I have an installer is coming out tomorrow, I am going to wash the car now. I plan to use clay bar to clean out contaminants..

I asked the installer if I could put wax on the car / front end.. he said get it the way I want the car to look before he puts it on, wax / buff, etc. he will de-wax areas if needed.

I am sure some of you already have waxed your car before you had clear bra installed, what do you think, does it matter or not if it's waxed? I was just having a thought that wax under the film might discolor one day (it's a starfire pearl color car)

Thanks in advance.

 

I don't think it matters. Assuming your installer is using 3M film, you should have no U/V-related issues. Since the install is happening tomorrow, I'd actually recommend not waxing (claying is a great idea, though). Most topcoats take ~ 24 hours to fully bond to the finish, and it sounds like you're below that. However, a tip I learned from a coupla' pro detailers could apply here. Apply the wax now, and right before the install, spray ice water on the areas that'll receive the film. This trick is generally used when you'd want to apply a second/different coat of product in less than 24 hours, but should work fine here.

 

Thank you, installation is not until late afternoon, I have waxed the whole car now. so I have roughly 20+ hours to have it cure.