Whats the waiting time to polish after painting?

Nicky Pass

New member
I had my door touched up on my new car last week and I was wondering how long should I wait before my new baby gets its first coat of Zaino! I though it was 30 days....but I'm not sure! But I do know that I want to "have at it" with my new Cobra, but I don't wanna mess anything up!
 
Just had some work done on my SUV, they told me washing is fine within a day or two, but to polish about 3 weeks.
 
I believe on the Meguiar's website it advises to wait three months for proper curing. I followed these instructions. My body shop said 30 days, but I didn't want to take any risks.
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



Newly re- painted vehicle- How long do you have to wait before you can polish or wax a newly painted vehicle surface? A glaze (3M Perfect-It III Show Car Finishing Glaze) contains a protective polymer that is paint able. It is completely safe for fresh paint, as it allows the solvents to evaporate. I do not know of a single paint manufacture that recommends applying wax, or any type of paint protectant (sealant) until a minimum of 30 days has passed and sometimes longer. You can wash or polish the vehicle (do not use an aggressive Machine Polish) but don’t use a quick detailing spray (QD) as they usually contain a wax.



Dupont standard is to wait 90 days if the vehicle is out in the elements and to wait 120 days if it is kept in a garage most of the time. It can be argued that catalysed paints are cured chemically and there is no need to wait for 30 days, the manufacture knows their products best, seek their advice.



~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ Jon

justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



The Silicone that is ‘Paint Shop Safe’ is formulated with Polydimethylsiloxane (PDS). It’s water-based, dries to a non-oily hard surface.



Any glaze that is paintable (not so sure that this is a real word) but Zanio is a wax (although Zanio calls it a polish) and is not suitable for freshly re-painted surfaces.



~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ Jon

justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*
 
My body shop told me that I should wash with water only for the first 30 days...then no wax for 6 weeks or so.



Nicky...time to change your signature...let's see Cobra listed there!
 
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