Is the cure time 12 hours?

[mmoc7]

Hey i used NXT this weekend for the first time and i think I'm in love, but is the cure time 12 hours before second app is applied? I put two coats with maybe a 40 minute seperation, am I wrong?

Thanks again for listening to my beginner questions...

[Mike Phillips]

I used the search words,

window time cure

and came up with approximately 6 threads, one of which I copy and pasted below. You can also use the above three workds and do you own search if you want to read more.

Search Results

Here's the discussion I answered a similar questions,

12 hr for NXT wax

Here's what I wrote in the above post,


Good question, but let's put things in perspective...

The wipe off time for NXT Tech Wax is approximately 10-15 minutes. In most climatic conditions, the wax will have dried to haze in this amount of time. In a hot climate, it may dry faster, in a cold and humid climate, it may take a little longer. For most people, after 10 to 15 minutes you should be able to remove your application of NXT Tech Wax.

After you have removed the application of Tech Wax, over the course of the next 24 hours, the polymers will set-up. Notice how the before sentence was structured. It did not say,

It takes 24 hours for the polymers to set up

It said,

Over the course of the next 24 hours, the polymers will set up.

See the difference?

The 24 hour time period is a window of time that is necessary for the polymers to set-up. It might be completed in 20 minutes, it might be completed in an hour... it might be completed in 6 hours, it might be completed in 21.3 hours. It depends on different variables that Meguiar?s has no control over.

The point is, the polymers set-up and no one knows exactly when full cure is achieved. That's why a window of time is recommended for time to pass to insure that after this time period has passed, you can know for sure the polymers have completely set up.

Please don't make this more complicated than it is because it's really not all that complicated. You apply the wax, after 10-15 minutes you remove it. Over the course of the next few hours and up to as much as 24 hours approximately, the polymers will have fully set-up. I?m as detailed oriented as anyone, but I don?t fuss over the application of a wax. The most important part of any detail is the preparation of the paint, not the application of the LSP, (last step product).

It takes time for the chemical reaction to start and finish, it doesn't happen in the blink of an eye. The 24 hour time period is a Maximum, it is an extreme. For most people, in most climatic environments, the polymers will have set-up much, much sooner. But? there are no readily available tools for measuring this curing process, thus the window of time variable.

There have been many times when I don?t have the time to wait before applying a second coating of wax, in these instances; I apply the second coat within minutes of removing the first coat. The purpose of a second coat is to insure maximum coverage for maximum protection and a uniform look.

Here's an example,

1999 Corvette - Repair compound scouring in finish

After performing all of the prep work, I applied one coat of the Tech Wax, this was late at night. The next day, I applied a second coat at approximately 11:00am. This was the window of time I personally had to work within before returning the car back to the owner.

Two coats of anybody?s wax, will usually look better, and last longer than one coat. That?s because two coats insures a uniform appearance level and thorough and even coverage of the product.

Don't make waxing your car more complicated than it is. Striving for the maximum potential is a lofty goal, but not always practical or feasible. In situations like these, you need to have confidence in the company, and their products, to do what they claim they will do.

If you need to drive your car after applying a coating of Meguiar's Tech wax, or any companies wax, well then, that's how things go. For most waxes on the market, maximum protection and appearance value will be obtained if the wax is allowed to dry/cure/set-up for a period of time before it is exposed to washing, inclement weather, or any other environment that has the potential to interfere with the curing process. These other variables are out of the control of the wax manufacture.

If you have to wash and wax your car and then drive it in the rain, that's life. Your car's finish will be better off with a fresh coat of wax before exposed to the rain than nothing at all.

Something is better than nothing in most cases, and in fact, in a lot of cases. I lived in Oregon most of my life, so I know all about washing and waxing a car only to have it rain immediately afterwords.


Hope this helps...

Mike