Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

[ghost]

I wash my car all the time with the NXT wash and then wax it about 3 times a year. Well, I was at an apartment for one night and the sprinklers from the system doused my car with some hard water. I was extremely busy for 2 weeks and finally got to washing the car. After washing, the spots were still there! I thought maybe a quick waxing would help, which it did, but in direct sunlight I can still see the spots.

I put about one coat on the car side that was affected and 2 coats on the hood. What are my options now to try and remove the spots?

Thanks a bunch!
ghost

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Hi ghost, and welcome to MOL.

Unfortunately for you, many apartment and condo complexes use reclaimed water in their sprinkler systems and the mineral content in that water can be extremely high. What happens, as you probably know, is that as the water evaporates these minerals and other deposits get left behind on the surface of the paint and you get water spots. Sounds innocent enough, and water spots can be. But with reclaimed water, water spots can be very damaging. In a worst case scenario they can literally etch down into the paint, and pretty deeply at that. To expect any wax to totally stop this is asking an awful lot out of the wax - expecting a wax to stop something that can actually etch paint means you're expecting that wax to be tougher than the paint, and that's simply not the case.

Washing alone won't get rid of really bad spots, and wax alone won't either as that's not the purpose of a wax. Now, a cleaner wax may well take care of some light to moderate spotting, but that's because of the cleaners in such products. But non cleaner waxes like NXT 2.0, Gold Class, M26, Ultimate Wax, etc have no cleaning ability; they just offer protection. What you need is a paint cleaner - basically a mild abrasive suspended in a liquid that's designed to remove below surface defects. And that's exactly what etching from the mineral deposits in a water spot is. This is the exact same product and process used to remove fine scratches, swirls, etc because all of these defects are below the surface of the paint.

So, we'd suggest you pick up some Ultimate Compound and a soft foam wax applicator pad and apply the UC with a fair bit of elbow grease. This is not at all like applying a wax where you gently work it around to get full coverage, let it dry, and wipe it off. That won't work with a paint cleaner because a paint cleaner needs some energy behind it to effectively level the paint to the bottom of the defect. So work a very small area at a time, no more than about 1' x 1', and don't be afraid to put some energy into it. Work the UC until it's pretty thin on the surface and then wipe it off before it dries. Repeat this process section by section until you've corrected the problem, then apply your favorite wax to the treated area. That should take care of the problem for you.

[Still Learnin]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Those water spots could now be lightly etched into the cars paint. Did you try clay barring the surface? You can try a mild cleaner wax like ColorX or even step it up to SwirlX to polish out the etchings. If those two methods dont work use Ultimate Compound to remove the water spots and swirls (if any) from the paint. Top off with 2 coats of wax and sit back and enjoy the shine! Good luck and let us know how it went.

[ghost]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Since I already put on 2 coats of NXT wax on the hood, is using the Ultimate Compound pointless or do I have a shot of still fixing things up?

Also, when using the Ultimate Compound, is there anything to watch out for during application to avoid making matters worse?

Thanks so far!
ghost

[Murr1525]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Wax is not permanent, so it is wearing off all the time. UC will also remove it.

As mentioned, just use the UC and a smooth foam applicator on a small test area, panel, and see what happens. Dont do the whole car and then look at it.

If you can, take some pics of the area, work on it with the UC, then take an after pics. See how they look, and can post before/after here for help if needed.

Not always easy to fix things by hand, but no reason not to try. And if you ever go to a machine, the UC will also be good, so not going to waste.

[ghost]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Ok, time to order some up then and try it out.

What did you mean by "if you ever go to a machine"?

Thanks for your help everyone!

[Murr1525]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Well, might have missed something, but sounds like you are working by hand.

A Dual Action Polisher like the G110v2 would be the next step, either for making things easier, or you may need the extra force of the machine/pads to remove the defects.

[ghost]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Oh, yeah I'll be applying by hand. Don't even want to try a machine to be honest.

[Murr1525]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Not too scary really... but a bit more of an upfront cost.

[mis3]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

The water spots are etched on the paint, under the 2 coats of NXT you just applied. So, you have to remove the NXT first to get to the paint.
UC will remove the wax and clean the paint at the same time. Rub harder on the side with water spots and they should come off.

You did not mess up and you did not make it worse. However, the effort and labor to apply the 2 NXT coats were wasted because you now have to remove them.

If you car is few years old and if you never clayed, I suggest you clay first. Clay will take you just another 30 minutes and it's well worth the effort.

[ghost]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Does everyone else agree? Should I clay before using UC? I have never clayed before. Car is 4 years old.

[ghost]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

One more thing. When I run my fingernail over the surface I can feel the etches of the water spots. So does that mean I should still clay then use UC?

[Murr1525]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Oh yeah, claying is always good, and very easy,

You can feel the edges? That might not be a good sign for being able to remove them.

[ghost]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Well I mean I can feel the spots like they are above the surface... Like bumps.

[Murr1525]

Re: Did I mess up trying to remove some water spots?

Well, above surface is a bit better...