Paint Job Advice

[NitroguN]

Hi all. I'm getting my car completely repainted. Just wondering if anyone has any pointers on maintaining a brand new paint job. I want to keep it clean and nice and make it last the summer. Winter is here so ugh i'll most likely get a whole lotta snow here .... should i stay away from the snow/salt? k thx !

[Igovert500]

Yeah snow and salt suck...wax is your friend.
Under the 'cars in general' forum, there is a sub forum for 'car detailing' and 'car painting' ask for advice in there and you will get some of the best advice around.

For simple advice, either garage it, or if you must drive on snow and salt, make sure it is waxed and that you wash the whole car(including underbody) afterwards to get the salt off...salt killed my honda.

[Stealthee]

IF you get your car painted for the first 30 days you cant use high pressure water or wax. You have to let the paint completely cure. You can still wash it but need to use little water pressure, an soft cloth or sponge and nothing but a little bit of dish detergent in the water. My car has always been a "northern" car and seen lots of snow and ice and the dreaded salt. There hasnt been a singel sighting of rust on it because its been well maintained. Just make sure to hose really goon od the underside every week or two. Also just a recommendation. Wait till spring to get the car painted. Fresh paint + salt = not good. Also God forbid anything would happen but if it gets icy and you hit a patch and slide out of control and get some damage then a brand new paint job will have to be fixed. Also as long as you take care of it and its a quality job with decent qualityt paint the paint job will last for many years, not just thru the summer.

[NitroguN]

k thx for the advice guys. I'm gonna repost on "Car Detailing" like u said govert. The thing is i actually HAVE to get it painted this week. I was in an accident so i'm getting my car repainted. And yes omg i'm gonna drive sooooooooo careful ...... my car is really really low. I know sooner or later i'm bound to scrape SOMETHING. I'm gonna be really careful though.

[Thourun]

Don't use dish soap! Car wash soap isn't expensive and works better and won't 'dry' out your paint like dish soap will.

[Stealthee]

Dish soap does not dry out your cars paint. Its a myth. My dad has painted cars for 19 years now and thats exactly what was told to him back then. I always wash my car with dish soap and it still looks like a brand new paint job when its clean.

[StealthModifier]

definetly dont use dish soap, it will dry out the paint and also eventually mess up the clear coat. i would wash the car every week, plus after about a month of having it painted i would clay the entire car. this will get any overspray off and smooth out the paint, follow this with a good coat of wax, and do this every month

[Stealthee]

Look at my post above yours. Dish soap does not harm the paint or clear in ANY way. The stuff is gentle enough to wash your dishes with, and it is gentle enough to not mess up your hands when using it. It is gentler than car wash soap.

[StealthModifier]

my dad washed his truck for a year with that stuff and his paint is very faded, used to be shiny, ask anyone on the car detailing forum and they will tell u its bad

[Stealthee]

Its not faded because of using dish detergent. It has been used for years and years in my family and by many many friends. There is no affect on the paint by using dish soap.

[Thourun]

Yea most people don't see any difference using it, I used it for years too but its not the best thing unless you plan on waxing the car well afterwards, it dosent realy hurt your paint but it is powerfull stuff (dishes are made of or covered in glass for the most part and glass super resistant to chemicals of all kinds due to its random molecular structure for the most part). I've heard that some to cpeople use dish soap ompleetly strip their car like a harsh shampoo does to your hair and then they wax it to replentish what was lost just like how I (and most anyone else with long hair) will have to condition my hair to make it shiny and manageable again every time I shower. Using a car wash soap is like using a combo shampoo/conditioner, its less harsh and gives the paint what it may have lost over time withought the hastle of waxing.

[NitroguN]

Yea when i first got my car, i bought wax, leather protectant, and car soap. I've always heard never to use dish washing detergent. I will follow the 30day rule stealthee said and not use car soap ..... and ummmmm ... it doesn't snow here ALL the time so i guess it could be easy to avoid the snow/salt. Hey what about car covers? Are they good? I've heard some stories about them ruining paint. My dad uses the garage for storage so i can't exactly keep my car garaged .

[Stealthee]

Eh my car never sees the garage unless I am changing oil or something. It was outside and being driven 2 days after the paint went on. When we did a friends Stealth, it went outside the next day and hasnt been in a garage since. The only thing garaging it will do is keep flying debris in a windstorm, or hail from damaging it.

[Thourun]

And leaves and dust/pollen off of it, and no water spots all over it from rain mixing with the dust. I think a good quality waterproof car cover is your best bet, you might be able to pay a neighbor to use a spare space in their garage, I thought of doing that if I find a good VR4 before school ends.

[NitroguN]

Yea i've been thinking of buying a good car cover. I just hope it doesn't do anything to the paint? Oh and garages around my residence are pretty small and people have a habit of using them for storage so my neighbor has no space either . Good luck on getting that vr4 VROOM! 1st gen or 2nd gen?