When can I wash/polish/wax my car!?

[/dev/null]

Just got the car back after it had the doors re-sprayed yesterday (thanks to some clumsy sod bashing into it in a car park!) First impressions are very good but have yet to get it in proper light.
But - it's pretty dirty on the bonnet and other places now and I was thinking of giving it a proper good clean at the weekend (weather permitting) - the full jobby, wash, maybe clay. polish, and wax. But... How long should I leave the car before doing any of this? Does the paint have to cure? Would I be better just washing it and leaving the rest?
Any advice much appreciated!

 

[Poverty]

you can wash it as soon as they give you the car.

 

[beezertart]

is it just me or would you not think they'd clean it for you so you can inspect the job properly?

 

[UncleFester]

I wouldn't polish it for month or so but I see no reason you can't wash it or wax it.

 

[Slimy]

I wouldn't polish it for month or so but I see no reason you can't wash it or wax it.

I agree, there should be no reason to polish freshly painted panels, but I bet they would love a layer of wax.

It would be a pretty bad garage if they gave you the car back before the paint had cured.

 

[JamJay]

Get some good shampoo on there, sealant and wax AFTER 2WKS but leave the claying & polishing for a month or so. Claying believe it or not (so I found out before trying luckily) leaves marring so you ideally have to polish afterwards, which is not ideal for fresh paint.

I have had my whole car resprayed so I went through this process and only now (3mths on) have I given it it's first coat of abrasive products. Mind you, it looks fantastic!

 

[Nath.]

I agree, there should be no reason to polish freshly painted panels, but I bet they would love a layer of wax.

It would be a pretty bad garage if they gave you the car back before the paint had cured.

IMO there is a difference between paint that is dry and paint that is hard, well hard enough to polish or cut anyway. So I would say it's a fair question and personally I would be OK with a gentle wash but leave it a week or 2 before you let loose with any elbow grease.

 

[Mat]

no polish or wax for 4 weeks at least

 

[vroomtshh]

What kind of paint, and was it baked?

Lots of really wrong info on this thread. Definitely do not wax it. Even if it was baked, it wants 4 weeks before wax.

You could polish it, but the body shop should have already done this, and if you do polish it, use a silicone free polish.

Washing isn't a problem but don;t use any sort of products (snow foam, wash and wax) other than a very mild shampoo

 

[Mat]

You could polish it, but the body shop should have already done this, and if you do polish it, use a silicone free polish.

And we have all seen the results of a quick "bodyshop mop".

No doubt once it's all cured etc after 4 weeks or so, it will need a correction detail on it

 

[Mat]

Get some good shampoo on there, sealant and wax but leave the claying & polishing for a month or so. Claying believe it or not (so I found out before trying luckily) leaves marring so you ideally have to polish afterwards, which is not ideal for fresh paint.

I have had my whole car resprayed so I went through this process and only now (3mths on) have I given it it's first coat of abrasive products. Mind you, it looks fantastic!

hell no! that's wrong information there

 

[vroomtshh]

And we have all seen the results of a quick "bodyshop mop".

No doubt once it's all cured etc after 4 weeks or so, it will need a correction detail on it

I did say 'should'

Seen plenty cars that have never had anything, and some that are spotless. Depends on the shop TBH.

Although my opinion of this particular body shop isn't very good so far and I don;t even know them. They didn;t clean the car, and offered no advice on when/what to do to the paint. Bad stuff

 

[Slimy]

Lots of really wrong info on this thread. Definitely do not wax it. Even if it was baked, it wants 4 weeks before wax.

Why not wax? I wouldn't expect it to interfere with the paint job, doesn't it sit on top?

 

[vroomtshh]

Why not wax? I wouldn't expect it to interfere with the paint job, doesn't it sit on top?

Yes it sits on top (well technically it bonds to the top layer of paint), and stops the air getting to the paint, allowing it to fully cure.

In practice, it most likely won't cause a problem, but in theory it would leave you with soft paint.

Safer not to risk it though

 

[Slimy]

Yes it sits on top (well technically it bonds to the top layer of paint), and stops the air getting to the paint, allowing it to fully cure.

Ah, that makes sense. So it's not the wax damaging the paint as such, it's actually restricting the natural process.

Does the same apply to the multiple layers of paint and clearcoat? Will the lower layers struggle because of the layers on top? Doesn't 't 2 pack paint use a chemical reaction for hardening rather than an air driven process?

Sorry, I'm asking all these questions because I have a DIY paint job on my bike due very soon!

 

[JamJay]

hell no! that's wrong information there

Not at all, what I missed out (which is now included in my original post) was that I did not wax until 2wks after. I have been categorically told by the bodyshop and two detailers that this was fine. I left the paint for 2wks to harden and for the solvents to escape (as told to me by the bodyshop) and then sealed and waxed it for proctection on otherwise unprotected paint! Please take a look at my build thread and tell me where it looks crappy because of these steps that I took, I guarantee you the finish is flawless and the paint if perfect. See for yourself.

OP, a mild wash wax like Dodo Juice will be just fine. Ideally anything PH neutral will be fine.

 

[/dev/null]

Hi,
Thank-you all for the help - although the advice is conflicting in places, the overall view seems to be that it is best to leave it for a bit before waxing.
So I just washed it with autoglym shampoo (I use this all the time) and then cleaned the inside properly. I'll wax it in a month or two.
I've had a proper look around the car now and whilst 99% of it is fine, there are a few areas I'm not so sure about - for instance you can see clearly the line where the new paint job ends and the old one starts at the edge of the door. This isn't visible unless the door is open and you look closely so perhaps I'm just being a bit picky - I've never had this done before so am not sure what I should expect?!