When can I wax ?!

[200SR]

Well I just got my car back from being painted at Earl Scheib (not the greatest place to go, but it's all I could afford at the moment). It's a single
stage paint job with a clear coat on top. I want to keep the paint looking as
new as possible and was wondering when I would be able to wax the car ?!
I was also wondering which wax product works best on silver colored cars?!
The car's color is silver metallic mist, btw.

Thanks for any input !

[Michael Stoops]

Re: When can I wax ?!

Since this is an aftermarket paint job you want to give it 60-90 days to fully out gas and cure. During that time you don't want to use any wax or sealant on the paint, although you can use products like Deep Crystal Polish or M07 Show Car Glaze to give the paint a little "pop". Keep in mind that these pure polishes don't last long on their own (they aren't designed to) so you may find yourself applying them every week or so depending on personal preference.

Once that cure time has passed, however, you may find that a quick clay treatment will remove any type of fallout that may have bonded to the paint (as well as any areas where overspray from the paint process exists) and then use a liquid paint cleaner such as SwirlX or Ultimate Compound to remove any fine swirls from the paint. Once those steps are done you can apply the wax/sealant of your choice. Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 is an excellent choice on silver paint, especially well prepped silver, as it will give a very bright shine that can really make the metallic effect jump out.

Just make sure that you apply any wax in a very thin coat and let it dry fully before removal. NXT Tech Wax 2.0 is actually easier to remove if you let it dry fully than if you try to take it off too soon. Another consideration is ambient temperature when applying any product to the paint. You're in San Diego so 2 to 3 months from now the weather will still be conducive to working on the paint, but for anyone in northern areas that just had a car painted, it may well be freezing in 2 to 3 months and paint cleaning and waxing are not recommended at those temperatures. Well, anything below about 50~55F really.

[200SR]

Re: When can I wax ?!

^ Thanks. Is washing the car once a week a good idea or should I wait a few weeks before giving it a wash ?!

I'm loving this forum already, so informative !

[Michael Stoops]

Re: When can I wax ?!

Routine, gentle washing is fine and should prevent, or at least minimize, the build up of bonded contaminants.

[JLMex]

Re: When can I wax ?!

^ Thanks. Is washing the car once a week a good idea or should I wait a few weeks before giving it a wash ?!

I'm loving this forum already, so informative !

I think even every two weeks is fine, but of course depending on the environment you are. You could also use something like QD (quik detailer) or UQD in between washes everyday or every other day, is a great way to keep the "just like washed" look, it works perfectly for me now that's been raining everyday over here.
Unless of course, somebody doesn't recommend using QD or UQD on a recently painted car, anybody ? Is it safe?

And yeah, this forum is awesome!

[200SR]

Re: When can I wax ?!

Should I stay away from those self-serve car washes ?!
The ones with the high pressure hose and it has a bunch of settings you could choose from
(wax, pressure soap, rinse, spot free rinse, etc).

[William_F]

Re: When can I wax ?!

With some guidence from Michael Stoops, I have learned the fine art of using the coin op car wash to safely clean my car.

The trick is to avoid using their brushes. The place I like to go in my area will allow bucket washing if they're not busy, so I am able to use a good shampoo like Gold Class. I use a single bucket and use the pressure washer to wash out my mitt between dunks in the suds.

If you can't do the bucket wash, you should at least be able to take your own mitt and use it to do the washing instead of their foam brush. I still use the pressure washer to wash it as I move from one panel to the other.

I steer clear of their wax as well. After I've washed the panels, I use one more high pressure rinse, then the low pressure spot free rinse. I like to use the Sham Wow as my drying cloth.

When I did my last wax on both cars, I did one layer of cleaner wax (after a clay job) and then finished it off with a layer of NXT 2.0 liquid. I was quite pleased with the end result.

So far, since I have learned to avoid the coin op wash brush, I have not noticed any new scratches in either of my cars. Now I just have to deal with the ones I do have, but that's anohter story...

[200SR]

Re: When can I wax ?!

Would it be a bad idea to cover my car with a car cover since it's sitting outside ?

[Murr1525]

Re: When can I wax ?!

Unless you are in an area with something real bad in the air, I would probably just leave it open to the environment.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: When can I wax ?!

Would it be a bad idea to cover my car with a car cover since it's sitting outside ?

You probably really are better off leaving it exposed. We had a car repainted a few years ago and the body shop told us to not use a cover for a few months. The paint was fairly soft, as it turns out, and about 6 months we started using a cover. About a year later, after sitting through a few SoCal "storms", admittedly with some wind, there were a few areas low down on the front spoiler where the paint was damaged from the cover rubbing on it. And this was a pretty expensive, custom fit cover - once the wind gets under it, and it will, it can start lifting and flapping enough to potentially cause some issues. Not always, but it can happen.

[BarryK]

Re: When can I wax ?!

Would it be a bad idea to cover my car with a car cover since it's sitting outside ?

On fresh paint I would NOT use a car cover, the paint is simply too fresh and soft and can easily be damaged by the cover, especially if it's outside.

I use a car cover for my show cars when storing them inside in the garage and even than I make sure the cars are extremely clean and dust free before putting the cover on. Even the softest cover available can scratch or mar your paint if you put it on a dirty/dusty car since you will be dragging and rubbing the dirt/dust into the paint putting the cover on and off.
I do not use car covers outside at all except for certain emergency situation and even than I hate doing it. Wind causes the covers to flap against the vehicle, even the good fitting custom covers will flap in a good wind and this beats against the paint easily causing damage, especially if there is ANY particles of dirt under the cover than can and will rub against the paint.