So…
You’ve used the TouchUp RX Automotive Paint Chip Repair Kit and your car is looking better than it did yesterday. Nicely done!
You’re probably anxious to wax it to finish the job. While the repair itself looks pretty good, it is still raw, uncoated paint. In our experience, all touch up repairs will definitely look even better once they are waxed.
The paint seems dry and you’re ready to go….
Hold on a moment. We recommend waiting a week, if possible, before waxing your car after paint chip repair.
Why You Should Wait a Week to Wax Your Car After Touch Up Repairs
You’ll want to let the paint fully cure before waxing your car, especially if you’ve repaired a patch of road rash, or had larger chip repairs – bigger than ¼” in diameter. The danger of waxing less-than-fully-cured paint is that you can actually pull some of the paint out of the repaired chips.
Now, that’s not a HUGE problem, you’d just need to clean everything and do the touch up repair again. But having to redo a quality repair stinks. Trust us, it’s best to wait.
If you really need to wax it sooner than a week, and your repairs were small chips, wait at least a day (longer is better).
What Wax Should I Use After Paint Chip Repairs?
When it’s time to wax, always use a high-quality liquid wax rather than the paste types. If possible, test an area first to make sure the paint isn’t visually affected. For larger chips, you may want to apply a second coat of wax for best appearance.
From this point forward, you can wash and wax the car like normal. Once fully cured, the paint will adhere permanently. We still recommend not being too aggressive when waxing and buffing the repaired areas. But you should feel confident in the durability of the repair.