Paint Wax Options

[Liam_c]

I have recently been to get my car tidyed up by a panel beater. After a month of having it back, it has already started peeling, and has fish eyes and contaminents in the paint. I've since taken it back and they said they will repair it, but i've been told that its happened because of the type of wax i've been using They have told me not to wash the car with wash n wax products or wax my car after washing it for a few weeks before bringing it in to respray.

Just for future reference, is there any wax products that easily wash off when the car is washed? Or would be less likely to do this?

Cheers

[mkernz22]

You're not suppose to do anything to the paint for a few months after it's been painted because it still needs to cure. That also means taking it to a car wash or using any high pressure water on it (that's just to be safe). Obviously you can spray with a garden hose and whatnot.

[Galcobar]

The enamels used on cars need to breathe in order to cure -- the solvents which make the paint liquid need to evaporate. Waxes and sealants prevent the paint from curing.

While the paint is curing, it's still soft. You want to avoid, as much as possible, anything which could damage it. This includes washing it, preferably.

What can give your new paint job a level of protection without sealing it would be pure polishes. Normally, these polishes are meant to condition existing paint, maintaining a proper chemical balance. On new paint they're not necessary, but do give contaminants something to stick to other than the fresh paint. Look for ones labelled body-shop safe, as these will not prevent new paint from adhering correctly. I'm not sure what other brands have available, but Meguiar's Professional line has several body-shop safe polishes. Look for the tan bottles on the shelf rather than their black or maroon consumer lines.

That said, if you've waxed your vehicle you need to remove that wax before it is repainted, or your newest layer of paint will not properly adhere. The right way to strip wax or sealant from the car is with a clay bar. This avoids leaving any contaminants behind. I prefer Mother's clay bar kit -- aside from offering more clay than Meguiar's kit, the clay is much stickier.

[Reyne]

Its the painter or prepers job to clean the panels properly before painting no matter whats be used on it. This should be done about 3 times before colour goes on at different prep stages. If the original surface is shiny where the paints peeling of it hasn't been sanded properly. The information here about applying waxes and polishes over uncured paint (3 months) is correct.

[Special_Edy]

If they do it right they wont simply respray over the old paint. They need to rough the surface up with sandpaper at a minimum. If there are fisheyes and peeling on the current coat of paint then the same thing will happen with the new coat.
Prep work requires using a wax remover. You dont even want a fingerprint on the surface before you spray the paint.

These guys didnt do proper work, likely they sprayed over the old paint without sanding it thoroughly. They need to remove ALL the new paint and the old paint to do it right.

[Liam_c]

Its the painter or prepers job to clean the panels properly before painting no matter whats be used on it. This should be done about 3 times before colour goes on at different prep stages. If the original surface is shiny where the paints peeling of it hasn't been sanded properly. The information here about applying waxes and polishes over uncured paint (3 months) is correct.

Yeah, he did say it was their fault. I had purposely not washed it for about a month after the respray because of the curing. But when it goes back ill avoid it for 3 months.... Somehow I only noticed the damage about 2 - 3 weeks after the respray. I'm a bit guttered because my car looks horrid up close so im looking forward to getting it fixed

[Reyne]

Good news is they will probably try harder this time

[Box]

What paint are they using that takes a month to cure? Good God... I've used acrylic lacquer and even in humid as hell Alabama it needed no more than a week sitting outside to cure before colour sanding and then buffing, polishing, and waxing. Has held up for two years with no flaws and still going strong. The truly professional shops can get it sprayed, colour sanded, buffed, polished, and waxed to a showroom finish that'll last for years in a weekend. Then again they have heated paint booths which goes a long way. Still, a month to cure is absolutely asinine...

[Liam_c]

Good news is they will probably try harder this time

I hope so :S Ill be so guttered if it comes out the same. Because then i will have no idea what to do

[Reyne]

What paint are they using that takes a month to cure? Good God... I've used acrylic lacquer and even in humid as hell Alabama it needed no more than a week sitting outside to cure before colour sanding and then buffing, polishing, and waxing. Has held up for two years with no flaws and still going strong. The truly professional shops can get it sprayed, colour sanded, buffed, polished, and waxed to a showroom finish that'll last for years in a weekend. Then again they have heated paint booths which goes a long way. Still, a month to cure is absolutely asinine...

Big big difference between being buffable and fully cured. Acrylic lacquer will not release all of its solvents in a week. The pro shops do spray bake and buff in a short time. Purely based on quick turn over to survive. I have been painting professionally for longer than I will admit and my thoughts on this subject are based on experience and also have been told by the Glasurit- BASF training rep about the 3 month proper cure for 2 pack paint. In particular sealing it off within the 3 months.

[Box]

I seem to have gotten dry time and cure time associated with each other, what I get for posting at 5 in the morning. Anyhow the easiest way to tell if it's ready for wax is to place the car(or part) in a sealed off area like your garage for a few hours. If you come in and smell paint it's not done curing, if you don't you're good to go. Still 30-90 days is suggested, though not always needed. Like myself I barely had the week to let the car sit, by the end of the week there weren't any fumes or if there were it was minor. Still looks as good as it did two years ago. I should add those shops that did it within a weekend used waterborne paint and not conventional solventborne. Supposedly waterborne has a faster curing time, especially in conjunction with a heated booth.

[Galcobar]

Don't simply skip washing. The wax MUST be stripped, and quite often sanding will not do the job.

The abrasive will cut the wax-coated top layer of paint off, sure, but then you're rubbing that wax-coated dust back onto the car as you continue to sand. Given your last results, I wouldn't trust them to get the job done this time. If you're lazy you can use dish detergent to strip the wax, but that does some damage to the paint's chemical balance -- not the best idea to form a new base. Better to clay bar the entire car (you'd be amazed what a clay bar can clean off of a window).

Also better to disassemble the car as much as possible and deliver it in pieces to the shop. Stripping out all interior panels, carpeting, weatherstripping/seals, removing all lights and trim, and separating out the various pieces of the bumper leads to a finish with properly hidden paint edges and much less chance of drips.

[Box]

Wash the car with Dawn before, during, and after sanding. Then can follow up with Duplicolor prep wipe right before laying down primer. Dawn is also good for stripping wax build-up off a car then following up with a fresh wax coating.

[Galcobar]

Dawn, like all dish detergeants, is a degreaser. This strips the paint of some of the oils which keep it in proper chemical balance and prevent oxidation.

If you insist on using dish detergeant, don't just wax it afterwards. You have to correct the damage that's been done by applying a polish before you reseal the paint.

There are body shop-safe polishes which will properly condition the existing paint without affecting the adherence of the next layer.

[Box]

I always use a 3 step cleaner, polisher, and wax after doing such anyhow. Right now I need new paint anyhow so I haven't bothered waxing it. Use wash and wax, but that's it.

[Liam_c]

Bump


Got the car back today, all is fixed

Time to wait a month to wax it... This is gonna be hard to do Although it is winter, so theres not really much point in cleaning it

[Box]

Take a trip to Hobbiton.

[Galcobar]

Bump


Got the car back today, all is fixed

Time to wait a month to wax it... This is gonna be hard to do Although it is winter, so theres not really much point in cleaning it

Don't wax it for a month, but don't let it stay dirty for that long either. Per my above post, keep it clean and hit it with a pure polish to give contaminants something to stick to other than your new, soft paint.

[Liam_c]

Great... New problem...

On the a-pillar (they resprayed it again) has already started delaminating
Theres not much i can do as i accepted it and i had a good look over yesterday when i got it.



Its only slight, but it wont take long for it to completely delaminate...

I have got one of those scratch/clearcoat pens and ran it over the edge of the clear to see if it will help seal it (as its only minor) Fingers crossed it will work

[Liam_c]

*UPDATE*

I've just had a quick look with a torch, and where it is white ( the edges of the clear) Has completely gone. It still has an edge, but the whiteness has gone. So im assuming the clear pen has flowed underneath the lifting edge as well as sealing it. Ill chuck a few more coats onto it tomorrow