Repainted hood- when is it safe to wash and wax?

[PlzRepond]

Hey guys,
I had my hood repainted recently due to clear coat failure. The shop said I can wash my car immediately if I wanted and can wax tomorrow. This doesn't seem right. I've read conflicting advice on the internet stating to wait weeks all the way up to months. My questions are:

-when can I wash?
-when can I spray wax (megs ultimate quik wax)
-when can I wax/seal (nufinish or megs ultimate)

Thanks

 

[dishdude]

I was always told 90 days to wax.

 

[The_Nuke]

IIRC, the whole deal about waiting a while to wax fresh paint on the car was only a thing back when enamel paints were still the main kind of paint used on vehicles. It needed to outgass while curing, and applying a coat of wax over it before it had completely outgassed would lead to problems later on.

However, with the switch to acrylic polyurethane paints used today, there is no outgassing that needs to be allowed to finish. Give it a day or two to completely cure, but then you can wash it, wax it, polish it, etc.

That's my take on it, anyway...

 

[Rolla07]

I repainted (rust) part of mine and i decided on waiting 6-8 weeks to wax. I havent washed mine yet and id say its been maybe 3-4 weeks at this point, but simply because I havent had time. Id say 8 weeks if you want to play it safe.

 

[SnowDrifter]

I'd err on the longer side rather than the shorter side. Last time I got a vehicle painted 4? 5? years ago. Somewhere around there. Body shop said a week. Well, a week later, paint was still soft for my liking. Took a chip out of it testing.. OOPS. Few more weeks and it was as you'd expect when you think of automotive paint.

It's new paint. it already looks great. And it'll stand up to the sun a few weeks without a wax. Don't risk the integrity of your paint trying to protect the integrity of your paint

 

[RooflessVW]

You trusted the shop to do the work but not to help you care for the finish they applied? I presume the have a warranty - why would they tell you to do something that would harm the finish?

 

[demarpaint]

90 days is a very safe bet. The best thing you can do is find out what exactly they used and contact the paint mfg. if you feel 90 days is too long.

 

[Trav]

As has been mentioned the paint they used a 2K system cures from the use of a catalyst not from solvent evaporation, it can be sanded (after a couple of hours in case of a sag or run) and buffed after 12-24 hrs and waxed the next day. Nothing to be gained by waiting, if you want to wax it go ahead.

 

[Cujet]

I find it interesting that some high end shops sand, polish and wax right after baking the paint on. All done within 24 hours. The results speak for themselves, with a glass smooth finish.

 

[Cujet]

I find it interesting that some high end shops sand, polish and wax right after baking the paint on. All done within 24 hours. The results speak for themselves, with a glass smooth finish.


Also, some waxes provide UV protection and shops may want that to retain a good match over time.

 

[RayCJ]

Call the shop that did the work and ask them. There are many kinds of clearcoat sealers. Some shops will do a lengthy UV light exposure to ensure the product cures before handing it over to the customer.

Ray

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by demarpaint
90 days is a very safe bet. The best thing you can do is find out what exactly they used and contact the paint mfg. if you feel 90 days is too long.

+1 this is what I would do.

 

[Lubener]

Wait 90 days to wax as suggested but you can wash anytime.

 

[anndel]

We had our quarter panel repainted when it was involved in a collision. This was about 3 years ago and the shop told us give it about 2 weeks before washing and waxing.

 

[kschachn]

I just painted a replacement hood for my daughter's Accord and for the Cromax Chroma clearcoat I used the PDS says to wait 120 days for waxing. I'd do whatever the paint manufacturer says to do rather than what you might find or hear on the Internet.