New Paint

[connorsaj]

I just got my '12 Si Sedan back from being repaired. I was in two accidents, in 48 hours, and neither were my fault. The dealership collision center installed a new front bumper, new hood, new front fender, and a new rear bumper. When I picked up my car, they advised me not to wax the car for at least 90 days due to the fact that they had to paint and blend the new part and apparently waxing it before 90 days could cause damage to the paint.

My question is: What should I use to wash the vehicle? What should I avoid? Is there any special treatment I should use until I can have it professionally waxed in 90 days?

Seems that there are numerous people in here with a mass amount of car detailing knowledge, I would appreciate any advice so I can avoid any damage to the paint.

 

[webby]

From autogeek below

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I asked the head chemist at Meguiar's about this and he laughed at these types of comments and in his normal way of making the complex very simple to understand he said,

"Mike, if you have your car painted or just a fender painted at a body shop and then take the car home, park it in your garage, close the garage door and go inside and watch a football game, and then come back out to the garage after a few hours... what do you smell in the garage?"

My answer was "Fresh paint?"

And he said "yes"


Now if you're smelling anything related to the fresh paint in your garage what do you think you're actually smelling? My guess would be one of the solvents used to thin the paint so it can be sprayed evaporating off the paint. Just a guess. And that would actually be some type of molecule floating in the air, that came off the paint going into your nose.

Now if you repeat the above and don't smell anything in your garage than that's probably a pretty good sing nothing or very little is still outgassing BUT the idea behind paint manufactures recommending that you wait at least 30 days before "Sealing" the paint is to provide a "Window of time" for the paint to fully outgass, dry and harden before you seal the surface.

The paint might be fully outgassed, dried and hardened one day after it was sprayed, 3 days after it was sprayed, 17 days after it was sprayed or 29 days after it was sprayed, but since there's no quick, simple and easy way for the average car owner to test and confirm this point in time, a General Rule of Thumb is to wait for 30 days before sealing the paint.

Make sense?

So seal your fresh paint with a wax or paint sealant right there at the body shop after you pay your bill or drive your car home and do it there or wait 30 days, you have the power in your hand to make that decision.

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Car wash soaps won't hurt the paint. It's a matter of letting the paint cure prior to waxing it.