I have read many articles now and chatted with imagox orange mini man and octaneguy as well.

Vast majority of recommendations is that I wax 30-90 days after the car was painted. I really will have to investigate when this occurs exactly.

Then I hear that dealers wax cars before they give it to me.
that's not 90 days, thats for certain.

Then I think: "1 month to three months is a sign of a really terrible recommendation for paint safety. Either its one or the the other"

Then I talk to a few people and they say that so long as the wax is "body shop safe" it doesnt matter when I apply it. That's like a new concept, what does that mean exactly?

I read that people recommend claybarring when you get your car. For me, this would mean using griot's speedshine as a lubricant and then claybarring. However, this leaves the paint raw and pure (or clearcoat actually). I would want to protect the paint from the first moments.

COnfusing.

I have griot's carnauba paste wax comming in the mail as well. Is that "body shop safe"?

I am giddy to go sloshing and shining when i get it. dont tell me i have to wait until it is 45 degrees out to treat my car !

 

LOL... You sound JUST like me.

Honestly, if Octaneguy says it, I'd trust him over anything at all *I* say. All I know, I know from reading in here - there are people that really know their crap in here, and I'm just the young Padawan sitting at the masters' feet.

It does seem to me, however, based on reading the (occasinally conflicting) posts in here for about 3 months, that:

Best time to wax = RIGHT NOW! Don't wait! Even brand new paint deserves to be protected!

How Often = When it stops beading well, feels "less slick" when Detail Spraying or "When detail spray does not wipe away easily". Seems petty subjective, but when you first wax, the difference is VERY apparant to how it feels from the dealer, so I think you'll know what I mean.

Seeing as how some people literally put on 5-6 coats of different waxes at a time (achieving some stupidly rich-looking shines in the process), I'm not sure you CAN ever use "too much wax".

 

If you had like an inch of Carnauba layering on your paint, I'm sure it would not be a total "stupidly rich-looking shine".
I did the clay bar and Zaino the day I brought the car home from the dealer. Had to spend some quality time getting the swirls out that the dealer gave me (my right arm is almost 3 sizes bigger than my left - need to get the polisher or learn to use my left hand some ).

 

LOL... OK, so limit carnuba wax to no more than 1/2" at any one time.

 

You do not have to wait "30-90 days" on a factory paint job. If I were you, I would claybar your MINI and then put a nice fresh coat of wax on as soon as you can.

However, if you got your car re-painted at a body shop, it is generally recommended to wait atleast a few weeks before waxing.

 

Heh heh, glad we're thinking alike. I spoke to El_Jefe via IM today and that's exactly what I told him (before I saw this thread).

I would add that you could always ask the body shop for their recommendation on when you can wax it.

Richard

 

This makes me giddy

I get to play with my car and make it perfect the first day I get it.

I am telling my salesman to make sure that my car is untouched besides like a rinse off just so I can inspect the car once over.

...now to only get the car... zzzz .... zzzz ....

 

The wait is sooooooo worth it .

Great minds think alike .

 

factory paint is baked in the oven (ex: infrared tunnel ovens)
to accelerate curing.

bodyshop paint are usually not baked at the factory conditions and
therefore takes time to cure.. usually several weeks.

that's the primary difference between the two.

 

Hm, Ok, good to know!

Also, I have heard some say that carnauba wax allows some breathability to it because that is what is on leaves of trees and they breathe. Well, I am unsure about. I do know more about leaves! leaves have stomata opening things that can close or open at different times of the day under their leaves. the wax covers the top of the leaves to stop moisture from being removed as well protection in general.

How does a natural wax even stop UV rays? do they add something to it? I wouldnt think carnauba could stop UV rays at all.

 

Carnauba basically kinda expands and swells up and closes its micron
pores when exposed to moisture and rain. it has capability of
diffusing the uv and ir radiation to minimize direct impact and
oxidation of paint. there is really no need to add anything to
carnauba other than to make it more fluid and easier to
spread/apply.

pure carnauba is like a brick (and super expensive). time to
make Brazilian friends.

 

Also remember that carnauba wax is not a cleaner and does not last
as long as a polish or regular wax. You may want to polish first then
top it off with the carnauba.

 

tikitiki tembo?...

 

I never let the dealership wash my car. They have some kid in the back who is paid minimum wage to clean an expensive car!
My BMW dealer thought I was nuts when I told him that I didn't want it touched when it came in. He made me sign a release that they did not get to fully inspect the car's finish and were not responsible for anything that I found after driving it out of the dealership. That's the last car I bought from them.
I always wash and detail my car before I take it in for service. That way there is no questions that the car is in great shape and any scratches or marks are from them and were not there before it got there. Most of the time the service advisor will take one look at the car and state they will not wash.
The first thing I do with a new car is wash with Dawn, clay the car with a non-wax detailing spray, wash the car again and then do two coats of zaino Z2 pro. A coat of Z2 every couple of months keep the car looking great.
Good luck with your new mini!!

 

yeah that place sux.

I found out now that I will be in week 36 or 37. I didnt know there was a week 37, but apparently there is. I will be delayed now until middle of october.

that sux. I guess I can wax my shoes soon. I will be selling my car next week :D

 

A couple of points regaring various questions which have come up in this thread (long):

1) "Body-shop safe" refers to silicone-free products. The reason for this "body-shop safe" term is that body shops cannot have even a drop of silicone in their environment. Silicone is one of the main reasons for painter-induced paint imperfections, such as fish-eyes in the paint (let me know if you're interested in seeing a photo of what fish eyes are- they're pretty ugly!). Along those same lines, using silicone around fresh paint can cause these same ugly fish eyes and other paint problems.

In many cases of fresh paint, you should wait to use any product with silicone in it. The big question of course is how long does one wait and in what situations? As kenchan mentioned, you don't have to wait quite as long (if at all) with manufacturer paint as you do with aftermarket/body shop paint due to the application/drying process differences. Although this is often debated, most experts agree that 1 month for manufacturer paint and 3-6 months for aftermarket paint is a fairly safe timeframe to wait before using any silicone products. With new cars off a dealer lot, the car may have already been sitting for quite some time since it was actually painted. Thus, you can take that into consideration too. In *most* cases though, when you take delivery of a brand new car, you don't have to worry about the silicone issue. The small amount of time has likely already passed or has come pretty close. Some manufacturers use painting technology where you don't have to wait at all. The trouble with this is that you don't know which manufacturers use which system. They don't seem to give straight answers when asked either!

So what products contain silicone (aka are "body-shop safe")?? In most cases, the product will state quite clearly on the packaging that it is either silicone-free or body-shop safe. This is because it's usually a pain in the rear to make many products silicone-free; manfacturers want to clearly market the product in this way to show it off! Almost always, when the product says nothing about silicone or being body-shop safe, it is likely to have some silicone in it. Not always true, but a good rule of thumb and better safe than sorry.

Silicone is often added to polishes, waxes, quick detailers/detail sprays, and others. Almost all waxes (both carnauba waxes and synthetic waxes/sealants) contain silicone, many polishes (aka paint cleansers and/or abrasives) do, and most quick detailers (QDs) do. Also, many vinyl/rubber dressing/protectants contain silicone.

Why is silicone used? Silicones contain UV inhibitors (one of ways in which to add UV protection to a product), make products easier to work with and easier to buff off, and help with a consistant application of the product. There are other reasons too, but these are the most common. Someone asked how Carnauba wax offers UV protection... it's because (as kenchan said too) the wax diffuses the UV rays and because of the silicones added to the carnauba for all of the above reasons.

FYI: Silicone sometimes receives a bad rap, despite its benefits. There are over 10,000 different kinds and grades of silicone! So yes, some of the low grade silicones deserve a bad rap because they are damaging to the surface and/or the environment, etc, etc, etc. On the other hand, there are many (most) silicones that have no disadvantages at all- only advantages. So, always take this into consideration when you hear a silicone debate. It really depends on the type of silicone being discussed. Today's increasingly improved products depend heavily on silicones and we wouldn't have it so easy, nor as good results without them! I know no one really asked for this much info about silicone, but I know from experience that more questions bound to come up.

2) Breathability of waxes. This is one of those debates that rears its head from time to time. At some point, someone always points out that paint is not alive and therefore does not breathe. True! The term breathability in this case typically refers to the paints ability to cure (in the case of fresh paint), and flex. When synthetic waxes and other sealant-type waxes first became popular, skeptics wondered if they would allow the paint to "breathe" (as defined just above!). Acrylic based synthetics received even worse questioning. We've talked to numerous chemists and expert automotive painters about this issue and all agree- good question but nothing to worry about! Of course, fresh paint curing would be the exception but we all know how that works now anyway. Flexing is not an issue with synthetics because the polymers in the synthetics flex with the paint anyway. So, from years of asking and re-asking (just in case!), we've found no evidence to support the need for breathability in your wax.

If one was trying to decide to use a carnauba or a synthetic, I would recommend they consider the durability, ease of use, and the look it gives. Carnaubas tend to be less durable but often have a rich, warm depth (usually only a big deal on dark colors). Synthetics tend to be more durable (depending on brand) but often have a high-shine look and not as much depth (if any at all). Recently, some new synthetics offer a wet-look depth on dark colors that many people really love. However, it's still a different look from the warm depth of a carnauba. Ultimately, I wouldn't consider breathability when choosing a wax. Then there's also the cleaner/cleaner-wax point, but I'll save that one for another time.

SWOOO! That was a long post. Sorry for being so long-winded. I tend to do that, but usually not this much! LOL. There just seemed to be a need for some detailed answers to the questions that came up. Hope you don't mind! Hope it was helpful too.

-Heather

 

El Jefe- I'll be waxing the mini built in the same week as yours as soon as it is delivered..got to get a good coat of zaino on there before winter strikes! You can tell your dealer not to bother waxing it if you want to save their effort. When I picked up mine and I told him I was going to wax it right away he said "oh but we just waxed it with Meguiers Gold, it's really good stuff!"

 

wow great article. THAT is what posts are supposed to be. Not chatting.

although I love to chat

Yeah, I am going to have to talk to my MA about it this week. I am going to ask him about it weekly as a stop in. Do not wash, do not touch, the car.

Kinda simple request but you know, people really dont enjoy listening to simple requests.

I know that if THEY do it, it will need polishing. They have grits in their showroom car's finish at my mini dealership. I know that is bad for the paint and would take like 20 mins to have stopped from happening via claybarring.

thats my bad sign right there, why are they so set on doing it for you?

I have this idea that in a huge box im going to show them all of my 300 dollars worth of car detailing products I just bought. That would stick in their memory.

 

Glad you enjoyed the post. It's fun to share info!

I like to chat too though! All technical stuff and no chat makes us all dull.

I DO NOT get it either... why do they insist on touching our cars with their junky stuff and dirty tools. You literally have to beg them, double-check they understand the instructions of not touching it, and then watch the puzzled look on their face!

As a business, we tend to veer away from dealerships as customers simply because they don't get it. They wonder why we don't have the cheapest, junkiest stuff on earth for them to buy. Then they wonder why their showroom cars look like crapola. We learned long ago that unless they appear to have that very unique individual heading up their detailing department, we tell them to go find their stuff someplace else. It's not worth our time arguing about it with them!

We have converted one dealership here in Denver (a Ferrari dealership). It's taken some time but the right guy is in the right decision-making position there. Now that they use good products and tools (and techniques), their customers are truly WOWed and their showroom is so impressive now. Maybe other dealerships will see this and learn?? Not likely, but wishful thinking. They just don't care. Period. Stinks for the rest of us though!