When to wax a new car?
- Thread starter Picky1
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Immediately if you want.
It would be a good thing to get a wax barrier on it but It's new and probably looks very good. Relish that.
I would wait until the first wash or winter season.
Choose a good product to use, many to choose from.
It would be a good thing to get a wax barrier on it but It's new and probably looks very good. Relish that.
I would wait until the first wash or winter season.
Choose a good product to use, many to choose from.
Originally Posted By: Picky1
Just picked up my first new car in over 20 years...been buying used. How soon can one wax a car and any particual wax one should use?
Right away, factory paint is baked on and fully cured.
As for which wax, you can't go wrong with Meguiars Gold Class liquid.
Just picked up my first new car in over 20 years...been buying used. How soon can one wax a car and any particual wax one should use?
Right away, factory paint is baked on and fully cured.
As for which wax, you can't go wrong with Meguiars Gold Class liquid.
Clay first to get any rail dust off, then wax.
Decon wash, clay and seal. I'd do it asap and not wait. Last thing you want is for all those iron particles to be left imbedded in your paint or have some bird [censored] on the car with no protection and etch the clear of your new ride.
I'd just use a good wax like NuFinish. Not really a wax but, a polymer coating. From SlowEddie 
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You can wax it as soon as you get it home. Check out Rejex, or Collinite products they work very well.
Definitely agree with suggestion to clay and wax as so as is practical. There's lot's of great waxes out there with the difference being longevity. There's OPT Opticoat which is basically almost another clear coat on you car. Most of the over the counter waxes like meguiars and mothers are good but are near the bottom of the longevity scale. For ease of use it's hard to beat the wipe one and walk away waxes like optiseal, prima hydroseal, and others.
The sooner, the better. The basics to know is there are two types of waxes; sealants and carnauba wax. The short story is sealants last longer, and tend to leave a shiny finish. Carnauba waxes don't last as long, but leave a deep wet look. There are modern products that seem to blur the lines between the two.
Picky1, how much work are you looking for as far as upkeep? Some waxes require plenty of work, but have stellar results; others are extremely quick and simple, but don't have similar results.
I typically recommend Meguiars for people wanting to get into the fun of car detailing. Also, the recommendation of Optimum products is a very good one worth looking into.
Picky1, how much work are you looking for as far as upkeep? Some waxes require plenty of work, but have stellar results; others are extremely quick and simple, but don't have similar results.
I typically recommend Meguiars for people wanting to get into the fun of car detailing. Also, the recommendation of Optimum products is a very good one worth looking into.
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I would wait a month for the paint to cure. After that, I would clay bar it and then wax it. I like Nu Finish and Turtle Wax Ice paste wax.
No need to wait on a factory paint job.
Yep, on factory cars you can, and should wax ASAP.
On resprays even ones that are supposedly baked in a heat booth I'd still wait about 60 days depending on the ambient temps.
The cooler and more cloudy (or if you park in a garage) maybe a full 90 days, if it is being exposed to hot temps and bright sunlight most of the time 45-60 days.
The reason for this is to let the solvents in the paint
"off gas" or evaporate which results in a hard paint shell.
If you wax too soon you will hinder the curing process and end up with soft paint, or paint that fails only after a few years.
On resprays even ones that are supposedly baked in a heat booth I'd still wait about 60 days depending on the ambient temps.
The cooler and more cloudy (or if you park in a garage) maybe a full 90 days, if it is being exposed to hot temps and bright sunlight most of the time 45-60 days.
The reason for this is to let the solvents in the paint
"off gas" or evaporate which results in a hard paint shell.
If you wax too soon you will hinder the curing process and end up with soft paint, or paint that fails only after a few years.
There is no need to wait to wax a brand new car.The paint has been baked at the factory and unless it just came off the trailer, its probably already weeks to months old.Wax away.
Originally Posted By: CT Rob
There is no need to wait to wax a brand new car.The paint has been baked at the factory and unless it just came off the trailer, its probably already weeks to months old.Wax away.
+1
Not to mention that a lot of dealers add on a "sealant" of some sort that tacks on an additional $300-500.00
Their "sealant" probably isn't too much different than Nu-Finish or some other widely available polymer sealant.
$500.00 for Nu-Finish
There is no need to wait to wax a brand new car.The paint has been baked at the factory and unless it just came off the trailer, its probably already weeks to months old.Wax away.
+1
Not to mention that a lot of dealers add on a "sealant" of some sort that tacks on an additional $300-500.00
Their "sealant" probably isn't too much different than Nu-Finish or some other widely available polymer sealant.
$500.00 for Nu-Finish
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Their "sealant" probably isn't too much different than Nu-Finish or some other widely available polymer sealant.
$500.00 for Nu-Finish
Their "sealants" are MUCH different than Nu-Finish. Most "stealerships" use Xzilon, which comes with some lame 5 year warranty or claim, it totally sucks and it's ridiculously overpriced, but I have to admit, it's much better than that Nu-Finish stuff.
Their "sealant" probably isn't too much different than Nu-Finish or some other widely available polymer sealant.
$500.00 for Nu-Finish
Their "sealants" are MUCH different than Nu-Finish. Most "stealerships" use Xzilon, which comes with some lame 5 year warranty or claim, it totally sucks and it's ridiculously overpriced, but I have to admit, it's much better than that Nu-Finish stuff.
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As stated, you can polish immediately. Until recently, there was only one polish I ever used. That was Astroshield. Those into car shows will probably recognize the name. We used it on jet aircraft too. Sadly, the Astroshield folks closed theirs doors. Here is a link to a site that tells about another product that is supposed to be as good or even better. It's call Wizards. Wizards Polish
I would be curious if anyone here has used it. Let me know what you think.....Jetmech
I would be curious if anyone here has used it. Let me know what you think.....Jetmech
Sorry to hear of Astroshield's demise... it was a great product!
There may be one reason not to wax a new car. In my case the Dealer delivers your new car which has been detailed by an outside vendor. The detail vendor,I assume, is looking for repeat business so the car is very impressively detailed. It is a Cadillac but it would not surprise me if other Dealers did this as well. Anyway, it is nice not to worry about waxing your new vehicle for a few months.
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Those paint sealants are a real gimmick. I've used a couple products that lasted longer. One of the is liquid glass paint sealant, and the other is Collinite 845 insulator wax. Both will bead paint for like 6 months.
Originally Posted By: johnsmellsalot
I would wait a month for the paint to cure. After that, I would clay bar it and then wax it. I like Nu Finish and Turtle Wax Ice paste wax.
It is not likely that the paint is less than a month old by the time a new car is delivered.
I would wait a month for the paint to cure. After that, I would clay bar it and then wax it. I like Nu Finish and Turtle Wax Ice paste wax.
It is not likely that the paint is less than a month old by the time a new car is delivered.
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