How long to wait before polishing new paint

[mrmarkmac]

I had dealer touch up a ding when taking deliver of a new car. They said they had to blend door and quarter panel paint as it was right on the door jam ridge and I side of door.

I cannot tell the extents, as it looks factory new. They only had the car 48h.

Should I wait some period before polishing?

 

[itsgn]

I personally like to wait at least two weeks after a repaint before I touch a car, mostly because after polishing you also want to coat or seal the car, which in turn could affect the paint's ability to release solvent gases properly, without developing bubbles.

That said, most shops nowadays are using modern paints with added hardeners, which reach full hardness in a matter of hours, especially if exposed to infrared curing lamps (which, again, are used by all serious shops nowadays). On the other side, if they were using regular touch up paint, and no curing lamps, the paint could take days to reach full hardness, and up to a week or two ot release most solvents still captured in it.

So, it really depends on the actual paint and curing technique used, but if the job was done by a professional, generally you most likely should be able to polish the paint after 48 hours (provided the above conditions are met). However, if you want to be on the safe side, better wait a few weeks, just to eliminate any risks.

 

[TTQ B4U]

You can compound and polish as soon as you get the car back.

just make sure you use silicone free products and do not seal the surface with anything containing silicone or a coating

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[mrmarkmac]

You can compound and polish as soon as you get the car back.

just make sure you use silicone free products and do not seal the surface with anything containing silicone or a coating

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The reason I wanted to polish was to apply cquartz UK. Why would a coating/seal be bad after polish?

 

[Goonie75]

The reason I wanted to polish was to apply cquartz UK. Why would a coating/seal be bad after polish?

I'm pretty sure it's to allow paint to cure or air out more so to speak. One can polish new paint but like others might say it is good to give it a month or so before 'sealing' or coating a vehicle.

IOW... Polish away but don't seal it yet...


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[FUNX650]

I had dealer touch up a ding when taking deliver of a new car. They said they had to blend door and quarter panel paint as it was right on the door jam ridge and I side of door.

I cannot tell the extents, as it looks factory new. They only had the car 48h.

Should I wait some period before polishing?

The reason I wanted to polish was to apply cquartz UK. Why would a coating/seal be bad after polish?

•Personally, I’d do one of the following:

1.) Either I’d ask the folks that did the
actual painting/blending exactly how long
to wait before sealing it up with an LSP
{i.e.: Coating, Wax, or Sealant}.

2.) Or, I’d apply Meguiar’s M305; and,
then wait for ~30 days (to ensure any
and all outgassing/curing has finalized)
before prepping and applying the Coating.


•Speaking of prep:
-Since you state that the paint job looks
factory new...hopefully any pre-Coating
“polishing” will be limited to products such
as: Wolfgang Perfekt Finish Paint Prep;
McKee's 37 Coating Prep Polish; Blackfire
Paint Prep; Optimum Paint Prep; Griot’s
Garage Paint Prep; or any one of the many
others that can be found in the AGO store.



Bob

 

[mrmarkmac]

•Speaking of prep:
-Since you state that the paint job looks
factory new...hopefully any pre-Coating
“polishing” will be limited to products such
as: Wolfgang Perfekt Finish Paint Prep;
McKee's 37 Coating Prep Polish; Blackfire
Paint Prep; Optimum Paint Prep; Griot’s
Garage Paint Prep; or any one of the many
others that can be found in the AGO store.

Bob

I have gone over it with a light and its really hard to find any swirl marks, excepts a few on the roof. I was planning to just use M205 wherever I did find a swirl, and then compare to the rest fo the car to see if it really needed it. However the more I read here, the more it is suggested to polish it regardless to ensure the best finish.

 

[2black1s]

Like others have said you can polish anytime, but do not wax or otherwise seal.

Personally, and I'm an old painter, I like to wait a minimum of 30 days and ideally 60-90 days before doing anything, including polishing. The reason being that as the paint hardens over time, the paint will shrink, the texture will change and the gloss will diminish. I like to wait for all of that to occur prior to polishing. You can polish new paint typically within a day or two but it is my opinion that you are wasting your time because of the reasons stated.

The only reason in my mind for polishing early on after painting is to remove dust nibs or other minor imperfections prior to returning a car to a customer.

Someone else previously stated that today's paints with hardeners and force drying (infrared lights) are fully cured/hardened within a matter of hours. That is simply not true. Paint products used in the aftermarket are developed for air-drying. The use of infrared lights speed along the drying process but should not be confused with baking. Only the factory can truly "bake" the finish and that is the only paint that is fully cured within hours.

 

[itsgn]

Someone else previously stated that today's paints with hardeners and force drying (infrared lights) are fully cured/hardened within a matter of hours.

I guess you're talking about me... but no, that's absolutely not what I actually wrote. Instead I made the distinction between the hardening and curing of the paint, because ... well... those are two different things. And what I actually wrote was that even though the paint might reach essentially full hardness within hours, it will still take weeks until the remaining solvents fully escape (ie. the paint fully cures). Because of that I also suggested the paint not be sealed in that time period; and that I personally wouldn't even touch (polish) it during that time. Feel free to read back!

 

[2black1s]

I guess you're talking about me... but no, that's absolutely not what I actually wrote. Instead I made the distinction between the hardening and curing of the paint, because ... well... those are two different things. And what I actually wrote was that even though the paint might reach essentially full hardness within hours, it will still take weeks until the remaining solvents fully escape (ie. the paint fully cures). Because of that I also suggested the paint not be sealed in that time period; and that I personally wouldn't even touch (polish) it during that time. Feel free to read back!

Sorry. You're right. You never used the word "cured", only "hardened".

I look at the two as being synonymous and stand by my original comments.

At least we both agree that it's best to wait through the curing period before polishing.

 

[Farmallluvr]

30 days is a good safe rule of thumb,,especially if it were baked ,,polishing and using a breathable sealant will keep it protected until you can get your coating on it.
You just don't want to coat to early and end trapping evaporating solvent (solvent pop) causing more work down the road.
The shop may have already done all that though so maybe you could ask them