how long to wait on a fresh paint job?

B

boostdfd3s

New member
Hey every1,

My RX-7 will be back from the bodyshop soon with a full respray and 2 clear coats. :D I will post pics when i get the car back... but I'm curious as to all the rumors about letting fresh paint cure and how long (if at all) i should wait to put wax on it? plmk



-Zach
 
I was told to hold off 30 days .. which I did ... make a point of asking the painter and stick to what he says .. If something goes wrong you don't want you being over zeleous with the wax causing paint warrany problems..



Once you hit the time frame .. Clay Bar and wax away. Depending on the quality of the paint you might want to even polish then wax.
 
yea i'll be sure to ask him when i go pick the car up on what his recommendations are. Also, should i stay away from cleaning my engine bay until i have some protection on the paint? It is REALLY dirty and could use some gunk once i get it back, but im afraid of what it would do to the new paint...suggestions?
 
When my car was wrecked and the front end repainted, the body shop used Spies-Hecker paint and told me that polishing was fine, but not to seal it with wax or sealants for 90 days so all the solvents would evaporate out of the paint. If I waxed it too soon, I risked ending up with dull paint after a few years.



I just polished it when I got home with DACP, Swirl Free (it had some very minor buffer marks) then Hand Polish. Every week for the next 90 days, I'd polish with Hand Polish and then use Final Inspection on it.
 
I too have ALWAYS been told to wait at least a month before waxing/sealing.



boostdfd3s- If you want to clean the engine compartment, I'd first clean up the exterior, including applying a new-paint-friendly glaze. Then cover the fenders, etc. with something like bubble-wrap or Saran wrap using blue painter's tape. TRY to confine/limit the inevitable mess as best as possible. You might have to rewash (and reglaze) afterwards anyhow, but the plastic wrap would at least protect things to SOME degree.
 
they do infact use Sikkens paint, and the guy said i dont have to wait at all because the paint has been properly baked on. They are going to detail it and put a coat of wax on before i get the car back in 3 or 4 days.....does that sound right to u guys?
 
if they are baking it then the time of curing is reduced dramatically and possibly to nothing. i dont know exact times but I am sure of that much.
 
Usually on air cured paints it is recomended waiting at least 45 to 90 days for putting sealers on the paint except for maybe a thin coat of wax.
 
Well i picked the car up yesterday and am filling out an application to work there. They are in DIRE need of a final detailer. The paint looks amazing, the color quality and depth are unmatched, but it came back with many many swirl marks and scratches in the clearcoat. They use 3M products on a rotary buffer. Wish i could load pics but my computer refuses to let me use anything USB anymore...
 
boostdfd3s - who did the painting? Just got my wife's mini-van back from the body shop (teenager changed lanes without looking) and I'm sick at the overspray on the rest of the surfaces and miserable clean-up they did.



I'd like to have a good place to go IF there's a next time.
 
The body shop is called X2 Collision. Its in Maryville, IL right on highway 159 if your familiar with the IL side of STL. They did a M5 front bumper conversion on my dad's 540i when someone hit him, and theyve done work 3 or 4 times on my uncle's Miata (its been hit way too many times, lol) I highly recommend them, they do excellent work.
 
My shop said it was fine to do in 2 weeks. I held off until it could pass the "smell test". Put nose to paint...sniff. Could still smell it for about 6 weeks.



In summary...no smell = paint totally dry.
 
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