Before you wax

[The_Cartoonist_88]

this may be in the wrong place but oh well i guess. As an automotive painter i get the question of "whats the diff of "fresh" and "new" paint and can i wax it?" well before you touch it here is a little something that might help before you mess with that Newly painted toy.

 

Fresh vs. New

Mike Pennington, director of training at Meguiar's, pointed out the big difference between these two words when it comes to paint.

 

"Paint that has just come out of the spray booth is very different from paint on a new car," he said. "Fresh paint is still drying; the paint is still out-gassing, the solvents are still flashing." A new car with a factory paint job is a totally different animal. It's cured at temperatures of around 300 degrees versus ambient temperatures at some shops or maybe 140 degrees or so if a shop uses heat lamps to speed the cure. Plus, quite a bit of time passes from when a car leaves the factory until it arrives at a dealership, and ultimately, your garage. So a new car's paint is no longer out-gassing or flashing.

 

The difference is important because you don't want to put anything on fresh paint that's going to inhibit the drying, flashing, or out-gassing processes, Pennington said. The various paint companies have different recommendations as to the time it takes for their paints to completely cure, but Pennington said 60 days is a good rule of thumb. During that time, you shouldn't use wax or anything else that promises to seal or protect the paint, as those products will put down a barrier that inhibits the curing process.

 

Fresh paint is very susceptible to damage from just about anything. "Because you don't have a protective layer on the paint to slow down the effects of Mother Nature, it can get beat up right before your eyes," Pennington said. "Get bird poop off within five minutes. Don't let dew sit on it and get cooked in the sunlight or water spots will etch in no time. If bugs get on there, get them off quick." He told us one of Meguiar's project cars was gifted by a flying bird, and even though the goo sat on the fresh paint for just 10 minutes, it created an etch so deep it had to be buffed out with 2,500-grit sandpaper.

 

Should your fresh paint need this kind of TLC, be extra careful about what you use to treat it, Pennington warned. "You don't want to use traditional-style compounds on these finishes. You might take the defect out, but it will inflict hundreds more smaller defects. Use a harsh compound-what we call rocks in a bottle-with a rough terry cloth, and the scratch may be gone, but now you have a haze in the paint."

 

For those who didnt know i hope you enjoyed this and learned something importrant:banana:

[Sandra Dee]

hey Josh-thank you so much! I am going to have a freshly painted car that I am going to pick up soon.

I am scared to death-I know I cannot cover it-what do I do with the dew on it?

I wish I could store it for 90 days-it is a Nissan and they said 90 days before I put a clear bra on or wax or anything.

[Foxxer]

^ Just send it here for 1 week, it's gonna dry in no time.

 

Thanks for the info Josh, really helpful.

[Sandra Dee]

^ Just send it here for 1 week, it's gonna dry in no time.

 

Thanks for the info Josh, really helpful.

yeah-a little hot air blow dry-forget 90 days!!!! Cured in 6 days!

[The_Cartoonist_88]

hey Josh-thank you so much! I am going to have a freshly painted car that I am going to pick up soon.

I am scared to death-I know I cannot cover it-what do I do with the dew on it?

I wish I could store it for 90 days-it is a Nissan and they said 90 days before I put a clear bra on or wax or anything.

 

no problem and the dew that will accumulate on ur car will be no problem what you can do is use quick detail on it. you dont wanna let moisture and dirt to settle on it for long or else the sun will start to "cook" any contaminants into ur finsh. so i would say once a day just california dust it and follow with some wuick detail and you will be fine

[whiterp199]

Good tips thanks for the tips.