Fresh paint needs a lighter touch until it has fully cured. Wash it by hand, keep it out of automatic car washes, get bird mess and tree sap off quickly, and leave wax and sealants until we say the paint is ready. None of it is hard. It's mostly a matter of being gentle and being quick.
Here's how to look after it, and what to avoid.
Why does fresh paint need looking after?
Because it's still hardening. New paint keeps hardening for a while after it feels dry, so it's softer than it will be once it has fully cured, and it marks more easily.
Car makers say the same about their own new cars. Polestar recommends that its cars aren't put through an automatic car wash for the first few months, because the paintwork hasn't fully hardened. A respray is new paint too, and how long it takes to cure depends on the paint system and how it was dried.
How should I wash a fresh respray?
By hand, gently, once we've said it can be washed. Polestar's manual sets out a hand washing order that suits fresh paint well:
- Rinse first, starting with the underside, the wheel arches and the bumpers, to float the grit off before anything touches the paint.
- Wash with car shampoo, a soft sponge or mitt and plenty of lukewarm water.
- Rinse the sponge or mitt often, so you aren't dragging grit across the panels.
- Dry with a clean, soft chamois or a gentle squeegee, which the manual says cuts down on marks from dried water drops.
Do it out of direct sun. The same manual warns that sunshine can dry cleaning products or wax on the paint, where they act as an abrasive.
Can I take it through an automatic car wash?
Not while the paint is new. Brushes drag grit across the surface, and soft paint takes the scratches. Hand wash until we've said the paint has cured.
Is a pressure washer safe on new paint?
Used with care, yes. Polestar's manual tells its owners to keep the nozzle at least 30cm from the paint. On a fresh respray, keep it well back until we've said the paint has cured, and never aim the jet at a chip or an edge, where it can get under the paint.
What should I do about bird mess and tree sap?
Get it off as soon as you see it. Polestar's manual says bird droppings and tree sap or resin contain substances that can quickly damage and discolour paintwork. Soak it with plenty of water until it softens, then lift it off with a soft sponge rather than scrubbing.
Where the car lives makes a difference. Parked under a tree, it's catching sap and droppings all day.
What about stone chips on new paint?
Get them seen to rather than left. A chip that goes through to bare steel lets rust start under the paint round it. PPG, one of the big paint makers, lists bare metal exposed by damage among the causes of corrosion under paint, and its advice is to repair damage to the paint as soon as possible and treat newly exposed metal straight away.
Send us a photo of the chip and we'll tell you what it needs.
When can I wax or seal fresh paint?
Once it has fully cured, and not before. Wax, sealants and coatings all wait, and we'll tell you when that is for the paint on your car.
Don't polish it yourself in the meantime either. Polish on soft paint can dull it rather than shine it.
What if the new paint gets marked?
Send us a photo before you try anything. A light mark that is only in the clear coat can often be polished out once the paint is hard enough. A mark through the clear needs flatting and painting again. Either way, we'll say what it needs and when it can be done.
What about road salt in winter?
Rinse it off regularly, whatever the age of the paint. Start with the underside and the arches, where it collects, as in the washing order above. On a car that has just been painted, rinse rather than scrub, and keep the hand wash gentle.
What should I keep with the car's papers?
The invoice for the respray. If the car has changed colour, keep a note of the new paint with the V5C as well. A future repair needs the new mix, not the colour on the factory paint code label, and whoever does it will want to match the paint that's on the car now. See resprays for what a colour change involves, and custom paint for one-off colours.
Booking a respray, or just had one? Send us a few photos and your questions from the quote form.
