Repainted hood question

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I had my hood repainted (paint room, baked, high quality job). My plan is to polish (?) with some Optimum Polish, and then seal with Prime Acrylic and Acrylic Jett Trigger before putting some 3M film on the front bumper, hood, and mirrors. My GS400 eats rock chips and as much as I hate to put a bra on I am going to have to do it. I plan to wait 6 weeks before doing anything other than a wash.



My questions:

1. Should I even polish the freshly painted areas? If I do I would be using Optimum polish with my PC and a finishing pad.

2. Would there be any benefit to waiting more than 12,24 or 48 hours after applying the last layer of Acrylic Jett before applying the 3M film?



I appreciate any advice I can get from any of the knowledgeable Autopian family. Thanks.
 
OutlawTitan said:
I had my hood repainted (paint room, baked, high quality job). My plan is to polish (?) with some Optimum Polish, and then seal with Prime Acrylic and Acrylic Jett Trigger before putting some 3M film on the front bumper, hood, and mirrors. My GS400 eats rock chips and as much as I hate to put a bra on I am going to have to do it. I plan to wait 6 weeks before doing anything other than a wash.



My questions:

1. Should I even polish the freshly painted areas? If I do I would be using Optimum polish with my PC and a finishing pad.

2. Would there be any benefit to waiting more than 12,24 or 48 hours after applying the last layer of Acrylic Jett before applying the 3M film?



I appreciate any advice I can get from any of the knowledgeable Autopian family. Thanks.
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Wait more than 6 weeks. Especially if you are putting a 3M bra on the new paint.
 
Is 8 weeks enough? The painter said at least 30 days would be enough but I want to be overly cautious if anything. Would it be ok to do the AJ or should I wait longer on that as well?
 
OutlawTitan said:
Is 8 weeks enough? The painter said at least 30 days would be enough but I want to be overly cautious if anything. Would it be ok to do the AJ or should I wait longer on that as well?
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I never listen to painters. mine told me I must wax right away. So I did, before I knew better, and my paint never cured.



Persoanlly, I wait 90 days.
 
If there isn't any marring then you shouldn't have anything to polish out. Look at the panels both under natural sunlight and under halogens. If your happy with the finish leave well enough alone.



As stated many times on this forum there is no one answer as to how long a re-finish job has to cure. That would be because there are different clears sold by the same paint manufactuer and then different paint manufactuers. Each with a different amount of time it takes.



I have several clears I spray, some cure in 30 days some in as long as 180. All will assume the ambient air temperature is around 70 - 75 degrees (f) during the period. If it's less than you'll need to wait longer than the stated period, if it's higher then you can shorten it.



So find out the exact clear used and who made it then go to that manufactuer's website and look it up. You should get the time for it to cure (or wax) from there.



Another thing is it's going to be real hard not to get any chips if you drive the car while your waiting to do the clear bra. When I had my Audi done at the tail end of the winter this year, I garaged it for 3 months. Also the more you drive it the more your gonna need to wash it which could require correction of the paint before to long.



You want the parts where the film is going to be as pristene as possible otherwise what is the sense of protecting them?



MorBiD
 
I appreciate the input. I am going to have to contact my painter and find out exactly what brand of clear he used and check out the manufacturer's recommended cure time. Kind of a catch-22 situation if you ask me. I definitely want to let the paint cure but being a daily driver if i wait 3-6 months I will for sure get some chips before I get the film installed.
 
Yup it sorta is in that regard. Most get PPF installed when the car is brought. Paint is well hardend by then.



I have a beater to drive so the whole reason for getting the front end re-finished was to remove the chips and get the PPF installed. It was tough though I'll tell you that. I did take it out once in awhile like to the corner store or the market up the block. But only when the weather and roads were in optimal conditions.
 
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