New Car Wait Time

Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
1,469
Location
Kennett Square, PA
Do I need to wait for new car finish to cure before I do anything other than wash and dry? Eg, clay bar to remove rail dust or Meguiars Quik wax or Ultimate liquid wax? Thanks.
 
No wait time is required for factory paint finishes. The paint process used as the factory level is different than refinishes.
 
From what I was able to find online, it's no worry about detailing a brand new car. As mentioned above, it's non-factory repaints that you have to be careful with. Different paints, curing processes, etc...

I also just got a new car, built/assembled a few days before I had it in my garage. Detailed it the following week (correction to remove dealer-installed swirls/blemishes, ceramic sealant, etc...).
 
Actually assembled first week of September, about a week after I ordered it. Of course, who knows when the finish was applied.

Are you talking about the paint?


You are good to go. The only time you have to wait is if the finish was hand sprayed and not baked.
 
Everyone here is correct, Factory paint can be sealed basically immediately after it rolls off the line. If you ever get body work done after an accident, you need to wait 30-90 days before you put a wax or sealant on so that the new paint can "out gas". If you don't, you can get what they call "solvent pop" on the paint. See this pic https://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/2068/Solvent_Popping_in_Paint_002.jpg
 
That’s a myth from the early-mid 1980s.

Japanese cars sold like hot cakes. The domestic industry was being destroyed. On top of that there was a deep recession.

So the government pressured the Japanese government into voluntary export quotas. As luck would have it, the economy happened to turn around as soon as the quotas went into effect. There was an instant shortage.

You had to pay above msrp for any Japanese car. You wouldn’t see the car first. You would order off a grease board with the expected arrival date.

The cars would roll off the assembly line in Japan, (one part paint in those days) instantly receive a coat of a gloppy substance to withstand the salt air of the voyage. On their arrival they would be sent to their new homes where the proud new owner would wax the car. If they had a week of effective cure time that would be a lot.
 
Back
Top