I am new to clearcoat paints. I have been told that you shouldn't use wax on it. Any views on that?

 

I'm not really sure were you heard that, there are many waxes specifically formulated for clearcoat paints. Just make sure that you get a wax that is for clearcoat as there is a difference. The best/most popular seem to be Zaino and the new Meguires products. I would say definately wax, for that extra rotection and show room shine.

 

I've been told when you have a fresh paint job on a car you should not wax it right away. Use a polish. there is a difference. A polish is made to let the paint breathe and cure better. If you use a wax it seals in the paint. After i finish painting a car i always wait 2 months before waxing it. When i get my stang i probably do the same.

 

That's true, if you go and get your car painted for some custom work or to repair damage, you don't want to use wax on it for awhile letting it cure. But that's in those small instances otherwise wax away, I actually use polish and wax on mine.

 

Nice avatar and welcome to the forums, I think you are the first person that has used my car as their avatar.

 

Nice avatar and welcome to the forums, I think you are the first person that has used my car as their avatar.
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Its the best view I have seen that closely resembles the one I ordered. I am trying to get mine with the chrome GT Style Wheels though.

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How can I find the build date on my wifes car. I bought 1/17/05 but I don't know how long the dealer had it first. I dont want to wax it prematurely.

 

Its the best view I have seen that closely resembles the one I ordered. I am trying to get mine with the chrome GT Style Wheels though.

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How can I find the build date on my wifes car. I bought 1/17/05 but I don't know how long the dealer had it first. I dont want to wax it prematurely.
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Wax away, the paint is safe to wax straight from the factory. I waxed mine the day after it was delivered to the dealer.

 

I was told by a paint/wax expert that with a new car, the paint has to off-gas for approximately 90 days. During this period, he said it is okay to use a carnuba based wax, because it will allow the gases to escape. Also, with regard to the first 90 days, he told me not to use a polymer based sealant/wax, because this will seal the paint and stop the off-gas process. After the 90 days he said that kind of sealant/wax is fine.

 

If that were true, it would say so somewhere in the owner's manual. Now if you went and had some custom work done, yes, don't wax it for 60-90 days. But a factory finish is baked on at high temps, accelerating the drying process. Also, its usually about 20-30 days or so after they are painted anyway before a customer takes possession of the car. I have always waxed a car right after I have bought it and have never had a problem. Here is all the owner's manual says:

 

Found this tidbit from Meguiar's website:

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.

 

The guy that I spoke with said to use a caruba wax instead of a polymer sealant if the paint is less than 90 days old. Given the normal delivery times we have been seeing from AAI, most folks don't even have to worry about 90 days - they could use either the polymer sealant or carnuba wax right away. In any case, I don't pretend to be an expert in these things .. I'm not. I was just passing along some information that someone gave me.

Here is a link to some car care tips. It is hosted by a place that sells car care products. Larry is the person who gave me the advice about the wax. If you have questions he is a good resource, and fun to speak with also. He is really into car racing, etc.

Car Care Specialties How-To Articles

 

Thanks for all of the good info, I think I will go with Meguires clearcoat wax after the next wash