the real time it takes the paint to cure

[Alexandre]

I' ve been told that it takes 60 to 90 days for the car paint to cure.

Do anybody have a real number? Being true, you cannot hit the road or travel with a new car, the paint would be serious damaged by small rocks, or dirty (because it is not waxed). Right?

What can and what can' t be done to a new car until the paint is cured?

PS: I was trying to work on dad' s car but he just came home tonight and told us he had bought a brand new one, so I need to know about the curing process of a new paint.

[Murr1525]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

A 'brand new car' has had the paint baked on at the factory, and has sat on lots in various areas/countries for a good month or more.

Freshly sprayed paint from a repair/paint shop would need 60-90 days to cure.

And a rock will damage anything....

[Alexandre]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

A 'brand new car' has had the paint baked on at the factory, and has sat on lots in various areas/countries for a good month or more.

Freshly sprayed paint from a repair/paint shop would need 60-90 days to cure.

And a rock will damage anything....

Does that mean I can apply NXT 2.0 when he brings the car home next friday?

[Murr1525]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

Yes.

[yalerd]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

Does that mean I can apply NXT 2.0 when he brings the car home next friday?

Yes

[yalerd]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

Being true, you cannot hit the road or travel with a new car, the paint would be serious damaged by small rocks, or dirty (because it is not waxed). Right?

Small rocks have the potential of damaging the paint with or without wax. Remember that wax is just a sacrificial barrier but it has it's limits. Even with wax you can have etching with bugs that end up slashing in your front end and hood

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

You have nothing to worry about with your Dad's new car.

If it was me. I would do the following:
wash
clay
wax

You would be surprised at the bonded contaminants you will remove. Even from a brand new car.

[Clutch34]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

Do all repainted cars need to wait that long after coming back from a body shop? We just picked up my little brothers car today from the shop and they said I could clay bar and wax it in a week and a half. He also said that they waxed before we picked it up too -- as is noticeable in various crevices with dried wax. :-/

[Michael Stoops]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

Generally speaking, a respray should be given 60 to 90 days to cure. A body shop does not have an oven with the capabilities of those found in an auto manufacturing plant, nor could they even utilize such an oven as the interior plastics, leather, etc could not withstand the heat. Manufacturers paint vehicle bodies well before final assembly, so that's not an issue for them.

Further, the paint systems used in manufacturing plants and body shops are not identical due to differences in application methods, oven capacities (if a body shop even has one, modest though they are in comparison) so overall curing is different between them. While a factory paint job has been baked at very high temperatures prior to assembly, it isn't necessarily 100% cured the moment it comes out of the oven. But by the time it has gone through assembly, been shipped and delivered to the dealer and then to you, it's safe to say it's fully cured.

With that said, the body shop knows (or should know) the paint system they're using, what kind of follow up care it requires, etc. Certainly claying and paint cleaning are fine (it's already been rotary buffed by the body shop) it is a bit rare to find fresh paint being waxed that soon. Most here might err on the side of caution and give it some additional time, unless the body shop can give you enough evidence to back up their claims/recommendations.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

I' ve been told that it takes 60 to 90 days for the car paint to cure.

There's a difference between a new car with factory baked-on paint and a car that has been to a body shop and re-painted.

The paint on a factory build car is cured and hardened by the time it pops out of the assembly line. You can wax or "seal" this paint as soon as you get the car home.

A "FRESH" paint job is recommended by the paint manufacture to be left un-sealed for at least 30 days so the solvents can outgass.

See this article...

Paint Needs to Breathe

[William_F]

Re: the real time it takes the paint to cure

A "FRESH" paint job is recommended by the paint manufacture to be left un-sealed for at least 30 days so the solvents can outgass.

This is what we were told when we picked up the wife's CRV from the body shop at the end of January. The shop used a waterborne paint and a traditional CC.