How soon can I wash my new car?

[AMOCHOSTO]

I tried a search, no joy. My car was made July 8-10 2009, I remember being advised in the past that paint needs time to fully cure and you shouldn't clean a new car for two months, is this still the case?

[IFX]

Clean the car whenever you need to? I mean seriously..

[AMOCHOSTO]

Originally Posted by IFX

Clean the car whenever you need to? I mean seriously..

If I wanted that kind of answer I would have asked my mom.

[signes]

Factory paint doesn't need any time to cure. Wash that baby up today (and post a pic or two.)

[Rickrack]

Originally Posted by AMOCHOSTO

I tried a search, no joy. My car was made July 8-10 2009, I remember being advised in the past that paint needs time to fully cure and you shouldn't clean a new car for two months, is this still the case?

On fresh paint it is recommended not to apply any wax or sealant to the paint for about 30 days or so until it has properly cured.

You are more than alright to wash & wax it after 2 months...

[AMOCHOSTO]

Cool. Time for a clean car!

[signes]

Originally Posted by Rickrack

On fresh paint it is recommended not to apply any wax or sealant to the paint for about 30 days or so until it has properly cured.

Sorry, this is completely wrong. There is no curing period for factory paint. Not sure who told you that.

[anthony @ eas]

Originally Posted by Rickrack

On fresh paint it is recommended not to apply any wax or sealant to the paint for about 30 days or so until it has properly cured.

You are more than alright to wash & wax it after 2 months...

+1

You're OK to wash.

[gthirtyfizle]

Originally Posted by signes

Sorry, this is completely wrong. There is no curing period for factory paint. Not sure who told you that.

Nope, I do believe there is a curing period for brand new paint. Some say 30 days, but with the new clearcoats out there, ur actually good after about a week.

[albert1028]

Originally Posted by gthirtyfizle

Nope, I do believe there is a curing period for brand new paint. Some say 30 days, but with the new clearcoats out there, ur actually good after about a week.

Even if it's 30 days. Any M3 in the US should be past 30 days since it takes at least 30 days from the beginning of shipping to picking it up at the dealership in the US.

[signes]

Originally Posted by gthirtyfizle

Nope, I do believe there is a curing period for brand new paint. Some say 30 days, but with the new clearcoats out there, ur actually good after about a week.

Paint and clear applied in the factory is nearly completely cured by the time it leaves the heat treatment/baking process. Everything has some curing period, but for people to say something like an arbitrary "30 days" is absurd. How long was the car in the factory? How long was it waiting for transport, on a ship, sitting at port, in transit to the dealer, and sitting on the dealer lot before sale? Answer? Sometimes a matter or a week or two for a domestically manufactured car or sometimes over a year. To the OP, wash, wax, polish to your heart's content.

Have a read:
http://www.mobileworks.com/auto-paint-finishes.html

WHEN TO WAX?

A topic for consideration, about which many people are misinformed, is when you can wax the vehicle or apply paint sealant. Looking back at the curing process, both the 1K and 2K systems are 90-95% cured upon cool down, after the bake process, in the factory spray booth. The additional 5-10% will cure within 3-7 days. This means that by the time any vehicle reaches its destination at a dealer, the paint is fully cured. By not applying some sort of protection to the paint surface upon delivery or shortly after, the customer is actually hurting the paint instead of helping it. Salesmen that say don't wax a car for 6-12 months are misinformed. This is a huge problem in our business because customers will tend to believe a salesman who knows nothing about paint, rather than a trained professional. This is often why fairly new cars are in such bad shape even after a short period of time.

[KonigsTiger]

As soon as it gets dirty.

[AMOCHOSTO]

Originally Posted by albert1028

Even if it's 30 days. Any M3 in the US should be past 30 days since it takes at least 30 days from the beginning of shipping to picking it up at the dealership in the US.

I'm in Canada and I picked up my car 29 days after production completed, (info in my sig) it is now 42 days since production completed.

Based on the resposes here (thank you) I will get my car detailed tomorrow.

[Suprane]

The day after I got my car (April 2009) I washed it, clayed it, sealed it and waxed it.
I just felt the car was "naked" to the elements.
Just remember, don't let the dealer wash your car at the 1200 service...(put come index cards inside where they are visible.......if you have any doubts,...think of them using the same 'rag' for the 20 car that day and throwing it on the ground in between washes

[schadenfreude]

I washed it within the first month, but waited on my clearbra/first wax until about 3-4 weeks was up. Not sure what to believe, but I wanted to be damned sure the paint was cured before a big sticker covered the front of my car.

[Rickrack]

Originally Posted by signes

Sorry, this is completely wrong. There is no curing period for factory paint. Not sure who told you that.

I said in my post that fresh paint must cure for a period of time before any wax or sealant can be applied. Of course factory paint has to cure, just like all paints have to. If it didn't cure, it would never dry... I think your staement is completely wrong... Not trying to argue here, just stating the facts. If the car is 2 months old, it is more than OK to wash / wax it.

Sometimes when a car is shipped from the assembly plant to the dealerships front door, new vehicles are often damaged and need some kind of repair, including repainting. If all the paint on the car is the factory original paint, then it was baked in an oven at the factory as it traveled down the assembly line and is cured completely before it leaves the plant and it is completely safe to apply a your choice of wax or paint sealant. If the car has been repainted due to damage during its trip to the dealership, the areas with fresh paint should not be sealed or waxed until the paint has properly cured.

Whether you use a wax or a synthetic paint sealant, they both seal the paint by covering the paint surface, filling in the smallest surface imperfections, creating a coating over the surface, which creates a barrier. This barrier does not allow the solvents to escape through 'outgassing'. Solvents (thinners and reducers) are used to thin out the paint so that it can be atomized into a 'spray' when it is applied with a paint gun. Fresh paint needs to outgas in order to properly cure. For a period of time, the solvents and other carrying agents that are used to dilute paint to thin them out in order for them to be applied, need to work their way out of the paint through the evaporation process, also referred to as 'outgassing'. Paint cures from the outside in, so if you seal or apply wax to fresh paint, it will not properly cure.

~Rick

[bobbyd1961]

Originally Posted by AMOCHOSTO

I tried a search, no joy. My car was made July 8-10 2009, I remember being advised in the past that paint needs time to fully cure and you shouldn't clean a new car for two months, is this still the case?

as soon as there is a spec of dust on it.

[JH M3]

I would highly recommend claying the car. I did mine right after delivery after it was supposedly detailed and there was a whole bunch of crap embedded in the paint.

[signes]

Originally Posted by Rickrack

I said in my post that fresh paint must cure for a period of time before any wax or sealant can be applied. Of course factory paint has to cure, just like all paints have to. If it didn't cure, it would never dry... I think your staement is completely wrong...

How again is my statement completely wrong? The OP said his "new car" made in July of this year. Cars do get touch ups after shipment, but they don't get wholesale resprays like you imply in your post that would require not sealing it. The fresh paint comment is not relevant here. Furthermore, the OP said nothing about a sealant, just "can I wash my car"... You made a blanket statement saying your shouldn't apply and wax or sealant for 30 days so it has a chance to cure. If you got your car out of a bodyshop maybe, not a new car built over a month ago with factory paint.

For chrissakes, let the poor guy wash his car in peace.

[edcvin]

^^+1. 30 day rule doesn't apply for factory paint. In fact the dealer washes and preps your car anyway before they deliver it to you. Usually as soon I get a car home from the dealer..I have the car clayed/stripped and waxed.

-Vin

[D-Rock]

waxs needs time to cure not paint.

[Moxie]

Originally Posted by schadenfreude

I washed it within the first month, but waited on my clearbra/first wax until about 3-4 weeks was up. Not sure what to believe, but I wanted to be damned sure the paint was cured before a big sticker covered the front of my car.

+1 Venture Shield recommends it not to be installed until the paint has been on the car for 30 Days.

Having spent a decade working in a body shop in a previous life, I know you can wash, buff out & wax the car a day after it's painted.