What is this? Tons of white spots?

[immenseturmoil]

Ok I don't know how to explain this so I thought i'd take a pic and show the experts. I never noticed all these white spots when I first got the car a few months ago. It seems every time i was (using meguairs gold class), I find more white spots. I've tried to claybar but that doesn't help. What are these things and how can I remove them?

[MaximusZTS]

Re: WTF is this? Tons of white spots

Do you have a picture that is maybe a little closer to better show the defects? I know my hood has white spots on it from rock chips. You can polish out rock chips.

[immenseturmoil]

Re: WTF is this? Tons of white spots

I'll take some closer ones tomorrow when its light outside.

[Totoland Mach]

Re: WTF is this? Tons of white spots

I detail 1-2 late model BMW's each week for a re-seller and most of them are coming off lease. Almost ALL of them will show white spots if I use a polish and wax that dries white. The bumpers, front part of the hood are especially graphic and look like your spots.

Now, I use Meguiar's #26 that dries clear and it has saved me tons of time. The larger chips are filled with touch up, but on a 40,000 mile road car, there are hundreds of small chips.

Give 26 a try.

Totoland Mach

[WestDK]

Re: WTF is this? Tons of white spots

1) I think it can be your paint that's coming of.. If your paint is old and haven't been well kept it can peal off, and the base coat underneath can be white and that's why you see the white spots..

2 ) Or else it can be you have deep scratches so the wax gets downn into them and when you wipe your car your cloth can't get down into these tiny cracks and scratches and the white layer that you must wipe off, you can't wipe off because you can't get to them because they're in these tiny scratches..

[jfelbab]

Re: What is this? Tons of white spots?

Looks exactly like stone chips. These are more of a problem these days with harder more brittle paints (thanks to the EPA and CCAB) and are most obvious on dark colors. The more highway and especially freeway driving you do, and the closer your follow other cars the more you will get these little chips. When you polish and wax, the wax settles in the chips and dries. If your polish and wax dry white you see white spots.

I'd wash and clay the car then go over the car with Dupont Prepsol and buff dry. I'd then add a layer of Meg's #7 followed by a couple thin coats of NXT Tech Wax liquid. This should hide the white spots.

The only way to really eliminate these is to sand and respray. You can minimize these chips by adding a clear bra but I have had mixed results with them.

Best to also try to change your driving style so as to lay way back from the vehicles in front of you when on the highways and freeways.