Polishing newly painted panel

[OptimumAutoSpa]

Long story short... the quarter panel and fenders got some new paint and im curious how soon I can polish... i know sealant / wax is 30 days minimum but I figured I would do a mild paint correction while I wait.

[Mike Phillips]

Long story short...

the quarter panel and fenders got some new paint and im curious how soon I can polish...

i know sealant / wax is 30 days minimum but I figured I would do a mild paint correction while I wait.




You can normally start any sanding and buffing process a few days after the paint has been sprayed.

The sooner you start sanding and buffing "generally speaking" the easier it will be to remove your sanding marks because the paint will still be more polishable. I wouldn't say it's soft but I would say it will not have reached full cure and hardness. What I have seen when paint is sanded and buffed too soon is the surface appearance changes for the worse and you'll see what looks like dull splotchy areas, sometimes you'll see sanding marks that you "thought" you removed re-appear.

The longer you wait, the more the paint will dry and do any shifting it's going to do and then when you sand and buff, the results you see are the results you get.


What are you working on?

What type of paint was sprayed?



:)

[TTQ B4U]

Long story short... the quarter panel and fenders got some new paint and im curious how soon I can polish... i know sealant / wax is 30 days minimum but I figured I would do a mild paint correction while I wait.

Just had the same situation and HIGHLY recommend 3D AAT 505. It's silicon free and 100% awesome stuff and fresh paint safe. I'm so pleased that I'm going to use it going forward on more details. The key is to not use any products with silicon or anything that will prevent the paint from gassing off. My car was sprayed with BASF Paint and they recommend 30 days for summer temps.

[idriveblackcars]

Just had the same situation and HIGHLY recommend 3D AAT 505. It's silicon free and 100% awesome stuff and fresh paint safe. I'm so pleased that I'm going to use it going forward on more details. The key is to not use any products with silicon or anything that will prevent the paint from gassing off. My car was sprayed with BASF Paint and they recommend 30 days for summer temps.

Someone hit the Audi man?

[TTQ B4U]

Someone hit the Audi man?

Yep. Good news is the car is beyond perfect. I fought the other guys insurance but got both doors replaced not repaired and the paint works is beyond outstanding.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/53797-what-did-you-do-today-detailing-related-1238.html#post1500623

[idriveblackcars]

Yep. Good news is the car is beyond perfect. I fought the other guys insurance but got both doors replaced not repaired and the paint works is beyond outstanding.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/53797-what-did-you-do-today-detailing-related-1238.html#post1500623

Damn brand new doors! Sweet

[amalik]

You can normally start any sanding and buffing process a few days after the paint has been sprayed.

The sooner you start sanding and buffing "generally speaking" the easier it will be to remove your sanding marks because the paint will still be more polishable. I wouldn't say it's soft but I would say it will not have reached full cure and hardness. What I have seen when paint is sanded and buffed too soon is the surface appearance changes for the worse and you'll see what looks like dull splotchy areas, sometimes you'll see sanding marks that you "thought" you removed re-appear.

The longer you wait, the more the paint will dry and do any shifting it's going to do and then when you sand and buff, the results you see are the results you get.


What are you working on?

What type of paint was sprayed?



:)

Why would you start sanding a panel that was just painted? I mean, polish/wax/seal, I understand.. but isn't wet sanding for defects? A new panel shouldn't have defects.

[TTQ B4U]

Damn brand new doors! Sweet

Yep. The level of detail they put into fixing it is amazing. The shop doesn't re-use any nuts, bolts or clips, bumpers, nothing. They collect them all upon disassembly and replace them with all new parts. I'm very pleased.

[coopermosley]

Why would you start sanding a panel that was just painted? I mean, polish/wax/seal, I understand.. but isn't wet sanding for defects? A new panel shouldn't have defects.
you would sand a freshly painted panel to take out the orange peel sprayed and get rid of the "trash" in the paint, or even to texture match to a existing panel. different grits leave different texture/orange peel. Also waxing a fresh panel is not recommended as the panel will not be able to gas out "breathe". You have to wait a month or two at least.

[amalik]

you would sand a freshly painted panel to take out the orange peel sprayed and get rid of the "trash" in the paint, or even to texture match to a existing panel. different grits leave different texture/orange peel. Also waxing a fresh panel is not recommended as the panel will not be able to gas out "breathe". You have to wait a month or two at least.

While I understand what you're saying, Wikipedia says orange peel is the result of improper painting. I would think there wouldn't be orange peel when a shop did the job perfectly, as OP said they did.

[coopermosley]

While I understand what you're saying, Wikipedia says orange peel is the result of improper painting. I would think there wouldn't be orange peel when a shop did the job perfectly, as OP said they did.

There's only a small percentage of shops that have the expertise to spray no orange peel, it takes a very good painter. 80% of the time you are wet sanding to match other panels, and if your not you're either really good or you matched the orange peel when you painted. It's also unrealistic to assume that all body shops are perfect.


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[Paul A.]

Plus the fact I want my repair paint to match not only color perfectly but the surrounding texture as well. While OP is not desirable, I do want it to match so as to hide the fact any repair was done.

[coopermosley]

Plus the fact I want my repair paint to match not only color perfectly but the surrounding texture as well. While OP is not desirable, I do want it to match so as to hide the fact any repair was done.

Smart approach. I would stick with that. Its a professional way to look at body repair and body matching. 90% of the time you can tell a textured panel from a non textured panel. It would almost be like comparing a shiny shoe and and a dull shoe. One will always stand out more than the other, drawing negative attention to the shoes. In this case, negative attention to the vehicle.

[fightnews]

You can normally start any sanding and buffing process a few days after the paint has been sprayed.

The sooner you start sanding and buffing "generally speaking" the easier it will be to remove your sanding marks because the paint will still be more polishable. I wouldn't say it's soft but I would say it will not have reached full cure and hardness. What I have seen when paint is sanded and buffed too soon is the surface appearance changes for the worse and you'll see what looks like dull splotchy areas, sometimes you'll see sanding marks that you "thought" you removed re-appear.

The longer you wait, the more the paint will dry and do any shifting it's going to do and then when you sand and buff, the results you see are the results you get.


What are you working on?

What type of paint was sprayed?



:)

Does a newly painted panel fresh out of the shop have to be wet sanded?