water spots

[deltjon]

I have some water spots on my hood that I have used MG deep crystal cleaner, then polish, with nxt wax on. Some came out, but hood still has spots and is somewhat dull overall. I applied with a craftsman random orbit (sorry waiting to get the pc for birthday), but seems like it was about the same as doing it by hand. These spots have been around a while, any ideas? plus the finger test after paint cleaning was still somewhat rough, is the clay more effective? Also I can't seem to get that high gloss shine after polish...should it be worked in, or aplied and removed once dry like wax? what about a mf polishing bonnet?
Thanks,
Jon

[Murr1525]

Do you mean shine and gloss on the whole car, or just the hood?

Give these articles a read first, so you understand the overall basic process if you havent seen them before:

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX


Remember swirls/scratches and water spots are similar in nature. Working by hand, you would want to use ScratchX. With your machine, you could also try ScratchX, but you may actualy get more cleaning power from your hands/arms. And ScratchX is a stronger cleaner, you may have more dirt you need to get out of the paint as well.

Give this a read as well:

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Paint cleaners and polish do not need to dry before removing. You probably will want to clay the car, esp if you have never done so before. Removing wax by machine with a bonnet can sometimes leave a glossier look, but removing by hand should leave a nice look as well. Your difficulty getting a shiny finish shouldnt be from that step.
I hope that is some basic info... though ask anyting else that isnt clear as well..

[BlueTooth]

right now Im having the same prob, right after I washed my truck I got these horrible water spots adn Ive done the above, using Scratchx but would claying be faster ? The scratchx worls fine, I just wanna do it faster, but if there is no diff then ill stick with scratchx It really did the job, I just think that claying would faster in my heckic schedule

[Murr1525]

Claying only removes above surface contaminants. This is both for looks, and so they are not dragged around later by your pad when applying other products.

A paint cleaner will be what cleans the dirt out of the pores, and then has the different abrasives for removing below surface defects, ie. swirls, scratches, etching, etc.