Not too long ago I had my car in the bodyshop and several panels were replaced and repainted (bright red base coat and a clear coat). How long should I wait before waxing the new paint? I don't want to hurt the paint or the clear coat but I also don't want to leave it unprotected for too long (the car is my daily). Any advice is appreciated....you guys know more about this stuff than I do.
I'd give it at least 30 days of being out in the sun. Most modern paints are ready to wax pretty fast but 30 days is safe for pretty much everything.
When we got the spouse's car back from one of the better body shop around here, they told us no wax for 90 days & only hadwashing for 90 days.
I've heard 30 days as well...get a combination wash & wax soap so you can get some wax on it without the mechanical action.
30 days minimum. I am a former paint rep for Sherwin Williams and have seen serious problems with people waxing fresh paint. The chemical cross-linking releases solvents and if you seal them in with wax it will kill the paint. This is also temperature sensitive, so if it's cold allow more time.
i'd call the body shop and ask them as well.
It depends. Check with the paint manufacturer. For instance the clear I'm using now says 90 days, but the old clear I used said 45, ..it can also be conditional (temp, etc), so check with them.
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