Repaint - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

chilcutt · #1 03-20-2017, 02:17 AM

Having my van re-painted.
Need advice for after-care.
Question..does a newly painted vehicle need to be polished..or just apply a coat of wax to it ?

Info: Solid color red..as far as I know, they do not use clearcoat here.

TX76513 · #2 03-20-2017, 08:40 AM

Are you saying the van will have a single stage paint? The paint shop should buff it out with a glaze after painting. Let it be for a month so the solvents can dry out of the paint and your ready to wax as normal. Now for the best advise - ask the painting facility what type of paint they are using (process) and ask them when you can wax the vehicle.

tyl604 · #3 03-20-2017, 09:42 AM

They should have given you some kind of preprinted instructions about how to care for the new paint.

97 SL320 · #4 03-20-2017, 10:32 AM

Find out exactly what brand / type of paint being used and pull the data sheet. With such a wide range of paints it is difficult to make a blanket recommendation.

chilcutt · #5 03-20-2017, 10:52 PM

Problem is communication. The painters at the shop barely speak any English.
I did manage to find out the paint being used is - in his words- K-2..(not sure what that means).

Backing up some..yes, it is a total respray..went from white to a bright red color.

I did see one of the shop guys rubbing out a finished Merc..so I am assuming they polish after painting.

TX76513 · #6 03-21-2017, 10:27 AM

2 K is a two component paint. It has an added hardener/catalyst/activator. Makes the paint more resistant to environmental factors. Good Choice. You should be good to go and wax once they release to you.

Dmitry at Pelican Parts · #7 03-21-2017, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilcutt

Problem is communication. The painters at the shop barely speak any English.
I did manage to find out the paint being used is - in his words- K-2..(not sure what that means).

Backing up some..yes, it is a total respray..went from white to a bright red color.

I did see one of the shop guys rubbing out a finished Merc..so I am assuming they polish after painting.

Let us know if we can be of any help - we have a newly updated Car Care section.

-Dmitry

97 SL320 · #8 03-21-2017, 06:42 PM

See if they can show you the can of paint then research from there. Modern paint does not need rubbed out after application unless you are doing a Pebble Beach show car. If a regular car needs rubbed out, they are either applying it poorly or trying to get dirt / bugs out of it.

chilcutt · #9 03-21-2017, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TX76513

2 K is a two component paint. It has an added hardener/catalyst/activator. Makes the paint more resistant to environmental factors. Good Choice. You should be good to go and wax once they release to you.

Bingo...this has to be why the painter just said '2K'..figureing that should aleviate any concerns I may have.
Should be taking delivery within the next 4-8 days.
New van is a 2014 Volkswagon Caddy. Diesel 1.6 5 speed manual..all that is needed in this metropolis.
Considering the VW to be an upgrade from my previous vans.
2 Peugot Partners- 1 Fiat Doblo

jmk · #10 03-22-2017, 04:35 PM

For a fresh repaint, don't even use soap for the first month. The one exception is if they use a bake oven and bake the car for 30min/140F. Then the coating is cured enough for even a car wash.

If you want to maximize durability, don't wax. I have a bunch of old posts talking about that. I never wax my car.

chilcutt · #11 03-23-2017, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmk

For a fresh repaint, don't even use soap for the first month. The one exception is if they use a bake oven and bake the car for 30min/140F. Then the coating is cured enough for even a car wash.

If you want to maximize durability, don't wax. I have a bunch of old posts talking about that. I never wax my car.

First time I have ever heard..Dont Wax.

By the way...I am taking delivery of the van this coming Monday.

jmk · #12 03-23-2017, 04:35 PM

I know it goes against "conventional wisdom", but every bit of data I've seen states to not wax.

When I worked at PPG, I had put literarily 10's of of thousands of test panels out all around the world. Many of half waxed and unwaxed. The unwaxed portion of the panel always fared better. I still remember one of the managers making the same observation.

Mitsubishi ran an add campaign stating you never need to wax their cars because of the new "paint technology". Immediately, they got issued a cease and desist order on the ads from one of the car wax manufacturers. Mitsubishi came to us to support the claim that waxing was unnecessary, and it was rather easy to do so. The group working with Mitsubishi sent them their exposure panels. From what I heard, the wax manufacturer dropped their cease and desist order immediately. They did not want the real world results to get out.

Especially on a newly cured finish, you do not want to put a bunch of alkanes (the chemical name for the main materials waxes are made of) on a finish. It is like putting an non-evaporating solvent on the finish. Wait at least one month (90 days is much better) before putting anything on the finish, and definitely do not run through a car wash over the same time period. Even in oven baked OEM auto finishes, there is a lot of post-cure during the first 90 days after application.

The detailers/wax folk never believe this since it goes against what they have been told or taught. Also, it negatively affects their business. You may get people to say it can't be true. I never argue with them since I saw plenty of experiments showing the affects of car wax. Never made car wax, but I sure used it in a lot of experiments.

Also this applies to "sealers", "non-wax products", or any other material that goes on the surface. They are all alkanes and do pretty much the same thing, and the basic formulas are similar. The different terms are marketing more than anything else.