Advice On Caring For A Freshly Painted Car

I will be getting this car back, probably, next week. It's been in the shop for months getting body and paint done. I want to take care of this paint right from the start. First off, are there any precautions I need to take with the new paint? Second, if it were your car, what would you do the first thing you got it home?

I'm not a beginner, but I do have a lot to learn and I have no issues with trying something I haven't before. I have another car I can test on first.

Thanks

 

Well first off, I hope your expectations are meet on your paint job. Being a custom painter now, and a body man back in the day, your car probably will have buffer trails all over. What I have learned here is that painters are not detailers. As soon as you get the car back, take out you polishing equipment and detail the paint. Don't be shy with the paint. The body shop hits the paint the next day with compound, so polish will not hurt a thing.
As for the care of the paint, I use Wizards breathable sealant. Some people say all sealants are breathable, but Wizards is the only that I have found that advertise it as so. I don't use Wizards on details, just on my fresh paint jobs.
Your mileage may vary.

 

The paint looks very good and as far as I know they just rinse the cars of before they give them back.

Thanks for the advice, I've never polished a car before. Never detailed one nice enough. The most I've done is wax. My usual car washing consists of:

Fill the wheel bucket with car wash and water
Presoak
Clean the wheels using wash and a microfiber mitt
Clean the tires with a tire brush and Bleach White
Get another bucket and fill with wash and water
Presoak the car again
Wash each panel separately and rinse with a different wash mitt
Rinse entire car using a filter
Use a chamois to dry

Now, from what I've read I want to start out with a claybar before polishing, now, is that still necessary with the new paint?

 

Claying should not be needed for fresh paint. But being in a body shop, check the surface smoothness. Over spray could get on a car very easily. Especially if it is a smaller shop. The clay bar will take off most paint over spray.

What color did you have them paint the car?

 

House of Kolor Blue Blood Red. Here's a close up. Mind you the lighting was bad plus my camera isn't that great.

 

I would have to agree with ScottieB, he's given you good advice :thumb:

 

damn thats a nice red .. GREAT CHOICE

 

Thanks! I was going to do a blue but I saw that color in person and it changed my mind right away.

So, wash it like I normally do. Then polish the paint. Then use the Wizards sealant as the final touch. And only clay bar if I find over spray.

Looks like I need to head over to the polishing section to decide on a polish.

 

Go Menzerna PO1FF (is that the right letter/number). The finishing polish as you probably won't have any scratches unless you wetsand or whatever.

 

Just a warning. Ask the body shop about their warranty. When I recently had my door re-painted, the shop was quite insistent that I must not use a wax or sealant on it for 90 days, else I would void the warranty. If you decide to go with the Wizard's sealant, then you might want to first clear it with your shop.

You may also find this Optimum Forum thread of interest. This topic was also recently discussed on Autopia.

Meguiar's M80 has breathable polymers and can be used to provide modest protection. See this thread: Paintable Polymer. I would still wait 30 days to allow the paint to harden before applying it, because M80 is mildly abrasive, though if gently applied by hand I wouldn't think that would be a problem.

 

I can't wait to see the whole car!!

 

What I would recommend is that since you were a painter, you should try first wet sanding the car (if its possible for you). Then do a bit of buffering like ScottieB recommended, this will get rid of the "ripples" you will see on your car from the over spray of the painter. Perform your usual car detailing steps, but because you've just wet-sanded the car, I recommend you use warmer water than usual to rinse and soak, so you don't crack the paint (use water 25 - 30 degrees Celsius). After that, wax the car, but before waxing, use a clay bar over the paint and a pre-wax compound. This will have your car shinning like its straight out of the showroom.