2ndof2

I just finished getting the front bumper cover and hood resprayed but have already picked up a few new chips in so many days. The paint shop says wait 4 months before putting any clearguard on it but with use there's a good chance it'll have many new chips by then. I'm interested in knowing how long some of you may have waited before having the clearguard put on the car and what the results were. Any problems with paint due to premature clearguard?

ca993twin

I've heard 6 weeks.

Mark in Baltimore

I waited about 45 days. Tried to stay away from other driver's bumpers to avoid stone chips. Got a few anyway. Whatever.

Joe S.

3-4 months is what my paint shop said after I resprayed my front bumper cover.

MarkD

My car is in getting "refreshed" at the moment also... so I asked the same question of the shop owner and was told 30 days.
I recently read some posts in the Competition/Concours forum here on RL and read anywhere from 30-90 days depending on who you asked. Lot's of threads on this over there if you want more info than you could ever hope to digest

Sooner

5 weeks for me. Let the car sit out in the sun as much as you can..

geolab

And at the factory, how do they do?

98993c2s

I put mine on immediately after driving it back from the paint shop. The paint had cured for a few days before I picked up the car. That was three years ago and I've seen no evidence that doing this has caused any problem at all.

When I picked up the car from the shop, I drove about 200 feet behind every other vehicle, where possible, to avoid any chance of getting a rock chip on the way home.

RallyJon

Cars spend at least a month sitting or being shipped before delivery.

I wonder if you could heat cure the paint? Maybe 100 degrees for a week?

Terry Adams

30 days on mine. Paint is fine.

2ndof2

I'm beginning to think that about 30 days should do it...a very careful 30 days! Although my car is used as a DD it rarely ever sees sunlight other than while on the road for fear of drying out all the exposed 10 year old plastic, leather, and rubber bits. As a result, it doesn't really get to absorb the sunlight that may help ready the new paint for the clear guard (assuming exposure to air/sunlight/heat is what makes the paint ready). I hate the idea of doing it, but maybe I could just leave it in the parking lot instead of the covered garage at work for a few weeks. The reason the color black is black is because it absorbs most light rays versus white that reflects most light rays. This probably means black paint should be ready more quickly by sitting in the sun versus a lighter colored car. At this point nobody seems to have had any problems with their paint fogging up or anything like that so I'm feeling more comfortable about it. Now for a search on what the best clearguard to use! CP, where's CP? He had a ton of the stuff on his Ruf when I saw it...

98993c2s

As far as I am aware, all the clearguard is essentially the same 3M product. I used Invinca-Shield.

cobalt

Actually there are several different types of films. The 3M is the least advanced and yellows faster than the others. I have it on one of my cars. Film like Armor Glove is Teflon based and some stretch more than others. Some have a clear coat and some do not. So do your research before having it done. BTW it is worth every penny and has saved my paint numerous times.


I have a good friend who does great work and his recommendation is to talk to the person doing the paint work and ask them what the cure time for the specific paint they are using is. Some paints take longer than others to harden.

He claims that most paints take at least 30 days. If the paint hasn't hardened it will lift when the film is being applied.

Jim

The factory bakes on paint in several steps, which speeds the curing process, This forces the evaporation of any remaining solvents contained within the paint. Much easier to do than a re-spray situation, as they are working with a body-in-white. Once it is cooled, they can slap on the plastic without fear of gas bubbles forming underneath the surface. I'd wait at least 30 days.

The painting process for Porsche vehicles comprises five steps:

1. Pre-treatment: The fully galvanised bodies are cleaned, degreased and zinc-phosphated.
2. Cathodic dip priming: Cathodic dip primer is applied to the entire body and baked in at approx. 180º C to enhance corrosion resistance.
3. Undersealing with seam sealing: The underseal consists of a PVC coating of between 0.4 and 1.3 mm in thickness.
4. Automatic filler coating: The filler coating serves to protect the body from flying stones. After application, the filler coating is dried at approx. 160º C.
5. Manual application of top coat: The top coat is applied in special cabins in which clean-room conditions prevail. The drying temperature is approx. 140º C.

2ndof2

Well, looks like I'm going to have to give the ol' search function a workout before I commit to any particular clearguard brand. I did use the Invica-shield on my rear fenders and wheelwells but I thought the stuff was a bit on the thin-side. I absolutely do not want to have the paint lift-off during the application process due to insufficient time to cure. I suppose with only a few chips that are touched up due to use over the next 30 to 60 days probably will be barely noticeable once a clearguard is installed. There is no question that the paint shop said to wait 4 months. Thats an eternity!!! I'll see them today who the paint manufacturer was and see what I can find out. Right now they are re-adjusting those pesky little gaskets that sit between the body and bumpercover.