skip000

My car is almost here,,,after a 5 month wait...question: how soon can you wax a new car, fresh from the factory....I was always told you had to wait 6 months...I am not going to pay for that dealer special simonized wax that they want $800.00 for.

Hermes

I don't see why you would wait 6 months, you could do it right off the bat.

CtSFox

Yes, you can do it yourself as soon as you get your car more cheaply and better than the dealer would do. After you wash it, apply a quality sealant like Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant 3.0. It is easy to use, almost no work! This should be good for 4-6 months. You can extend that protection if you apply Wolfgang Spritz Sealant (like an instant detailer with some protective properties) after in between washes. This combination also yields a deep, glossy, lustrous shine and glow.

onthelimit

What a timely post by the OP! I got mine about a couple of weeks ago and was about to post the same question. Nothing like seeing a properly washed and waxed car!

Lost808

If it was me, I would do a full clay bar to it before sealing and waxing it. The clay will get rid of any contaminates in the paint, and strip off any old residue on the metal. That way you have a fresh clean surface to work with. I even clay the windows.

TripleL

Agreed, drive it home give it a good cleaning and clay then wax it. Paint is pretty soft and needs protection, I'd also recommend waiting 2 weeks then throwing another coat on it.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

claybar it first, even though the car is new there is still a lot of contaminants. I washed, clayed, and used sealant (synthetic wax) when I had 50 miles on the car

Tai3IS

Agreeing with everyone so far. When I got mine I immediately washed, clayed, and then applied a good paint sealant. I used Sonax Polymer Netshield. It's a great product and really easy to work with. I'm located in south florida, and during the summer months it's pretty much sun and rain everyday. The Polymer Netshield product beads water off like crazy. Just google it....you'll see.

Lost808

^
I use and love SONAX products. The polymer net shield is awesome! So easy to put on and wipe off. I think it has the best protection IMHO, of any other sealant other than the Opti coat and equal levels. I always put one coat on, let sit and cure for 24hrs, put a second coat and sit another 24hrs, then two layers of wax. Overkill, maybe but good piece of mind for me.

TheBatman

That old wives tale seems to still hang around. Paints today cure very quickly, there's no need to wait. Do what everyone has suggested. Wash, Claybar, apply a good sealant or wax and stick to a good cleaning schedule. If you want to go crazy get a professional detailer to do all of this plus a paint correction. It'll cost you a few hundred bucks depending on how many stages, but its worth it IMHO if you want a flawless paint finish. If you do an initial paint correction and maintain your car with hand washes and good products you can really have a great paint finish for years of ownership.

skip000

if you receive a brand new, never been driven car,,,why would you even need to claybar it,,,would'nt the car finish be flawless and perfectly clean? That is what I'm exspecting to see when my car finally arrives. But will be waxing it with all the information, that everyone here has suggested

Dark9t316

There may be some slight imperfections, but really you don't need to, it'll be a waste of time, in fact you risk damaging your car.

TheBatman

Lots of reasons. Rail dust, industrial fall out, etc. There's a lot of crap that gets embedded in your paint during transport.

Plus, all dealers butcher the finish when they prep the car for delivery with automated washes, towels which have been used to clean 20 other cars that same day (probably dropped a few times), etc. Most of the damage to your new car's paint will come from the dealer's prep.

Some people refuse to let the dealer do a clean and prep before taking delivery and rightfully so. But I just take it to a detailer after delivery and have them do a wash, clay, paint correction. Then I maintain it during my years of ownership. By the time it needs to be re-clayed and paint corrected again, I'm ready for a new car.

SlangBlade

Exactly, well at least they cure quickly from the factory because the paint is baked on. The only time you would need to wait is if you had something painted after the fact by a shop (touchup or a scratch, etc.), that can take a while to cure.

gm4life

I wouldn't typical clay bar an entire new car. However, I always do hit them with at least a half dozen coats of good paste wax. For my money Megs Gold Class Carnuba Paste wax is the way to go. I clay bar sometimes after the winter etc. but typically wouldn't on a brand new car. When my IS comes in the coming months - I will be doing to it exactly what I mentioned above.