Detailing new cars and the myth of needing to let the paint cure please advise...

I

imported_FUEL

New member
Ok here is the scoop. I am a detailing rookie I have only been doing this for about 18 months and hae only been running a licensed business now for about 5 months as additional income.



This weekend past I detailed a new 2003 Ford Focus for a co-worker. It was in very good shape obviously. Here is what I did



Hand wash

Clay

VM

Final Polish

S100

and a variety of inside work.



Now a smart a$$ co-worker is trying to convince the person whos Escape I did that it should not have been done because it is a new car and the paint needed to cure longer and I could have ruined the paint by sealing it.



This is BS is it not? Please reply I would like a large amount of data to combat this ruthless coworker!



Thanks guys and gals
 
BS.



All factory paints are baked at the factory to release solvents from the painting process. This baking process TOTALLY CURES THE PAINT. Modern paint systems are totally cured before they are even loaded on the truck to leave the production facility.



Your friend is stuck in the 1960's. ;)
 
Yeah, the only time it applies is a repaint. Besides, by the time the car is assembled and delivered to the dealer, it's probably been at least one month, if not more.
 
ShowroomLincoln said:
BS.



All factory paints are baked at the factory to release solvents from the painting process. This baking process TOTALLY CURES THE PAINT. Modern paint systems are totally cured before they are even loaded on the truck to leave the production facility.



Your friend is stuck in the 1960's. ;)
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I couldnt have said it better....
 
Take this uneducated week-end car washer to a new car dealership and ask him to feel the surface of the paint on the vehicles in the lot and your fellow employee's freshly detailed and sealed paint. If this does not convince him ask him what he thinks a dealer does ( with lesser products) on delivery of the vehicle ( delivery prep). Also mention most dealers offer a paint sealent option ($$$$) on most newly sold vehicles. I guess they are ruining the paint also :nixweiss.
 
Heh good points all! Sorry I didnt respond earlier went from the office to the gym, ugh sore and ready to sleep already. 12 hour days suck!
 
What about freshly painted cars? I had my car painted on March 27th 2003 and its 3 stage with lots of clear, i think my guy said 90 days before wax or anything just use cold water and absorber to clean.



Does this apply to zaino? I am also getting flames done on the car so the whole front end is now scuffed again, nose/hood/fenders. How long should i wait to zaino this thing?
 
qwik said:
What about freshly painted cars? I had my car painted on March 27th 2003 and its 3 stage with lots of clear, i think my guy said 90 days before wax or anything just use cold water and absorber to clean.



Does this apply to zaino? I am also getting flames done on the car so the whole front end is now scuffed again, nose/hood/fenders. How long should i wait to zaino this thing?
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With repaints, ask what the painter recommends. They should know better than anyone else what the cure time for their particular paints and baking methods are.
 
He said about 90 days before any waxes or anything but i do not think he knows about zaino. According to Sal over at Zaino, his product is perfectly fine for a newly painted car because it is a polish and not really a wax, although it does (he claims) protect better than a wax. I just want a deep shine now!
 
Heh...three months where I live and that paint would be toast without something to protect it...lots of industrial fallout, acid rain, constant road construction, etc.
 
Factory paint is indeed HEAT cured. It's slightly different in chemical makeup than aftermarket/body shop paint, which is CHEMICALLY cured via hardeners/activators, not external heat.



Some body shops have ovens, but it's only to speed up the chemical catalyzation, and it's no where near as high temp as factory ovens, which don't have to worry about plastic, fabric, leather and rubber parts since only the shell gets baked before the car gets put together.
 
Guitarman said:




Some body shops have ovens, but it's only to speed up the chemical catalyzation, and it's no where near as high temp as factory ovens, which don't have to worry about plastic, fabric, leather and rubber parts since only the shell gets baked before the car gets put together.
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Took the words right out of my mouth. :up :up
 
2wheelsx2 said:
Yeah, the only time it applies is a repaint. Besides, by the time the car is assembled and delivered to the dealer, it's probably been at least one month, if not more.
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to expand on this....show this co-worker the manufacture date of the car. it should be stamped on the door or on the firewall. by the time someone takes possesion of a new car from a dealer, it can be weeks or months sitting out in the open. by that time, the finish needs a lot of TLC....i have a friend who bought a 2003 and keeps insisting not to touch the paint until after a few months...i pointed out to him the manufacture date... his car was done in 10/02 and he took possession in 02/03...4 months out in the open...i went a little further by interpreting the vin number to show where it was built...it was built in japan..so it had to be shipped...weeks in the open sea..salt air, sun, etc...that made him cringe...that weekend, he asked me to come-over and help him detail it...
 
these remarks really bother me regarding new cars not needing wax, because of the paint curing or the clearcoat. Isn't it simple the best care for your car is to put a quality wax on the first week you drive it off the lot.
 
I had to have my hood painted (black) last year and I asked Sal how long to wait before Zaino. He said two weeks & thats what I did. Zainos been on it ever since. Never looked better...
 
hmm, been away for a few months and now sal is a god, curious....



At any rate this topic has been thourougly run through the gammit in past threads. It concluded as was just previously stated that it is best to LISTEN to the PAINT MANUFACTURER (not sal) because they definitely know best (and they have no reason to lie). and if anything, zaino is the worst thing to put on while your paint is curing because it will not let any chemicals 'evaporate' out. As for factory paint, do whatever you want as soon as you want.
 
"zaino is the worst thing to put on while your paint is curing because it will not let any chemicals 'evaporate' out"



emobob, ever thought about what specifically it is about sealants and waxes that seal in paint solvent?



qwik,



Sal originally developed his product to be specifically used on cars he worked on back when he was a custom painter. I would trust Sal over bulletin board conjecture. Trusting Sal is not distrusting a paint manufacturer..... Zaino is body-shop safe.. What do you think the manufacturer will say if you ask "can I apply a body-shop safe product on my freshly painted car?"



Ha, I defended Zaino... Now let the anti-Zaino hounds out of their cages....
 
Intermezzo said:
"zaino is the worst thing to put on while your paint is curing because it will not let any chemicals 'evaporate' out"



emobob, ever thought about what specifically it is about sealants and waxes that seal in paint solvent?
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While I wouldn't normally consider taking up an argument with you (your status being much my senior in the field of detailing), I will try and defend that statment.



If there is some hidden reason behind why you think a polymer sealant would be ok during curing time, please share. I don't understand the underlying chemical nature but I can quickly grasp (as most people can), that sealansts last longer, allow less 'breathing', and are going to keep all solvents in the paint for a much longer term than if the surface was free of coverings. Simple common sense, but it can be wrong, so let us all know.



Also as much as you may respect Sal (I mean why wouldn't we, hes got a legion of drones running around on every car message board I've ever been on ;) ), he could never possibly put in the same amount of R and D time that the paint manufacturers have.



Back to the common sense, if a body shop which offers a lifetime warranty (quite often the case) finds that their paint brand of choice is fading quickly, will they not switch brands faster than you can say zaino? Simple economics that the paint manufacturers want to create a good product, and to make sure that product is treated in the CORRECT manner as to promote a long life. And it is also simple economics that Sal says zaino is safe on your paint in all conditions, after all the only thing he has to gain is customers, and nothing to lose. If you do apply zaino before your paint has cured and the paint does fade prematurely, who are you going to blame (thats right not zaino, your going to blame the paint or the shop -- I mean something that is 99% optically pure can't possibly cause your paint to fade could it...nahhh).



I just simply don't believe that zaino is the only wax/sealant on the market that somehow allows paint to cure, YET is supposed to last 6 months providing some of the best protection from the elemnts (these two things, in my mind, are completely incompatible). With that in mind I choose to believe the group with the most experience, the most man hours and research, and the best motivation.
 
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