Old school or myth???

[SS_in_Black]

I've seen some posts on here about waxing cars the day they get to the driveway... Zaino and the like. In the past, I've actually seen in new car manuals not to wax for the first 6 months but didn't see anything in the Camaro manual. Someone told me not to wax for a while as new paint and clearcoats are still curing and need to breathe a bit. Any thoughts????

[JPAYORK]

This is from Meguiars.com, very good help base

10. How soon can I wax my new car?



A new car with a factory paint job can be waxed the moment it is rolled out of the manufacturing plant. Cars that have factory paint jobs are cured at much higher temperatures, sometimes as high as 300 degrees in special baking ovens. At a factory level, the car goes through the painting and baking process without any of the rubber, plastic, and cloth components installed. This is why they can expose the car and it's fresh paint to such high temperatures. These high temperatures and special paints used at the factory level insures the paint is fully cured by the time the car is completely assembled.

After-market paint finishes however, are cured at a much lower temperature to ensure the method of baking or heating the paint doesn't melt non-metal components such as wiring and vinyl. For this reason, it's best to follow the specific paint manufactures recommendations for care and maintenance of fresh paint. Most paint manufactures that supply paint to the refinish industry recommend that you allow anywhere from 30 to 90 days curing time after the paint is applied before you apply the first application of wax.

To maintain your cars fresh paint during the recommended curing time you can safely use any of the below Meguiar's pure polishes, which are not only safe for fresh paint but help to enhance the curing process while making your paint look it's absolute best.

[ljustin293]

with the paint on the camaro I have heard that it is no problem..it is baked and you should be fine to do whatever to it when you receive it, I know I will be!

[vsgls1]

Waxed mine this weekend. I waited a month before my clear was hard on my 4th gen after we painted it.

[DarricSS]

Put the first coat of wax on 2 days after the car came in.

[OUR72GTO]

The GM car cover instructions for 2010 CAMARO says not to use it for 90 days. I will only put spray wax on for the next 3 months.

[PsyDoc]

True, aftermarket paint jobs need time to "cure" and out-gas. If you wax the car, then you are essentially preventing this. Although you cannot wax for a period of time, you can use a polish with no problem.

[nards444]

new cars dont have to wait. They told me to wait 30 days to wax my stripes but said nothing about rest of the paint. this is my third new chevy since 2006 and they have never said anything about it

[Vash]

Originally Posted by OUR72GTO

The GM car cover instructions for 2010 CAMARO says not to use it for 90 days. I will only put spray wax on for the next 3 months.

But that is a physical touching of the paint vs a chemical reaction. 2 different things going on.

[BrianGriffin78]

Originally Posted by OUR72GTO

The GM car cover instructions for 2010 CAMARO says not to use it for 90 days. I will only put spray wax on for the next 3 months.

I've been just washing my car and using spray detailer as well. I plan to get a full wax and detail by the end of the summer.

[Moose]

I believe, the painting process combined with the time it takes the car to reach the consumer, equates to it being safe to wax/polish the car once you take delivery.

[Deeboe]

good info bro!!!

Originally Posted by JPAYORK

This is from Meguiars.com, very good help base

10. How soon can I wax my new car?



A new car with a factory paint job can be waxed the moment it is rolled out of the manufacturing plant. Cars that have factory paint jobs are cured at much higher temperatures, sometimes as high as 300 degrees in special baking ovens. At a factory level, the car goes through the painting and baking process without any of the rubber, plastic, and cloth components installed. This is why they can expose the car and it's fresh paint to such high temperatures. These high temperatures and special paints used at the factory level insures the paint is fully cured by the time the car is completely assembled.

After-market paint finishes however, are cured at a much lower temperature to ensure the method of baking or heating the paint doesn't melt non-metal components such as wiring and vinyl. For this reason, it's best to follow the specific paint manufactures recommendations for care and maintenance of fresh paint. Most paint manufactures that supply paint to the refinish industry recommend that you allow anywhere from 30 to 90 days curing time after the paint is applied before you apply the first application of wax.

To maintain your cars fresh paint during the recommended curing time you can safely use any of the below Meguiar's pure polishes, which are not only safe for fresh paint but help to enhance the curing process while making your paint look it's absolute best.

[bono83]

There is definitely a split of opinions on this. My question is which would be better to error on? If you wax it too early and the paint was not fully cured, is it going to be too soft for a long time? Would the paint scratch or chip easier? Or, if you waited 90 days from the build date and waxed it then, what could happen to the unwaxed paint during those 90 days?

Personally, I'm going to wait the 90 days before the first wax and just make sure to keep the car good and clean - especially bird droppings and bugs. I think it's the safer side to error on.

[ittybittyfds]

Clay bar'd and wax'd this weekend....Yup it made a huge diffrence. Even my wife commented on how smooth it was