Ever wax fresh paint?

[thejazzguy]

Is it ever ok to wax fresh (non-factory) paint. I just had my roof resprayed as part of another repair. The bodyshop told me that I can wax right away and that they had already waxed it. (They use Glasurit (BASF) paints.)

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

Generally, most people wait for 30-60 days without waxing in order for the paint to cure. However, if the painter said it was OK to be waxed, then I would follow what the painter suggests, as he and his shop can be held responsible. But if in doubt, follow the manufacturers guidelines/procedures for that exact product IMHO.

[edited for clarity]


Tim

[rusty bumper]

Re: Ever wax fresh paint?

Originally posted by thejazzguy
Is it ever ok to wax fresh (non-factory) paint. I just had my roof resprayed as part of another repair. The bodyshop told me that I can wax right away and that they had already waxed it. (They use Glasurit (BASF) paints.)

Not trying to buck what Tim just said, but I did a google search on this type of paint and found this statement about it...

Once you've had your vehicle refinished with Glasurit, you'll want to keep it looking the best it can. Here are some tips:

Wash your vehicle regularly using only clear water for the first 30 days. After 30 days, a mild dish detergent or soap and water can be used to remove road film. Avoid harsh detergents.

Rinse with clear water. Dry with a chamois or soft cloth.

It's unlikely that your new Glasurit finish will ever require waxing.

Avoid the use of any wax for at least three months.

Avoid spilling gasoline on your finish.

In the event of a spill, allow the fuel to evaporate for an hour. Then wash with a mild dish detergent and water. Rinse.


I'm not a paint expert here, but if it were me, I would do a little more research on this paint before I would seal it with a wax for the first 2-3 months.

This is strictly my opinion here though, and I could be wrong.......Maybe there is a paint system that can be waxed right away.

[the other pc]

That doesn’t sound right to me.

I’d either ask the painter for the exact brand and product names of both the wax and the paint used (Glasurit makes several different paint systems) and then check with Glasurit directly

or,

Polish it with #80 to get whatever the heck it was off and follow Glasurit’s instructions.


Actually, I'd probably do both. I trust Meguiar's and BASF a whole lot more than the painter.


PC.


edit: ah, I see Rusty Bumper beat me to the punch.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by the other pc
Actually, I'd probably do both. I trust Meguiar's and BASF a whole lot more than the painter.


PC.

Some painters hedge their bets by telling you to do nothing because,

They don't know what to tell you to do.

They don't trust you to do the right thing left on your own.

They know modern paints will hold up, (note, that doesn't say "look good", but hold up), even if all you do is wash it.

So for these reasons they take the easy road and tell you to wash with water and that's about it.

Do you think that's all they do to their own pride and joy?

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
So for these reasons they take the easy road and tell you to wash with water and that's about it.

Do you think that's all they do to their own pride and joy?

I should have made a comment about the "Wash your vehicle regularly using only clear water for the first 30 days" statement.

Definitely not something that I would suggest.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

As I stated, most of the time, people wait the 30-60 days in order for the paint to cure.

However, the painter already waxed the poster's car. Moreover, since the painter has made the statement to wax the car immediately (though I would like to have that in writing), the body shop can be held responsible if there is damage to the paint. Does the facility have the ability to bake the finish?

I too would also contact the manufacturer of the paint to find out their recommendations for that particular paint.

Tim

[thejazzguy]

Thanks for all of your responses! I'm not sure the guy actually waxed the car because it has water spots on the roof. (Who washes their car after waxing it!) Maybe he figured I don't know anything about detailing and said that they "waxed" it when in fact they just used the usual post paint stuff (some sort of polish after wet sanding?) Of course I don't know much about painting and draw what I do know from Chip Foose and Overhaulin, admittedly a lofty example. So perhaps wet sanding isn't part of a regular paint job.

The Google search Rusty Bumper found is interesting. I sure can't believe that any paint can look even remotely decent without repeated maintenance (with Meguiar's products.)

I'll take what seems to be the general consensus and apply only 80 to the roof and leave it to that for around a month. And I'll be washing it with the NXT wash, not just water!

Thanks again!

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by thejazzguy
Maybe he figured I don't know anything about detailing and said that they "waxed" it when in fact they just used the usual post paint stuff (some sort of polish after wet sanding?)

This could be very possible. Words mean things, just ask any lawyer. In this article here,

Paint Needs to Breathe

I did my best to explain a topic of interest and part of that explanation included a reality check by looking at the bigger picture, by this I mean that cars are painted everyday at body shops and when people go to pick up their car they will often times want to talk to the painter or someone knowledgeable on the subject of taking care of the new paint on their car. The point being is time is money and having a painter stop working and explain paint chemistry to each person that picks up their car isn't reality.

Here's an excerpt...

When a customer arrives at a body shop or a dealership to pick up their car with its freshly applied paint, most painters will tell the customer to wait a certain number of days before applying wax, or paint sealant over their new paint job. If the customer agrees, then that's probably as far as the discussion goes.

If the customer asks further questions as to why they must wait before applying a protective coating to their investment, then it is my belief that most painters would do their best to explain to the customer, in easy to understand terminology, so that the customer will understand and comply with his request. This is where I think the saying, paint needs to breathe, originated.

I don't think most painters would try to explain that the solvents need to outgas in order for the paint to fully dry and harden, instead, I think they would use a more simple approach and merely tell the customer that their new paint needs to breathe.

The above fictional analogy is probably as accurate as any assumption as to how the theory that paint needs to breath was started. (I'm open to other theories however.)

People that understand the painting process understand that paint doesn't literally need to breathe; they do understand that fresh paint needs to outgas. This means that for a period of time, the solvents and other carrying agents, which are used to dilute paint to a thin viscosity so that it can be sprayed out of a pressurized air sprayer, need to work their way out of the paint through the evaporation process, also referred to as outgassing.

Read the below two scenarios and then decide for yourself, which scenario sounds more plausible.

In an effort to explain to their customers why paint manufactures recommend waiting for at least 30 days to pass before applying a coating of wax or a paint sealant, the painter can,

• 1. Try to explain the outgassing process over and over again throughout their career.
  2. Use a simple analogy that the average person can understand without challenging the painter's judgment or expertise.

My personal guess is the second option.

If the simple analogy works, it will accomplish the painter's goal and allow the painter to get back to work, not spend his time explaining the painting process to each customer as they pick up their car. The goal of course is to prevent the customer from sealing the paint with some type of wax or paint sealant until the paint has completely dried and the out-gassing process is completely over.

It's completely plausible that when the painter, or an employee from the body shop told you they waxed the car, what they meant was they applied a body shop polish or glaze and the end-result is the car looks nice and everyone's happy. He probably didn't want to take the time to find out exactly how much you know about the painting industry in general and car car products in specific and just used the word waxed in the general sense of the definition in that they applied something to the paint.

[Superior Shine]

Three months ago I applied #21 to the bumper of a blk 745IL that was painted two days earlier. Lets see what happens.

[rusty bumper]

Years ago, I was fortunate enough to bump into a bodyshop that instructed people to at least use #7 on fresh paint.

[Accumulator]

It's not like waxing/sealing fresh paint is gonna cause some catastrophic failure, it'll just keep it from attaining full hardness. I know people who've waxed repaints right away and in most cases, for most people, it wasn't any big deal. But for *some* of us, it *is* a big deal to have softer-than-optimum paint.

I always wait 90 days or so, and my painter *does* bake it. Last time I spoke with him (last month), he said that even the newest-technology paints require time to outgas.

[Accumulator resists urge to rave about how great #5 is for repaints ]

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Accumulator
It's not like waxing/sealing fresh paint is gonna cause some catastrophic failure, it'll just keep it from attaining full hardness. I know people who've waxed repaints right away and in most cases, for most people, it wasn't any big deal.

I tend to agree with this.

In most cases, if wax we're applied to a modern catalyzed clear coat paint, the chances that you would ever visually see or perceive in any other way some type of failure would probably be negligible.

However, Meguiar's always recommends following the paint manufactures recommendations, or the painters recommendations as they know their product best.

As for myself and my cars, if I have anything painted in the future, I will allow 30 days air-cure time to pass before applying any kind of wax or paint sealant, or the painters recommendations if they are different than 30 days.

If for no other reason, because as long as the new paint on the car is parked inside, then there is no reason to seal the paint and in most cases, any car that I have painted would be treated with kids gloves after painting for at least the first 30 days if not longer.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Superior Shine
Three months ago I applied #21 to the bumper of a blk 745IL that was painted two days earlier. Lets see what happens.

Just for the record, in light of my post before this one, I don't think you nor I would/will see any visual difference to the fresh paint you applied a paint sealant to. If there is a failure of any kind, I would be surprised.

Interesting experiment, please take a picture and keep us updated over time.

[refurbish]

I know there is a wax that can be applied over 24 hour old
clearcoat and single-stage finishes.
its a thin ( breathable ) film that goes on to the surface,

and permits solvents to cross the wax film .
its made by Presta called "Fast Wax and lasts around
30 days.