Civic repainted-When to wax
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60 Days was what the body shop told me when the Saturn had a section repainted. Better be safe than sorry, given the varying quality and durability of body shop work.
The tree-branch-attracting truck came home from the truck hospital two days ago.
The offending tree was mauled and is awaiting the pros to remove its 65-foot mass. Revenge is sweet.
Anyway, the body shop dude is GM certified with a wall full of certificates; SAE, training this and that, etc. I believe he IS a pro.
I was rather surprised when he declared for maximum longevity, to be safest, to wait three months before waxing or sealing the paint.
Gentle washing with soap made for auto paint is fine. He also said that detailing sprays are okay of not overused since they are rather quickly removed by weathering and allow the ..... ughhhhh, what term did he use? I forget. The stuff that slowly evaporates off the paint and clear coat. It's a slow process before all the whatever departs the paint.
Maybe the three months is extreme and intended to protect the shop. The parts, workmanship and paint/clearcoat are guarenteed for the life of the truck (barring accidents, hail, etc).
Also, your Honda may use a different paint type that can be waxed quicker.
The offending tree was mauled and is awaiting the pros to remove its 65-foot mass. Revenge is sweet.
Anyway, the body shop dude is GM certified with a wall full of certificates; SAE, training this and that, etc. I believe he IS a pro.
I was rather surprised when he declared for maximum longevity, to be safest, to wait three months before waxing or sealing the paint.
Gentle washing with soap made for auto paint is fine. He also said that detailing sprays are okay of not overused since they are rather quickly removed by weathering and allow the ..... ughhhhh, what term did he use? I forget. The stuff that slowly evaporates off the paint and clear coat. It's a slow process before all the whatever departs the paint.
Maybe the three months is extreme and intended to protect the shop. The parts, workmanship and paint/clearcoat are guarenteed for the life of the truck (barring accidents, hail, etc).
Also, your Honda may use a different paint type that can be waxed quicker.
A Good general time frame for coatings to cure is 30 days. I would forego the wax route and opt for a more durable protectant such as Klasse or Zaino. Wax really needs to be reapplied every 30-60 days to be safe. The synthetic sealants last anywhere from 6 months to over a year.
The reason you have to wait is the paint repairs are still drying. Yeah, they're dry enough to touch but still not completely dry. Car wax seals off the pores of the paint, stopping the dry process, so that's why painters tell you to wait a month or two. Regular washing and a little detail spray is fine and won't hurt a thing.
BTW, this is pretty much a non-issue with factory paint because the car are baked in a paint oven on the assembly line, so the paint is fully cured and ready for wax or whatever as soon as the car hits the dealership.
BTW, this is pretty much a non-issue with factory paint because the car are baked in a paint oven on the assembly line, so the paint is fully cured and ready for wax or whatever as soon as the car hits the dealership.
To be safe, 90 days.
I concur with the 90-day timeframe. That brand new clear coat will protect itself just fine until the underlying paint has had time to cure. My body guy told me that some of the solvents in certain waxes can even weaken the paint if it hasn't fully cured before you apply. Not worth it..leave it be.
Wait a few weeks, can't hurt.
Half the customers in the store today are from Chatham.
Take care:
P.B.
Half the customers in the store today are from Chatham.
Take care:
P.B.
My local paint shop has Blow-Therm oven,so I didn't have to wait that long.
If you can smell the paint when you stick your nose on it it's not fully cured.
My opinion means jack but I have heard the whole 30, 60, 90 day stretch. Most is 90 but can be less if the outside temps are high and you frequently park in full, direct sunlight.
The best advice is to ask the painter or the mfg of the paint and do what they recommend as they would be the ones to honor a warranty issue should you ever have one.
The best advice is to ask the painter or the mfg of the paint and do what they recommend as they would be the ones to honor a warranty issue should you ever have one.
I had body work done on my 03 Civic last year and the body shop suggested 90 days before any waxing.
You can also stick you nose on it and take careful sniff if you have good sense of smell. If you can smell the paint, it's not fully cured.
I got my car out of the body shop yesterday. The left rear quarter panel, rear bumper cover, left rear door and trunk lid had to be repainted after I was rear ended. The body shop recommended waiting 90 days before waxing. I can smell the paint by just walking past the car.
I'll follow their suggestions as they are the people that are having to stand behind the repair.
I really hate to wait 90 days as that is going to make it early December and it might not warm up enough till March for me to then get wax on it.
Maybe I can find somebody's heated garage to borrow.
I'll follow their suggestions as they are the people that are having to stand behind the repair.
I really hate to wait 90 days as that is going to make it early December and it might not warm up enough till March for me to then get wax on it.
Maybe I can find somebody's heated garage to borrow.
Is it outside 24/7? If so, I would probably go ahead & wax it with a carnuba wax such as Blitz after 30 days. To me, the benefits of waiting another 2 months is less than haveing no protection on the paint.
Had a hood repainted and waited the 60 days, in that time birds got to it and acid rain and you could see the marks on the paint, too late. fortunately it had to be repainted due to shop error and this time I Zainoed it days after getting it back. Paint job has been great since. IMO don't wait 60 days, it may be too late
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