Can't Wax My Truck For 90 Days!?!

So, I got in to a fight with a mail box, and my truck had to get a couple of crease dents popped and some deep scratches repaired. This required some paint work. When I picked up my truck, I was told I couldn't wax or clay my truck for 90 days (but I can hand wash my truck as much as I want...) "so the clear coat / paint can set"... This seems a little ridiculous, especially if I can supposedly hand was as much as I want...

I'm not in the habit of questioning people that do quality work, but can anyone speak to the legitimacy of this? I happen to like waxing my vehicle, and it usually gets a hand wash every week with a wax every 2-3... Thanks in advance for any comments / advice...

 

I have always been told that you should not wax a car more than once every 6 weeks because eventually it weakens the top clear coat. And I have always heard that after painting and body repairs you do not wax. Waxing involved the top clear coat and thats why they suggested this to you. I dont know if what I have been taught it totally 100% accurate but this is what I know of those kinds of things.

 

My body shop friend says they should bake the part so you should be able to wax any time. But not 100% on that

 

Hmm, Thanks for the replies... I am cool with letting it sit a bit, but 90 days in the Florida sun and salty ocean air is no bueno... Especially if I can supposedly hand wash it but not hand wax it...

 

You wash your truck too much... its a truck, not an Audi...

 

90 days is a little extreme to allow the clear coat to harden. The cure rate on PPG finishline clear I think was around 72 hours so if you give it a solid week or two you'll be fine.

 

Heh, it's brand new! Plus it relaxes me, and I work nights so there isn't much to do at midnight when I get off work... When she gets some mud on her I let it sit a while

Thanks! I'll look for some info, but that seems a lot more realistic than 3 months!

 

You need to allow the paint to 'harden.' In this case it means let all the off gases bleed through the paint. If you seal it with wax it will not properly harden. Waiting will pay off.

 

I wash my truck way more than I wash my Audi

As far as not waxing goes, it is true that paint cures with time. How long? I don't know.

 

He is correct, I am a body shop manager and we tell all of our customers this. Its fresh paint, don't mess with it until it properly cures.

 

Well if it's brand new you shouldn't have been abusive to her in the first place!!! lol

 

x2 I too, am a body shop manager, and I can tell you that each paint system is VERY different.

For example, the first shop I managed, we used SIKKENS brand paint. After a bake cycle, and 30 minute cure time, you could polish the stuff, de-nib it, etc...

The shop I now manage uses DuPONT paint. Totally different system. After a bake, and cure cycle, we can't even touch the clear without leaving a finger print in it. It's that soft still. Needs to sit 12 hours before we can even consider touching it. Polishing/waxing is a BIG no-no for at least several weeks!

So what you've been told is likely quite true. 90 days may be a bit extreme, but that's just the shop owner covering his butt.

 

It's likely fine, but it depends on the paint and process used.
Baked finishes are good to go out the door.
Most acrylic lacquers are also good to go.
"Old school" lacquers needed time, as the surface was very soft.

But to be safe, I'd wait the 90 days before any serious work, but for protection for now, it's not going to hurt to hand-lay a coat of NXT or other liquid wax.

 

After baking?

Wow. I'm surprised it's still that soft.

How are multi-color jobs handled where masking is required?

 

Thanks for the replies all! I guess I will just let her sit for a while...

I just had trouble wrapping my head around the idea that I was fine to wash her with a microfiber mitt, but I couldn't apply Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax with a foam or microfiber pad and wipe off with a microfiber towel... I just want to treat my baby right!

 

You paid an experienced professional for his work and opinion, I suggest you follow his advice.

 

Oh no doubt! I just know that other experienced professionals lurk this site, some of which have given me great advice in the past and that I respect, so I was getting other opinions. I have heard that paint and clear coats need time to cure sometimes, but I have never heard 90 days before.

 

I call BS. 2 weeks max! If that was the case why when cars go to body shops after work, they buff them before you get it back. They don't hand over a car with overspray and orange peel. Today's paints are a thousand times better then the old school paints. Your waxing it not clarifying a clay bar to it. Use a spray on wax and VERY VERY LIGHT PRESSURE. Let the towel do the work. Use your elbow to lift the beer to your mouth when your done....

 

X2. Lots of variables and the shop owner would rather have you go unwaxed longer than necessary than have 'die-back' (a fogging up of the finish) and have to redo the job.

 

While the outside surface coat obviously dries quite quickly, it will take much longer for the layers under the surface to fully dry and bond sufficiently ("set"). Premature waxing (which seals the pores of the surface coat) significantly impedes that process and can lead to the various layers underneath not drying and bonding properly.

Because of that, most recommend a period of time before waxing. While that recommended period may vary somewhat (based on type of paint, number of layers, weather, opinion, etc), 90-days is not that unusual (a margin of safety).

I'd recommend following the advice of your professionals, which you seem to be doing, who have experience with exactly what they've done (the paint, layers, etc).

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