Can I polish 3 week old paint

[2black1s]

Old school was 90 days but that was before paint was baked on during the drying process. If it is factory paint and you have just picked up your new vehicle yes for sure go agead. if you have had something repainted and the piece was baked during the drying process 30 days is good. If not baked i would wait 60 days My 0.02$ hope this helps

If you have had a part repainted on your car it is not "baked". That is a misconception by the general public and some painters alike. In reality, if your car was repainted and you were told that it was "baked", what really occurred is that the paint was "force dried".

There is a big difference between the two.

"Force drying", which is common in the refinish industry is achieved at temperatures around 140 deg F. The primary reason for force drying is to achieve higher production rates by accelerating the initial dry times. While force drying will have some influence on the overall cure time of the paint, it is not that significant. The paint still needs additional air dry time to reach full cure and hardness.

"Baking" on the other hand is achieved at temperatures around 365 deg F using paint formulations developed for such. At these temperatures the paint will be fully cured and hardened at the conclusion of the baking process. Additional air dry time is not required.

Baking is not possible on a fully assembled car as many materials and components would be damaged at such elevated temperatures. When the car is initially painted at the factory it is a bare shell at the time.

So rest assured, regardless of what you've been told by the shop, your repainted car has not been baked to the level of full cure and still needs time.

[TTQ B4U]

Is it ok to polish (not wax or seal) new paint (3 weeks old)? I know not to wax the car to allow it to release some chemicals, but I just want to polish (no wax) it to remove some of the swirls in the paint. The polishes I have are Meguiars and Rupes.

Thanks for any input.

Yes. Paint can be compounded and cured at home after bring it back. Just stay away from any silicon based products. 3D's 505 is great. It's a new paint safe version of HD Speed to get you through the curing phase. Once 30 goes by then you can have at it with whatever else there is and even coat it.

[Methodical]

Great info everyone. The painter told me not to "wax" the car for at least 30 days. So, I had no plans to wax it, but just wanted to polish it to get rid of the swirls left behind. I am nearing that 30 day mark.

[acuRAS82]

^^Me too (nearing 30 days), can’t wait!