Is my body shop smoking a big one ?

[Sandalwood]

I asked when I could start detailing the paint and he said i can do anything except wait to wax for 45 days.

 

He went on to say if I wanted to polish it, right now would be the best time because as it cures it will only get harder.

 

Is this true , fresh paint polishes easier than cured paint ?

[Team Adam's]

To a very small extent yes, but heres my thinking on this:

 

You'll be able to polish it, but you won't be able to protect it. So you'll spend time/effort/product to get the paint flawless only to leave it completely vulnerable and its almost a certainty it'll get messed up somehow before that 45 days is up.

[Pureshine]

You should wait at least 2 weeks before you do any kind of polishing to the paint. You can use a sealant on it.

[TR6speed]

Are you referring to a car that has just had some paint work done to it, or a new car.

If it is a new car, there is no wait time. The factory paint is applied and cured differently than a local paint and body shop. Plus most of the time these cars have been sitting on the factory ship lot or the dealers lot for a while.

If it is fresh paint from a body shop, most good shops will tell you to wash it only for the first 3 and some as long as 6 months. With the two step process (base coat, clear coat) the clear slow the sure time of the base from what I understand and that is the reason to wait.

[Golf for Life]

If fresh from a body shop I'd say 90 days before wax or sealant. But others on here are far more knowledgeable than I when it comes to fresh paint other than factory applied.

[02Xtreme07ss]

You can wet wash/sand/polish/admire all you want as soon as you take delivery of the vehicle, but like Dylan said, you won't be able to protect it.

 

If the body shop says wait 45 days before using an LSP, you cannot apply anything that will seal the paint (wax or sealant) because you run the risk of what is known as solvent pop and even create issues of delamination. As the paint cures, it will outgase. If you close the pores of the paint by applying a wax or sealant, you will trap those gases. When those gases get trapped, they literally form tiny bubbles that will grow and some will pop, making the area look like the surface of the moon. It's not worth the risk.

 

The rule of thumb has been 90 days, unless the shop doing the work recommends otherwise. However, not all paint/finishing systems are the same. Some shops will bake the paint, expediting the cure and reducing the time required before you can apply your LSP. Some of the new paint systems, especially the water based systems, require far less waiting time for the paint to cure. On the last repair on my wife's '09 Rav 4, I was able to wax the day I had the car returned, although I still waited 90 days. That was a water based paint system the used for the repair.

 

Just wash it, keep it clean, and when you hit 45 days, go to town on it!

Edited July 19, 2012 by 02Xtreme07ss