How long before I can wax?

A

amcdonal86

New member
I am just picking up my front bumper cover today that I had repaired and repainted. I know this has been covered a million times, but do I need to wait before I wax the bumper?



I'd rather just wax it right away because otherwise bugs and crap will get stuck on there so bad (it's June now) and I'll never be able to get it off without bad etching and lots of effort.
 
This may seem obvious, but did you ask the shop/painter? Frankly, I would think they would (should) know best since they are the ones who are familiar with what products/processes were used in your scenario. I have been told 30 and even 90 days in the past but its really going to depend on what they used and the procedures they use (i.e. additional curing steps, etc.). ....I know technology has changed since I last time I required the services of a paint shop.
 
I haven't asked, but I bet I'll get the standard "wait 2 weeks" response. This shop seems to have horrible customer service and a rude owner. I hope they do good work (which is what I care about the most).
 
I found this online:



30 days wait to wax after fresh paint job????? - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online



It is a long post, but I think it contains very little information at all about the actual subject matter. Rather, it focuses on the semantics of the word "breathe". (Face palm!)



Is there any truth to the idea that the paint really needs to outgas significantly, even with modern painting techniques? It seems to me that solvents evaporate very quickly, and a thin layer of wax would not prevent this from happening anyway.
 
Opinions differ on this subject, and we :argue about it all the time :D



I wait at least 90 days so the paint absolutely attains its maximum potential hardness. That's just me but I've never had any problems and I've experienced progressive hardening over time enough to be set in my ways. And yeah, that progressive hardening was with "new tech" paints, baked, done by a very good shop.



And last I heard, the paint manufacturers say to wait (but of course there are a lot of different reasons why they'd say that).



I hear that OCW is approved by Ford for use on "post-production" paintwork, so that oughta be a good approach. I myself just stick with Meg's M05 or 3M IHG for the first three months; I'd rather err on the side of caution but I have no problem recommending the OCW.
 
Accumulator said:
Opinions differ on this subject, and we :argue about it all the time :D



I wait at least 90 days so the paint absolutely attains its maximum potential hardness. That's just me but I've never had any problems and I've experienced progressive hardening over time enough to be set in my ways. And yeah, that progressive hardening was with "new tech" paints, baked, done by a very good shop.



And last I heard, the paint manufacturers say to wait (but of course there are a lot of different reasons why they'd say that).



I hear that OCW is approved by Ford for use on "post-production" paintwork, so that oughta be a good approach. I myself just stick with Meg's M05 or 3M IHG for the first three months; I'd rather err on the side of caution but I have no problem recommending the OCW.
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Given that I am going to be driving the car during bug season, I have to choose the lesser of two evils.



Put wax on it (planning on Collinite 845), and at least protect the bumper a little bit, or take my chances with a naked bumper!



Maybe I'm overstating the protecting ability of wax against squished bugs, though.
 
amcdonal86 said:
Given that I am going to be driving the car during bug season, I have to choose the lesser of two evils.



Put wax on it (planning on Collinite 845), and at least protect the bumper a little bit, or take my chances with a naked bumper!



Maybe I'm overstating the protecting ability of wax against squished bugs, though.
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No, no...it's a genuine dilemma and I wouldn't discount the protection of certain LSPs with regard to bugs. Just a matter of which to use, finding the best trade-off between protection and the chance of messing up the outgassing.



Heh heh, it's easy for Yours Truly to pontificate about waiting to LSP fresh paint, I can just drive something else. In your case it's a whole 'nother ballgame! I wonder how those "bug shield products" would work for this :think:
 
I have been in your shoes several times. I simply Quick Detail the area often. A fresh QD will aid against dreaded bug gut stains and make them quick to wipe off, too. After 30 days (my rule of thumb and also what my painter tells me) you can wax.
 
Accumulator said:
No, no...it's a genuine dilemma and I wouldn't discount the protection of certain LSPs with regard to bugs. Just a matter of which to use, finding the best trade-off between protection and the chance of messing up the outgassing.



Heh heh, it's easy for Yours Truly to pontificate about waiting to LSP fresh paint, I can just drive something else. In your case it's a whole 'nother ballgame! I wonder how those "bug shield products" would work for this :think:
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Haha, well I guess I COULD drive another car, but then my girlfriend would have to hoof it to work. And I'm not sure what's better, an etched bumper, or a perfectly good looking bumper with a lot of bitchin' and moanin' in my ear! :D
 
I've also gone through this more than a few times and used Meg's #80 as a wax substitute. It provides some protection while at the same time keeps the surface pristine. It lets the paint outgas all it needs and make s bugs and dirt easier to remove.
 
jfelbab said:
I've also gone through this more than a few times and used Meg's #80 as a wax substitute. It provides some protection while at the same time keeps the surface pristine. It lets the paint outgas all it needs and make s bugs and dirt easier to remove.
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Yeah, M80 is very good in this regard. There have been a (very) few cases where the initial cut of M80 was too aggressive for fresh paint, but unless that's an issue (and it rarely is) M80 is nice. Too bad they never released a zero-cut product containing the same fresh-paint-safe polymers.
 
Well it's not at that point yet. I keep getting the runaround from this shop. First they say it will be done Friday, then Saturday, then they messed up and need to redo it, then they show it to me and it has a huge bump in it (clearly they did not sand the filler down) and it looks like they didn't sand down the old paint flat, since I can still see little specs/pits/chips from the old coat. I am pretty upset, but hopefully it will be done today to an acceptable level.
 
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