So is 4 weeks long enough to wait to apply Zaino to new paint?

S

Skyhawk

New member
Well is it? Im home this Labor Day weekend and 4 weeks ago i got my hood and front end repainted, and id like to apply some Zaino while i have a shaded driveway and garage to do it in. So is 4 weeks long enough to wait? Any special ways that it needs to be applied to new paint?
 
Ask the shop that painted it what the paint manufacturer recommends. It is usually anywhere from 30 to 90 days curing time after the paint is applied before you apply the first application of wax.



It is safe to use a glaze such as Meg's #5 that will help protect a little while still allowing the paint to cure. I usually wait at least 90 days just to be safe before I apply a wax or sealer.
 
Eliot Ness said:
Ask the shop that painted it what the paint manufacturer recommends. It is usually anywhere from 30 to 90 days curing time after the paint is applied before you apply the first application of wax.



It is safe to use a glaze such as Meg's #5 that will help protect a little while still allowing the paint to cure. I usually wait at least 90 days just to be safe before I apply a wax or sealer.
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You are 100% correct. When I painted the front end of my Caravan, I waited the full 90 days before applying any wax to it. I would suggest, like you did, to use a 'safe' glaze like Meg's #5 or, god forbid (lol!) 3M hand glaze.
 
Skyhawk, I just had my bumper repainted 4 months ago and the body shop owner said that both he and the manufacturer recommend waiting 60-90 days after painting to place a sealant/wax on the car. The reason is the paint needs to out-gas. The much of the liquid in paint is a volitile liquid, which means it evaporates by its own. This needs to occur or else you could get small bubbles in the paint or discoloration. Sealants and waxes are definite no-no's after getting a repaint. Only use glazes like suggested previously. It will wash away after ever wash, but you will get a little protection out of it.
 
so what is it? Im getting mixed replies...some say not to use anything, and some are saying that Zaino is ok, which i have heard before.
 
I agree with the other posts, what is the harm in waiting for the 90 days? It has always been my opinion that it is better to be safe than sorry.
 
Skyhawk said:
so what is it? Im getting mixed replies...some say not to use anything, and some are saying that Zaino is ok, which i have heard before.
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Give Sal a call. That would be your best bet. You may have to leave him a VM, but he will call you back.
 
I always wait at least 90 days and usually 120, as per the instructions from *every* paint manufacturer (MirrorFinishMan querried them a while ago and they *all* said to wait). I use Meg's #5 during the outgassing period.



If you interfere with the outgassing the only downside will be that the paint won't reach maximum potential hardness. Nobody I've ever talked with has mentioned any other, serious, problems; it's not like the paint will fail. If you don't care about soft paint I wouldn't worry about the outgassing.



Noting that Sal was a painter before he turned to polishes/etc., and also noting that FK says one of their sealants can be used on outgassing paint ("it lets it breath like GoreTex"), I still wait. Nobody's ever explained to me just *how* these products allow the outgassing to occur. No lab tests, no technically compelling explanations, nothing like that at all.. it always seems to be "take my word for it". That's not good enough for *me*, I want the scientific details, which I've never seen. So I risk erring on the side of caution by just doing what the paint makers tell me to do.



I wonder how many people would really notice if their repaint didn't get as hard as it can anyhow :nixweiss Plenty of people wax right over fresh paint, undoubtedly interfering with the outgassing, yet they never complain about problems (though they might note that repaints generally aren't as hard as factory finishes). I will say that the Spies-Hecker repaints on our Audis are, for practical purposes, just as hard as the factory paint, and that's saying something. *I* would notice if repainted areas weren't as hard as the rest of it and I care about that. Other people might see the whole thing differently, just as other people might be willing to take a company's word for what their products do.
 
Don't wax it. I would go into the details of FACTORY baking the paint vs a body shop doing it. Different types of paint, etc...Its not worth the chance, really. If for any reason the re-paint would fail, your waxing it COULD void any warranty they may offer.
 
Ask your body shop if this paint was catalyzed. Most quality basecoat/clearclear modern paints are catalyzed and require a very short time for complete curing - days to weeks. The ability to catalyze the paint curing actually allows the basecoat/ and multiple clearcoat application to be efficient and cost effective.

Also a quality paint shop will not only have the state-of-the-art air flow system but also baking capacity.



Some of your answer may very well depend on "who" and "how" the paint was applied



I have used Zaino within days on a quality body shop paint repair. Absolutely no problem with hardness, appearance (does lack waterspotting/bird etching from running around unprotected), and gloss.



If there is a warranty involved, make sure it includes environment hazards like severe acid rain water-spotting and bird deposit etching while paint is in the "unprotected curing period".
 
blkZ28Conv said:
Ask your body shop if this paint was catalyzed. Most quality basecoat/clearclear modern paints are catalyzed and require a very short time for complete curing - days to weeks. The ability to catalyze the paint curing actually allows the basecoat/ and multiple clearcoat application to be efficient and cost effective.

Also a quality paint shop will not only have the state-of-the-art air flow system but also baking capacity...



I have used Zaino within days on a quality body shop paint repair. Absolutely no problem with hardness, appearance (does lack waterspotting/bird etching from running around unprotected), and gloss...
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That's interesting, how your Zaino-ing of your repaint didn't cause problems. When somebody like *you* reports that, I listen.



On the catalyzed/baked paint, here's my experience (which some of you have heard many times before): the Spies-Hecker paint they used on the S8's deer repair is catalyzed and was baked; all done to spec by a shop that knows what they're doing. The way the hardness increased over the course of a few months was amazing to me....approaches that were too aggressive three weeks after painting didn't do *anything* two months later; it was like the paint utterly changed and the methods I used to correct it had to change too. I've had this happen so many times that I'm really gunshy about interfering with the outgassing, which might help explain why I'm always sorta-ranting about this stuff :o and why I always caution people about being careful how they treat their repaints.
 
Accumulator said:
That's interesting, how your Zaino-ing of your repaint didn't cause problems. When somebody like *you* reports that, I listen.



On the catalyzed/baked paint, here's my experience (which some of you have heard many times before): the Spies-Hecker paint they used on the S8's deer repair is catalyzed and was baked; all done to spec by a shop that knows what they're doing. The way the hardness increased over the course of a few months was amazing to me....approaches that were too aggressive three weeks after painting didn't do *anything* two months later; it was like the paint utterly changed and the methods I used to correct it had to change too. I've had this happen so many times that I'm really gunshy about interfering with the outgassing, which might help explain why I'm always sorta-ranting about this stuff :o and why I always caution people about being careful how they treat their repaints.
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Thanks for the compliment.



Accumulator, I agree completely with your assessment about being gun-shy. I believe the best route is to follow one's body shop recommendation with safe guards in the warranty against severe environmental damage that may occur when paint is unprotected.



From my experience (limited. I avoid needing body shop visits as much as possible),is that Zaino did not interfer with the maturation of my repaired fender (a real turkey did not quite get off the ground :( ). Because of the crosslinking matrix that Zaino forms, I believe does not interfer with out-gassing and the lack of oils and silicones also decreases the smothering effects of these agents. Keep in mind that the volatile components (VOC's) in modern automotive paints have greatly decreased which in turn decreases the amount / period of out-gassing.



I will say that back in the 70's and early 80's I did wait 30-60 days before applying a wax to a newly painted vehicle. :2thumbs:
 
blkZ28Conv- Heh heh, better a turkey and one fender than a deer and a lot more parts ;)



Some day I figure a chemist will explain what does/doesn't allow outgassing and what the real story on the "fresh-paint-friendly sealants" really is. I sure wouldn't mind learning that I was off-base about this stuff; I'd buy some FK or Zaino in a heartbeat if I were convinced and I'm sure there's *somebody* who could convince me if it's really true. Until that day I'll keep enjoying the trip down memory lane with my Meg's #5, I still flashback to being a teenager whenever I smell the stuff :D Heh heh, back to the days when even factory paint had to cure for a long time, not just the repaints.
 
Accumulator said:
blkZ28Conv- Heh heh, better a turkey and one fender than a deer and a lot more parts ;)



... Heh heh, back to the days when even factory paint had to cure for a long time, not just the repaints.
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Yes!!! I remember those days (60's & 70's) when you were instructed not to wash that "new" car for at least a month. That was sooooo frustrating. I also remember wiping down new cars with a fragranced kerosene solution immediately before delivery and washing the front lot "new" vehicles several times a week (My HS summer job at VW).



Go figure? :(
 
Here's a thought . . . perhaps catalyzed paints are done outgassing within several days to a week, but continue to crosslink for a longer period than that? That would explain Accumulator's experience with his S8 . . . the paint continues to harden over time, not because of the outgassing of solvents, but because the paint polymers continue to link and harden.



Now, I have no idea if that's really the case, or even if it's possible, as I'm no paint expert . . . just a random thought while bored at work.



Tort
 
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