Body shop & waxing

M

mdb33

New member
I just took my 3 week old car into have some minor body work repaired after I backed into a miata from my driveway. I was talking with the shop and they are going to have to repaint the driver side quarter panel and bumper. I asked how long until I can put my Zaino's back on and they said they recommend waiting a month for the paint to cure. They did say I can wash it but they recommend only rinsing it off and not actually scrubbing any dirt off as the paint may scratch. This body shop comes highly recommended from my Infiniti dealership and others in town. Does this information sound correct. Please advise. Thanks.



P.S. great forum
 
I can tell you what Sal Zaino told me a while back, and I quote:



There's a lot of misinformation about waiting three months for the paint to cure. I am a custom painter by trade. I am very familiar with Dupont, PPG and all the other paint manufacturers. The most I personally would wait on fresh "aftermarket body shop" paint before polishing with Zaino Show Car Polish is 1 week. That's more than sufficient curing time. Zaino contains no wax, silicone oil or abrasives. The new paints are catalyzed. A chemical reaction cures the paint. The older lacquers and enamels needed time for the solvents to release. This is not he case anymore. Believe me if that paint need 3 months to dry than it will never dry. Just the facts.





If you have a question, EMAIL Sal. He hasn't lied to me yet.
 
Weigh the benefits. What harm will come from waiting a month? What harm "might" come from being hasty and waiting a week? (probably none, but the body shop wants to cover their assets)



Zaino is unique and I'd bet that many body shops have not heard of the product. So they have to give advice that protects them. Most over the counter products contain silicon which is a big no-no in body shops. Some shops will actually have you come back in a month so that they can take another look to make sure there are no flaws in their work (i.e. fish eye, swirl marks, excessive orange peel, etc.).



I have worked with many body shops as an appraiser for what it's worth.
 
I had a new rear bumper put on my car a few months ago (from getting rear-ended) and I applied a coat of Z-2 on it a few days after I got the car back. Guess we'll just have to see if there are any negative repercussions from this as the car gets older. However, even if I did seal in some solvent and the clear-coat doesn't cure at maximum hardness, I'm pretty sure there won't be a noticeable difference 8 years from now, considering the way we all take care of our cars.



I would just do what you feel comfortable with. As SoTex said, there's absolutely no harm in waiting a few months.
 
To be on the safe side you should wait the 30 days. Yes it's true that the newer paints are catalyzed and that there is a chemical reaction going on to cure the paint. However, it can take up to 30 days before all the solvent is out. If they get locked in before they are completly released you can end up with a form of solvent popping.
 
Roadsplat said:
To be on the safe side you should wait the 30 days. Yes it's true that the newer paints are catalyzed and that there is a chemical reaction going on to cure the paint. However, it can take up to 30 days before all the solvent is out. If they get locked in before they are completly released you can end up with a form of solvent popping.
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Agreed. I would follow the body shop's suggestions. If you have any type of warranty on their work, you wouldn't want to negate it by sealing the paint prematurely. You can polish it though.
 
Scottwax said:
Agreed. I would follow the body shop's suggestions. If you have any type of warranty on their work, you wouldn't want to negate it by sealing the paint prematurely. You can polish it though.
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That's a good point, and a rarely mentioned one. :xyxthumbs If something goes wrong with the paint job, like it starts clouding over or peeling or something, you don't want to have wax on it against the body shop's recommendations because that would make everyones life more complicated...
 
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