Sprinklers, don't ya hate 'em?

[SL1CK]

Well, I sure hate the sprinkler system we have. It comes on at around 5 am every morning and always gets my freshly washed/detailed car all wet, leaving water spots. If this continues, can the spots make t heir way deeper into the clear coat? What's the best way to prevent this? I can't put it in the garage, too much stuff (that I wanna throw out)...and I know there was a thread Mike posted where he showed water spots UNDER the clear coat. Someone chime in.

[Mobilejoe]

Re-adjust the sprinkler heads

Serious now, car cover that is waterproof would be my only answer.

[STG]

I love sprinklers. I used to own an apartment building in southern California and the neighbors would constantly park trailers, RVs, old cars, etc. in front of my building instead of in front of their own property.

So... I'd go outside at 3:00AM, turn the sprinkler heads 180 degrees and soak their vehicles every night. The water would evaporate by early morning leaving mineral etching ontheir vehicles.

Soon, they all parked their junk in front of their own properties!

[TSR6]

I lived in Florida for a little while, and had the same issue. If "my" parking spot was taken, I would have to park where the sprinklers got me. They went off at like 6am, which is great when the sun comes out and bakes the water on.

[RamAirV1]

Sprinkler water is especially bad for your car! It is often hard water will create water spots so bad that you may need to use an agressive cleaner or cleaner polish with a rotary buffer to remove them. The water may even have fertilizers mixed with it.

I would do just about anything to avoid sprinkler water! It will make a lot of extra work for you if not damage your paint. Clean out the garage so you can put your car inside, or at least move the car and park it in a place the sprinklers can't reach.

To answer your question, yes the water spots can very easily etch into the clear coat. Water spots can be among the most difficult paint problems to correct.

RamAirV1

[SL1CK]

Thanks RamAir, and everyone else. I'll see what I can do.

[Monk]

Re: Sprinklers, don't ya hate 'em?

HA! Last night I got sprayed inside my convertible going through a neighborhood with the top down.

[kellyinkc]

Re: Re: Sprinklers, don't ya hate 'em?

Originally posted by Monk
HA! Last night I got sprayed inside my convertible going through a neighborhood with the top down.

One time I blew grass in mine when cutting the church lawn...

[Michael Stoops]

I have three cars but only a two car garage, so one of them is forced to sleep on the street (very short driveway and I can't legally block the sidewalk). My own sprinklers would hit the car every few days but a good water repellant cover does the trick for me. Repellant should be good enough since you aren't getting a large volume of water sitting atop the horizontal surfaces, and it just runs off the vertical sides. Check out www.carcoverworld.com - they have custom fit covers for most every vehicle.

Now, this is basically my foul weather car, and since I live in sunny SoCal it doesn't get driven a whole lot. I find that covering it when it's clean and dusted off will prevent even morning dew from spotting the finish. Otherwise, several days of envirnomental fall out followed by a morning of heavy dew would leave a mess! Just be careful how you use a car cover and it can be a really good thing.

[hooked]

I have a 2-car garage and 2 cars, but only one fits in there. That means one has to stay outside. They take turns and I park them in the middle of the driveway so the sprinklers don't get them. I've tried adjusting the sprinklers, but if I turn them down so that water doesn't spray onto the driveway, then the edge of the grass doesn't get enough water. There's also the issue of the wind blowing water onto the cars. And let's not talk about the rust stains from the well water!!! Luckily, I leave for work before my wife is out and about, so we don't have to do the driveway shuffle too often.

[STG]

Originally posted by Mike-in-Orange

.... I live in sunny SoCal it doesn't get driven a whole lot..... several days of envirnomental fall out followed by a morning of heavy dew would leave a mess! J

"Environmental fallout" is just one reason I left sunny SoCal. It's easy to keep the car clean, but Meguiar's doesn't make anything to clean out my lungs!


For all you guys with sprinklers at your own homes:

Turn the sprinklers on manually. Water the lawn when the car that's in the way isn't there. This ain't rocket science!

[the other pc]

Originally posted by STG
.... I used to own an apartment building in southern California and the neighbors would constantly park trailers, RVs, old cars, etc. in front of my building instead of in front of their own property.

So... I'd go outside at 3:00AM, turn the sprinkler heads 180 degrees and soak their vehicles every night....

[hooked]

Originally posted by STG
For all you guys with sprinklers at your own homes:

Turn the sprinklers on manually. Water the lawn when the car that's in the way isn't there. This ain't rocket science! [/B]

A man goes to the doctor and says "doc, it hurts when I raise my arm." So the doctor says "So, don't raise your arm!"

Thanks for the helpful advice.

[STG]

Originally posted by hooked
A man goes to the doctor and says "doc, it hurts when I raise my arm." So the doctor says "So, don't raise your arm!"

Thanks for the helpful advice.

Aw, come on! If you park your car in your own driveway and complain about YOUR OWN SPRINKLERS water spotting YOUR OWN CAR....

Don't you think it's easier to move your car or program your own sprinkers for a time when your car isn't close to them? Nah, it's much easier to remove hard-water spots.

[SL1CK]

Yeah true, its just I don't turn on them on myself, my dad has it set or whatnot, so I always tell him and the car always get wet right when I wash it.