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When can you wax a new panel?
- Thread starter jw
- Start date
imported_Dave KG
New member
This very much depends on the paint sytem your bodyshop used, and the way in which it was cured...
The paint contains solvents and these have to evaporate out somehow before you can seal the panel in - else, the solvents wont be able to be released and this will cause damage to the paintwork.
Some panels can be sprayed off of the car (by removing), and this they can be oven baked at high temperature for some paint systems and be cured pretty much there and then and you can protect pretty much there and then... other paint systems require 6 or more weeks before they are fully cured to the point where you can safely wax them, in which case a bodyshop safe glaze such as Chemical Guys PG Pure Hand Glaze regularly would be recommended until the paintwork is ready for wax.
The best palce to know the answer fopr sure is to ask your bodyshop who will know the paint system that was used and how it was cured so they will be able to give you an answer on how long (if at all) the paintwork should be left.
The paint contains solvents and these have to evaporate out somehow before you can seal the panel in - else, the solvents wont be able to be released and this will cause damage to the paintwork.
Some panels can be sprayed off of the car (by removing), and this they can be oven baked at high temperature for some paint systems and be cured pretty much there and then and you can protect pretty much there and then... other paint systems require 6 or more weeks before they are fully cured to the point where you can safely wax them, in which case a bodyshop safe glaze such as Chemical Guys PG Pure Hand Glaze regularly would be recommended until the paintwork is ready for wax.
The best palce to know the answer fopr sure is to ask your bodyshop who will know the paint system that was used and how it was cured so they will be able to give you an answer on how long (if at all) the paintwork should be left.
Accumulator
Well-known member
zaxjax said:You should ask the body shop that painted the panels..
I dunno...I've had to school painters ("gee, look what the paint manufacturer says..Oh, you didn't read that huh?") a lot over the years. The only painters I use these days say to wait at least 90 days (my best painter wants the car back after 3-4 months so he can give it a final inspection and make sure his work really did turn out OK).
This topic has been discussed to death and really is worth the dreaded search IMO.
Short version: every paint manufacturer queried said to wait 90-120 days. I've noticed hardening that continued for over 90 days on baked paint. The primary risk related to too-soon waxing/sealing is that the paint won't attain its maximum potential hardness.
I wash and use repaint-friendly glazes (my fave being Meg's #5) for about 120 days, figuring better safe than sorry. Any of the Meguiar's "pure polishes" will be safe, as is 3m Imperial Hand Glaze. Meg's #80 provides (minimal) repaint-safe protection but its abrasives can be too (initially) harsh for some still-curing paints. All these need to be reapplied after each wash.
Others wax/seal right away and say it works fine. Finish Kare says their 2180 is fresh-paint safe; Zaino says their sealants are too, and Optimum Car Wax is supposedly OKed by Ford for post-production paintwork.
fbirdquik6
New member
my bady shop advised 30 days