question about waxing and new paint

[FirmWind]

Detailers have told me to wait 60-90 days for new paint to cure before I apply any kind of wax. Can someone explain to me why this needs to be done? Will there be damage to the paint if I apply wax to new paint, say a week old? Does this maxim also apply for new touch-up paint (if so how long should I wait)?

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[wannaimpreza]

i was wondering the same thing and how can i reduce swirl marks
only had my wrx for a month and i have washed it five times
touchless washes with a sprayer or dirve thru type
dried with soft cotton cloth and it seems to be showing signs of swirl marks
would rayon or chamois reduce swirl marks for drying

[jay25RS]

I don't think that you have to wait for your paint to set because if your car is an Impreza then I think that it came over on a boat from Japan and has had plenty of time to chill. In order to fill swirls, I use Mother's Carnauba paste wax and it seems to work pretty good.

-Jason

[Brady]

I don't think that you have to wait for your paint to set because if your car is an Impreza then I think that it came over on a boat from Japan and has had plenty of time to chill.

Agreed!

In general, this is no longer true unless you get the car smack off the assembly line. For starters, the cars have clear coats, so you're not waiting for the paint to cure, but rather the clear coat. because of the arguably thin clear coat on your car, you should get an extra coat of clear coat to protect your paint from scratches and chips. THEN, you might have to wait (I dunno - I was stupid and never got the extra clear coat - wish I had. still might.)

The big problem is that the soft cloth isn't scratching your "paint" (really your coat, but for simplicity we'll refer to finish as paint). The dirt on your car is scratching the paint when you move it around with a cloth (doh!). There's almost no way to avoid this entirely. Instead of waiting 90 days to wax, be sure to clean the car really good right away (assuming the car isn't 1 week off the line) then put a coat of wax on. Then, here comes the tedious part, wash the car OFTEN! Do NOT let dirt and grime accumulate. It's BAD for your car. Plus your car will look good all the time! Sweet.