Just bought a new Ram 1500 sport Black, how soon can I wax it? It says it was assembled on 4/14 so it will be 60 days old next weekend. I picked up some Meguires NXT 2.0 yesterday, but not sure if I should wait or not.
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How Soon Can I wax a new car?
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
Factory paint is baked on at high temp for a fairly long period of time - more importantly, the paint is formulated such that this baking process is sufficient to fully cure it. Therefore, you can safely wax your new truck tonight if you wish! Heck, you can even clay it, compound and polish it if need be. In other words - Go For It!!Michael Stoops
Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.
Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
Originally posted by Michael Stoops View PostFactory paint is baked on at high temp for a fairly long period of time - more importantly, the paint is formulated such that this baking process is sufficient to fully cure it. Therefore, you can safely wax your new truck tonight if you wish! Heck, you can even clay it, compound and polish it if need be. In other words - Go For It!!
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
Originally posted by bigA View PostI'm guessing the metal parts but what about the plastic front bumper, door handles and mirrors? I don't' thing they put those in an oven.
The only time "fresh paint" poses any sort of special needs is when it's an aftermarket respray (ie, body shop paint) as the chemistry is completely different from that used by the OEMs and as such takes more time to cure. OEM paint must have a high heat, long duration oven in order to cure, but aftermarket paint relies on a more natural outgassing. Yes, some body shops do have a drying room, often referred to as an oven, but it's nowhere near the heat level of the OEM facility. And again, the chemistry of OEM paint versus aftermarket paint is totally different.
Bottom line: new car, from the factory, you are totally safe waxing it the day you bring it home if you so desire. Aftermarket paint, we recommend 60 to 90 days, but if your painter says different then go with his recommendation.Michael Stoops
Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.
Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
On top of what Michael said I can tell you from working at a dealership that these cars come in dirty. They ride along on a trailer for god knows how many miles and then sit in a lot where pollen and other contaminants just sit on the car. The detailers at my dealership i used to work at did about the quickest detail imagineable on it before delivering it. By the time they even come in they need to be clay barred, seriously! I would immediatly clay bar and wax that bad boy!
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
You can usually find the build date for your car on the door jamb sticker. By the time people take possession of new vehicles, most cars are already 3-6 months old, so in addition to the paint being baked at the factory, it's also had plenty of time to cure. Definitely clay it first, your factory paint likely picked up a lot of airborne contaminants on it's way from the factory to your driveway.
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
Originally posted by bigA View PostJust bought a new Ram 1500 sport Black, how soon can I wax it? It says it was assembled on 4/14 so it will be 60 days old next weekend. I picked up some Meguires NXT 2.0 yesterday, but not sure if I should wait or not.
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
Originally posted by Michael Stoops View PostThose are supplied by a third party vendor and are part of later assembly of the vehicle. Even though they are not painted with the rest of the body in the main factory, they are just as cured as the rest of the vehicle by the time it gets into your hands.
The only time "fresh paint" poses any sort of special needs is when it's an aftermarket respray (ie, body shop paint) as the chemistry is completely different from that used by the OEMs and as such takes more time to cure. OEM paint must have a high heat, long duration oven in order to cure, but aftermarket paint relies on a more natural outgassing. Yes, some body shops do have a drying room, often referred to as an oven, but it's nowhere near the heat level of the OEM facility. And again, the chemistry of OEM paint versus aftermarket paint is totally different.
Bottom line: new car, from the factory, you are totally safe waxing it the day you bring it home if you so desire. Aftermarket paint, we recommend 60 to 90 days, but if your painter says different then go with his recommendation.
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
Typically it's 30 days. Here's Mike Phillips' article.
Don't wax your car for at least 30 days! Have you ever been told not to wax your car for at least 30 days by a painter after having the car painted? P
I myself and my brother waited 90 days prior to doing anything with a repaint event though the painter said a coat of wax can be applied right away. It varies by painter. I would side with Mr. Stoops on his recommendation over the call center as I believe has has more personal experience.
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Re: How Soon Can I wax a new car?
Originally posted by Video View PostOn top of what Michael said I can tell you from working at a dealership that these cars come in dirty. They ride along on a trailer for god knows how many miles and then sit in a lot where pollen and other contaminants just sit on the car. The detailers at my dealership i used to work at did about the quickest detail imagineable on it before delivering it. By the time they even come in they need to be clay barred, seriously! I would immediatly clay bar and wax that bad boy!
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