Washing after a fresh paintjob/bodywork?

[HokieDSM]

My Talon's due to come back from the bodyshop today after having the frontend repainted & bumper replaced. I've heard a few opinions on how long one should wait to do a wash & wax/polish after fresh paint & clearcoat is applied - so what do you all think?

I wanna keep it looking as good as possible, and I usually wash & wax once a month - before the bodywork, that is...

 

[wastefuldreamer]

wait at least 30 days before a wax, You can wash it, Just no hard wash (pressure washer) like at the car wash places.

 

[blackNboosted]

I had my eclipse painted about 6 months ago and the guy told me that I could wax it as soon as I wanted to. I asked him about needing to wait a while before I had it waxed, and he said it wouldn't hurt the paint at all. As far as your first few washes, go buy a washing mit (stay away from sponges) and it should be gravy.

 

[98RedGs]

1 Week Should Be Perfect.

 

[4g63swap]

depends if they bake the car. if the car is baked wash/wax as soon as you want. if it isn't baked you want to wait 2 to four weeks for the paint to cure. hope this helps

 

[mitsumaster]

personally I would wait at least 2 weeks before I even rub anything on it just pressure wax wash in my opinion. Laterz

 

[TBSpyder]

I've always went by the rule of a week or two to wash, atleast a month to wax....Although I do admit I've done it sooner and never had any problems. It's just a risk you run.

 

[chriw21_2000]

dont wash it for atleast a month. That is true wax. Washing can be done right afterwards. That is what we tell people when they pick up their cars at the bodyshop I help out with.

Laterz

 

[Defiant]

Wash gently when dirty, wax after a month.

 

[TSiGoesPsSsSst]

Well at the bodyshop I work at(car auction).We see a good 35+ cars painted in a single 10hr shift.The next day they are buffed,and The compound from the buffer is then power washed off.I learned my lesson getting too close with the power wash though..Ripped a big clump of paint right off a 2002 Tauruses left 1/4.But Ohh well,trial and error I guess.But I recommend you dont wash your car for a good week or two.I wouldnt even wax it for a couple months to be honest.Wax does nothing good to fresh paint.Its made to gloss up old worn clear on your car pretty much..and your clear will be fresh so theres no point in using it.

 

[Phat95Talon]

Am I wrong? When you have your car cut & buffed, isn't that pretty much getting it waxed?

 

[TSiGoesPsSsSst]

After the cars painted,Its water sanded to remove the dust particles in the clear.Its then buffed to give the clear its gloss lost by the water sanding.Theres really two kinds of buffing.Theres buffing with compound(used on freshly painted cars)and then there's buffing with a pink wax(Which is just like normally waxing your car)The Wax is not used on fresh paint,but the compound is.But anyways Not all cars have to be water sanded and buffed after paint.If theres hardly any dirt in the clear its useless to go through that stage.So yes in a way you are right.In some cases buffing is waxing,but thats not the type of buffing im refering to.
But back to the topic.I wouldnt wax my car for awhile.Atleast a month or so..But you can obviously just wash it.

Hope I explained that understandibly

 

[Cirus_93TSI]

ok, i know people that paint cars, and i can answer this, we had a discussion about this after my friends front end was repainted
you can wash a car down with water as soon as the paint has had proper time to dry, you should wait about a week beforeyou wash it with any kind of soap or anything but straight water
and yea, you should wait at least a month before you wax the car
but certainly dont let your car sit for a whole month after it gets painted without so much as hosing it down with water, thats not a good idea

 

[bottledbird68]

OK, I own a bodyshop and have asked this very same question to PPG so I could give their answer. Washing is fine as long as you don't use a soap with wax in it. By the time you pick the car up the paint should be cured just fine so it's safe to get it wet. Waxing should wait at least 30 days, after that you are all set.

As far as buffing the same as waxing? Wax has silicone in it. Silicone seals the paint and won't let the solvents escape as it cures. Buffing compounds are silicone free, that is the difference. Compound = safe, anything with silicone in it = bad. Remember, not my opinion, basically a direct quote from PPG paint. If they don't know then who does....