Hey fellas , my question is my buddy has a new f150 how long before he can clay light polish paint cleaner etc.. Thanks Tim
Right away it's probably been sitting on a dealer lot for some time and has accumulated some contamination. Also the dealer isn't known to be good at detailing so you may find some swirls in the paint that need to be corrected. Wash it and evaluate the paint first then figure out what process you want to take.
Unfortunately fresh off the truck RARELY means no correction needed. A local BMW dealer washed a clients new 1M ONCE before delivery and it required 14.5 hours of polishing to correct it. Just sayin....
I have to second that. Even before getting to the dealer paint can have some issues. Just from lurking on this site ive seen fresh from the dealer Ferraris with some pretty bad sanding / paint defects from the factory. It happens. My GTI was fresh off the boat and it had issues as well. Just how it goes.
we bought 2 new cars in the last few years and when we got my wife's the paint felt rough so I clayed it and did a quick light polish. Fortunately, they hadn't had a chance to wash it much so it didn't have much that needed corrected but there were a ton of contaminants bonded to the paint. On my car the paint felt smooth and didn't have marring so I didn't clay it or polish it. Then a few weeks later on the back hatch little rust spots started showing up in the white paint where contaminants were rusting on the surface
I have looked at the paint no issues other clay, light polish/cleaner blacklight and jet seal. My question is from the factory how long should the paint cure before I perform these steps.
Paint can by "buffed" right after its cured. Depending on what clear is sprayed. I used to run a bodyshop and we used alot of speed clear and where correcting within an hour.. But to answer your question. Fresh paint takes 30-60 days to fully cure before sealing. Because the solvents still need to "out gas"
I have never seen a new vehicle right off the truck from the ship that ever needed to cure the paint. You would be able to smell the paint if it were not dry and cured. Dont worry, the F150 is going to be hammered by some guy at the Dealership with a dirty wool pad and nasty, filling, compound, to get it "Ready"... They would not be working on the paint at the Receiving stage if it needed additional cure time. Its done.. Dan F
Keep in mind, I usually recommend waiting a month or two. Although the paint is most likely cured from the factory, there is the slight possibility that the car had damage done to it while on the dealership lot. If the damage is minor enough, dealers just get the damage fixed without informing the customer. Not sure what the rules are down south, but here, as long as the damage is under $2000, you don't legally have to report it. I work with a few dealerships, and they get quite a bit of lot damage, or warranty issues, which is normal.
I've painted under BASF, Akzo, PPG, and Dupont. On all lines I've buffed cars immediately after the bake cycle. And, in the case of SRC, not buffing with in the hour meant either cutting like hell on the panel or respraying the panel so I could buff it. You aren't going to hurt the truck by correcting it. If there's a panel that was repair at the dealership, it's going to be hard enough to buff Just start off slow, maybe 1200-1400 RPM with compound and do a test spot on all the panels. If there's one that's painted and its soft, you'll know. But none the less, as others have said, factory paint is safe to buff the day of purchase. Cars sit at the factory for up to six months before they're deliver, but generally two to three. Think of the metal temp on a car sitting in the boiling sun all day. They easily hit 200F metal temp, forty degree above curing metal temperature. Months of that and the paint should be extremely hard.
[My question is from the factory how long should the paint cure before I perform these steps] One of the most often asked question and a subject that results in a great deal of confusion regarding polishing or waxing OEM paint, “How soon can I wax my vehicle”? To find out how long ago your vehicle was painted; check the driver's side door jamb, a sticker should give the month and year the vehicle left the plant. Paint curing process; new cars go through the painting and baking process without any of the rubber, plastic, and cloth components installed. This is why they can expose the cars paint to such high temperatures, these high temperatures and special paints used at the factory level ensure the paint is fully cured by the time the car leaves the assembly line. An extract from a TOGWT® Autopia Detailing Wiki Article -“Part II - Applying a Polymer Sealant or Waxing OEM Paint” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopi...mer-sealant-waxing-oem-paint.html#post1548464 TOGWT® Autopia Detailing Wiki Articles, these informational resources contain everything you’ll ever want to know about automotive detailing and are an invaluable addition to your detailing knowledge base -. http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopi...t%AE-detailing-articles-index-hyperlinks.html
