When my car comes home from the body shop, hopefully in about a week, about half (rear & left side) the paint will be original. About two or three weeks prior to my wreck I clayed and waxed it. The other half (front end & right door) will be new paint.

What should I do and/or not do as far as washing, claying, and waxing are concerned? When should new bonnet stripes be applied? Anything else I should know or be wary of?

 

Washing, claying and polishing will be fine. You just don't want to put any kind of coating on it (like wax or sealant) until the paint has fully cured. The solvents in the paint will continue to off-gas during the curing process. If you interfere with the off-gassing by putting wax or sealant on too early, it can cause the paint to blister or develop fine cracks.

The length of the curing process will depend on whether the paint was baked or not, the outside temperature where you live, whether or not you park it in the sun, etcetera.

Ask the body shop for recommendations, but you should probably wait at least a month before you put wax or sealant on it.

Scott

 

Thanks for the response. Not waxing for a while makes sense. I don't imagine the paint will be baked, but I guess they could paint all the pieces and then cook them. I just didn't think body shops did that. Any of you body shop guys care to enlighten me?

I can't do much about the temperature around here, but I do park it inside at night. I have a choice about parking under a tree or not during the day. Normally I don't choose the shady spot, because stuff drips on my top. Seems like this time of year, the sun could only help the curing process along. If it was summer, might be another story. Bump.

 

My MINI had to be painted in the summer do to a trip through a ditch. No body damage, just a lot of scratches. The new paint was baked, but I was told to wait a month before sealing it, which I did. I just washed it a lot, trying to not let it get to dirty. I then clayed and Zainoed the new paint.

Mark

 

Davavd,
Some paint booths have a bake cycle, some don't. Best to call the shop and ask them. They will also likely wet-sand and polish (foam pad) the new paint pre-delivery. You shouldn't need to do anything to it. Suggest 30 days before striping or waxing, if baked, 60 days if not.
HTH

 

^ +1. i too would let it dry at least a few weeks. gentle handwash is
okay, but no autowash, no clay, no polish, no wax.

also on the panels that didn't get damaged on the same side (in general)
they will clear coat over the non-damaged factory paint to blend, so
look carefully where they may have clear coated.