight=paint



http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/64978-paint-cure-time-not-necessary.html?highlight=paint







Is that the Optimum car wax? And is it only for Ford paints?
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On the second link, post #19 on the second page from MirrorFinishMan is the one I always refer to as the gold standard, since it's info from the paint companies themselves. The first link is a repost of that information.
 
zingyginger said:
Is that the Optimum car wax? And is it only for Ford paints?
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Yeah (it's the OCW) and no (not just Fords but any repaint). Unless I'm mis-remembering but I don't think I am.



This came up on one of the more recent threads on the subject, which goes to show there's some value in the constant rehashing of some subjects :D Wish I could remember who posted it, but IIRC he contacted the guys at Optimum and they said the OCW was bodyshop safe, fresh paint safe, and paintable and that these claims were verified by Ford (and some other manufacturer I can't remember) and OCW was thus OKed for use on post-production paintwork. That pretty much covers the bases IMO.



Heh heh, if I ever run out of my #5 I might have to give this some thought, but that's not too likely ;)
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah (it's the OCW) and no (not just Fords but any repaint). Unless I'm mis-remembering but I don't think I am.



This came up on one of the more recent threads on the subject, which goes to show there's some value in the constant rehashing of some subjects :D Wish I could remember who posted it, but IIRC he contacted the guys at Optimum and they said the OCW was bodyshop safe, fresh paint safe, and paintable and that these claims were verified by Ford (and some other manufacturer I can't remember) and OCW was thus OKed for use on post-production paintwork. That pretty much covers the bases IMO.



Heh heh, if I ever run out of my #5 I might have to give this some thought, but that's not too likely ;)
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Is this the thread?

http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-...ing-fresh-paint.html?highlight=paint+safe+ocw
 
Here's the thread where I posted the info I got from Optimum. If the link doesn't work, the thread is called "Aquawax on one month old repaint?". It went on earlier this month.



http://autopia.org/forum/car-detail...th-old-repaint-2.html?highlight=aquawax+paint





I broke down and decided to take a chance with the OCW on my newly painted bumper and the rest of the car. That was about ten days ago so I can't say if there's been any impact. the car sure looks nice though. I still plan to wait as long as possible before I do my winter wax routine with collinite 476s.
 
zingyginger & UpNorth- Thanks for posting those links..sorry, I just *couldn't* recall which threads had that stuff :o I *did, however, remember UpNorth's cool avatar pic of the cat though :D
 
Thanks Accumulator. He is one cool cat, plus he keeps me humble. What I can't figure out is why with him around, I still have so many birds and the resulting compulsion to wax. (Not that I encourage or want the cat to kill them, I just want him to scare them off.) Then again, maybe the birds are just getting back at me.



Anyway, thanks all for the good info & debate.
 
UpNorth said:
What I can't figure out is why with him around, I still have so many birds.. I just want him to scare them off...
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Heh heh, I wonder the same thing about our cat and all our rodents, never mind the birds (which don't seem to give our cat a second thought) :D
 
Regardless of what you hear or think, new paint is NOT as hard as older paint. This go's for a brand new car that has been "baked in a heat booth to high temperature". As these vehicles get older the paint will harden more and more. It does have a time it comes to when it basically stops hardening even though on "rare" occasions there are some paint anomalies that become to hard, and actually slightly crack.



This is why Lake Country recommends different pad/polish combinations of there products for new or old paint!

Don't let this scare you, just remember to be somewhat easier on new paint as opposed to older paint and things should go fine.



As for "Repaint" this is a situation where it is better to error on the side of time. Why should you be in a hurry anyhow! Protection should be in the form of something along along the lines of a glaze like Accumulator suggested with the Meg's #5 (I've never used), I use #7. Totally gentle, quick to apply, awesome look, so why hurry a paint and take the chance of screwing it up?

Besides if you are here as a registered member of Autopia, you enjoy taking care of your vehicle/paint so it is somewhat doubtful that you would let a little thing like 2 or 3 months hold you back from waiting for things to be perfect:D

Changeling
 
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