Brand new truck, how long to wait til first polish/wax?
Hey guys, my first post here. I've been lurking for the past 2 months reading and learning. And getting a serious urge to mod a truck I don't even have yet...
I have an 08 DC Tacoma Sport on the way. It was built the last week of August and was shipped last Friday, so should be here sometime this coming week. I'm already anxious to give it the first wash and wax/polish. I'll be using Zaino to shine it up. My question is how long should I wait to apply anything to the fresh paint? I've read that you should give the paint time to set but have not found an estimate on exactly how long to wait. How long have you all waited until the first polish? Thanks a lot!
Thanks for the response. I didn't even know this forum existed. Soon as toyotanation loads i scroll down and go straight into 2005+ Tacoma. Shows you where all my focus has been!
When you get painting done at a body shop then you have to wait for a time while the paint cures. Sometimes 30 days, sometimes 90 days. It just depends on what they tell you. When the painting is done at the factory they heat cure it and there is no need to wait. Besides, the vehicle is often 30+ days old by the time you purchase it anyway. For example, my car rolled out of the factory in the last week of April and it wasn't bought till the last week of May. That paint was definitely ready for wax by then.
When you get painting done at a body shop then you have to wait for a time while the paint cures. Sometimes 30 days, sometimes 90 days. It just depends on what they tell you. When the painting is done at the factory they heat cure it and there is no need to wait. Besides, the vehicle is often 30+ days old by the time you purchase it anyway. For example, my car rolled out of the factory in the last week of April and it wasn't bought till the last week of May. That paint was definitely ready for wax by then.
I was rear-ended and Toyota just painted a portion of my rear bedside and clear coated the entire bedside.....they told me I couldn't polish, wax, or use any chemicals (other than car wash soap) for 3 months.
The paint comes cured from the factory. I waxed mine on the 2nd day that I owned the truck.
But if you get some bodywork done you should ask the body shop about when you can wax it. I usually wait at least a month after bodywork.
You can polish a vehicle at any time. As long as you're not using a polish that has fillers in it. Polish does not "clog" the paint like wax does. With fresh un-cured paint the paint needs to be able to breathe. Wax prevents this.
I was rear-ended and Toyota just painted a portion of my rear bedside and clear coated the entire bedside.....they told me I couldn't polish, wax, or use any chemicals (other than car wash soap) for 3 months.
Damn ..i gotta wait till NOVEMBER!! Grrrrrrrrrrr
They probably told you this just to be safe since most people don't know the difference between wax and polish.
You can safely polish new paint. In fact I recommend that you polish it. Polishing it now can fix any paint defects and overspray before the paint gets real hard.
You don't have to wait to polish paint. What do you think the bodyshop does before they deliver the car to you? They color sand the paint and polish it.
OK, maybe I am generalizing here. A GOOD bodyshop will color sand the paint and polish it. I'm not sure what shorcuts other body shops take.
I had my tailgate recleared and color sanded it and polished it AND waxed it the day after it was painted. And that was with the bodyshop's permission.
I can't speak for all body shops, but the ones I know of use catalysts (isocyanates) and the paint dries fast. REALLY fast.
If the body shop is telling you that you can't polish or wax for 90 days...he either is uninformed or is not using a catalyst to harden the paint. Maybe he didn't color sand it or polish it either.
BTW, I would hate to think of what might happen to paint on a hood, roof or trunk that didn't have wax on it for three months! Especially if it were very soft paint that truly took 90 days to harden.
EDIT: Sorry I got way off the original question. I would say wax away as soon as you get your new vehicle.
EDIT#2: My friend owns a body shop and I will get his take on the paint curing question...maybe different shops use different catalysts and dry times vary?
Last edited by PolishAndWax; 09-09-2007 at 11:19 PM.
Yeah that's right factory paint is heat cured, wet sanded and polished before it leaves the factory so it's ready to wax as soon as you can get it home. The larger body shops do the same 3 steps, and you can wax right after the repair work is done. If you have work done at any shop ask about their paint curing system, because small shops may not heat cure. This leaves your new paint unprotected during this waiting period, and that is pretty cheesy IMO.
OK, I checked in with my buddy who owns a body shop. By the way, he has been painting cars for over 30 years. That doesn’t make his word gospel, but IMHO, it’s close enough for this discussion. So, the following are basically his words relayed by me...
Factory Paints are heat-cured (as already mentioned) at about 300°F and are ready to be waxed long before they get to the dealership. So, wax on, my friend.
Some body shops heat cure, but not many. So, here’s the skinny on body shop painting and curing:
Time Before It’s Safe To Polish (without heat curing)
Textbook: Wait 72 hours
Reality: Nobody waits that long. They can’t afford to. Some polish same day, some wait 24 hours.
Time Before It’s Safe To Wax
Waxing too early can inhibit the solvents in the paint from escaping, resulting in ‘die-back’ or a dulling of the clear.
Textbook: Wait 30 days
Reality: Nobody waits that long. Some people polish and wax the same day they paint.
Experience has taught my buddy that the textbook times can be played with. If he gets good results with the shortened dry times, then he’s beating the system.
However, when a customer asks, he doesn’t contradict what the manufacturer of the clear coat says, which is 30 days.
Oh, he also said that 90 days dry time was ridiculous and said the same thing as I did, regarding having paint unprotected for that long.
Well just to reiterate what everyone else is saying here - My dad e-mailed Zaino and got a response back from one of the co-owners. He said the same as all of you, the paint from the factory is heat cured and is safe to be waxed, polished etc. I now have my Saturday morning/afternoon/early evening plans .
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