I was at a body shop yesterday talking about the care of my freshly painted hood and he tells me that all i really should do is Polish the car. that's right, no wax!

he says "waxing over time hurts the car. you can't see the effects right away, but just like smoking, in the end it hurts you. you'll see that it won't let the paint breath because it puts that seal on there. and that will make the paint crack"

and since then two other bodyshops have told me this.

what!?!? is this true? ive always thought waxing helps protect the car and its finish.

__________________
1995 E320 Sportline Wagon "Bernard"
black on black leather

http://i.imgur.com/BdZ7jM3.png

If it was Glasurit, the brochure accompanying the respray will say it does not need wax. I guess that's the benefit of a year 2003 respray on a 1984 vehicle--- no more soft paint

edit: I wash weekly, and it's been 6 months since my respray (rear left QP). I am starting to agree that it does not need wax.

It sure would confuse me if I heard that. If the bodyshop statement were true how would you explain paint manufacturers working with companies like Meguiars to develop the right protectants for their paints?

You have to look at it like this, if the new paint job has enough layers of paint on it that you can polish it every couple of months without wearing through the paint then he's right. But if you plan on holding on to the car for a long long time it doesn't make any sense. You would run out of workable paint in a couple of years and then need a respray.....oh now it makes sense.

For Example
My car still has it's original 92 paint from the factory and lets say the paint depth is 4.8mils to 5.7mils thick. After polishing some scratches, bird $#%$# etching and oxidation I removed about .2 mils from the paint layer. That would allow me to polish about 20 times before running out of clearcoat. Or I can choose to wax and protect my paint so it's more difficult to etch, oxidize and scratch the paint and keep the original paint looking good without removing a layer. Sounds like a paintshop scam to me.

Any bodyshop guys care to chime in?

__________________
Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd

I've owned a body shop for 20 years and am a firm believer in wax or any other protectant you can put on the paint. There is so much crap out there, that bare paint will show the effects real soon. The paints we use seem to hold up better than most factory finishes, as we can still use the heavy duty stuff that they can't. Once the paint is fully cured it doesn't need to breathe any more and you can seal that sucker up. I am very impressed with Mcguires #20 Poly, and personally use Nu Finish myself. One of the worst things that can happen around here to your paint, is for it to rain, and then have the sun come out on a hot day. Certain death for a paint job. I use a car cover on my SL when I take it in to work just for that possibility.

__________________
95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Well, I don't think Rolls-Royce supports waxing or washing with soap for that matter. They claim really cold water does the trick. Next door to me is a really nice guy who waxes his car once a week. You gotta see this thing. 7 years old and the car is better than mint!

im glad to hear a PRO comment on the product.

ive used it for years on certain applications.

ie... on the front facing grime catching surfaces of my sportbike

and also as a base coat of protection on my wheels, and then cover the NF with a regular high quality wax frequently. i think it adds a higher protective layer at the wheels finish.

i know plenty of members here that would probably freak out at the mere mention of using NF.

it works GREAT for me where i use it.

I certainly don't put myself up as the last word on any subject, but the Nu Finish works for me, lasts a long time and is easy to work with. We are not in the business of fixing or building show cars. Our customers drive their cars every day in all types of conditions. Yes I'm a "PRO", because I get paid for what I do and know, no more, no less.

__________________
95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

When my other car was repainted after being hit, the body shop gave me a brochure telling me not to wax the car for 90 days so that the paint could fully cure. After that, it was supposed to be fine to wax, and I have. Maybe that's what the original advice was meant to convey?

__________________
Tjohn

82 300 SD
77 450 SL (gone)

Did your shop have a bake booth? When I got my car repainted, I asked the shop foreman and he said that I can wax right away. The car was put into a bake booth after painting and the paint is fully cured. I hope he wasn't wrong.

__________________
W210 M104.995 Color 339/205
Say What You Mean, Do What You Say

Yeah, they had a bake booth. I imagine the type of paint being used also could make a difference, maybe?

__________________
Tjohn

82 300 SD
77 450 SL (gone)