I had a scratch repaired at the dealer body shop and they said I shouldn't wax the newly painted surface for 90 days. That seems a little long. Anyone know if that's true?
Hmm, had heard that from my dealer. I think most cars off the lot have been "aged" the 90 days or more anyway. I do recall after having a car re-painted years ago, the the paint shop said to hold off on waxing/polishing for a few weeks, but nothing close to the 90 days.
When I worked at a body shop we recommended 30 days of sun as the routine. Trouble is, as I understand it, if you wax too soon the solvents wont escape and you will end up with paint that stays softer than it should because it never fully cures.
I recently had my rear bumper cover replaced and painted and because I am a Zaino's user I wrote Sal Zanio and asked him what he thought about the time I should wait before waxing. Here's what he had to say,
There's alot of misinformation about waiting three months for the paint to cure. I am a custom painter by trade. I am very familar with Dupont, PPG and all the other paint manufacturers. The most I personally would wait on fresh "aftermarket body shop" paint before polishing with Zaino Show Car Polish is 1 week. That's more than sufficient curing time. Zaino contains no wax, silicones or abrasives..... The new paints are catalyzed. A chemical reaction cures the paint. The older lacquers and enamels needed time for the solvents to release. This is not the case anymore. Believe me if that paint need 3 months to dry than it will never dry.... Just the facts. For the Ultimate in paint protection and an incredible Show Car finish on your above scenario. I recommend purchasing the Zaino Bros' Total Protection Show Car Kit.. Code# ZKIT-1 NOTE: Z-18 CLAYbar is not necessary on fresh paint...
Black Sunshine 2006 Mustang GT premium vert Black on Black on Black, , Ti CAI w/SCT, Steeda UDP's, Corsa Axlebacks, Auto, all leather. Shaker 1000
Skydiving and Mustangs... Without them life would be just like driving a VW Bug!
There are no perfectly good airplanes!
and top notch bodyshops have paint booths that bake cars up to temps of 160...I bake at 140 for 30 mins using Duponts 72500.... 2 weeks after that waxing would be fine. no need to wax before that. painting in bodyshops is way different than the ole days of Enamel and Lacquer.
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Saleen S/C 3.2 pulley tuned by JDM Engineering, GT500 pumps, CHE goodies on the rear, 4.10's, KOOKS/ high flow catted X pipe with PYPES Violators, Spydershaft, TCI 3500 stall, PA deep tranny pan. Meziere w/p,M&H 325/45/17 DRs.
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New Paint Waxing 
