New paint care?

[NOFX]

I have a brand new painted bumper. Winter is coming, and winter here is wet/dirty ... so I need to know a few things and keep getting mixed responses.

How long should I wait to:

A) Wash normally
B) Glaze
C) Polish
D) Wax

I'm a pretty experienced hand detailer, but I don't ever deal with fresh paint.

TIA

 

[JaredPointer]

I have a brand new painted bumper. Winter is coming, and winter here is wet/dirty ... so I need to know a few things and keep getting mixed responses.

How long should I wait to:

A) Wash normally

You can wash immediately.

B) Glaze

Again, I don't think there's any need to wait.

C) Polish

You can do that too. You probably will need to get rid of the holograms and swirls the body shop left behind anyway.

D) Wax

As far as waxing and sealing goes, there's a lot of different opinions. I'd go by what the body shop guys recommend. Regardless if they really know what they're talking about or not (and they should know about the paint and it's cure times) they will be the ones giving you some type of warranty on the work. It would probably be wise to follow their recommended wait period.

 

[Sveta]

Perhaps some #7 or Hand Polish until the paint cures? Won't seal the paint, nice oils and looks good. Just doesn't last by itself. What do you think? Bad idea?

 

[audiboy]

Any paint done after the factory paint job can take anywhere from 30-90 days to completely cure. During the factory painting process they are able to bake the paint at such high temperatures that the paint is almost fully cured out of the factory. Body/Paint shops aren't able to match the temps that the factory uses, so curing usually takes a little longer. That being said, I would only wash normally and use a polish for about 60 days. You should be good to go for protection after that.

 

[Poorboy]

I agree with Jared and Audiboy :smile ...just remeber to get off any bird dropping and dirt as soon as possible since there will not be any sacraficial protection layers (wax, sealant)

 

[CalgaryDetail]

I know when my mother got her car painted (our neighbour hit it when it was 3 weeks old) the shop told us not to wash it for atleast 2 weeks (it made me want to cry) and not to wax it or anything for atleast a month. I would folllow these instuctions for your car. Better safe then sorry. A year without sealent is better then a year with flakey paint (sorry but its true)