How to Get Rid of Water Marks

[chiathau]

Hi Everyone,

I am having a black honda Fitz. I am having some water marks, minor swirl and minor scratches on the ride.

Usually, I will polish (step 2) once a quarter and wax with GC (all using hand) after claying. (But i never use any paint cleaner before on my ride). And as maintenance, I will re-wax using NXT tech wax every bi-weekly.

Could anyone recommend me the way to remove the water marks, swirl and scratches? a step by step guidance will be good. Thanks!

Another question? If i plan to get a machine for polishing and waxing, what should i go for? (a one speed polisher? a sander?)

Thanks for all the inputs....

[Mike Phillips]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Hi Everyone,

I am having a black honda Fitz. I am having some water marks, minor swirl and minor scratches on the ride.

Usually, I will polish (step 2) once a quarter and wax with GC (all using hand) after claying. (But i never use any paint cleaner before on my ride). And as maintenance, I will re-wax using NXT tech wax every bi-weekly.

Could anyone recommend me the way to remove the water marks, swirl and scratches? a step by step guidance will be good.

Thanks!


Thanks for all the inputs....

Below are a few articles that answer your questions...


How To Remove Water Spots off Automotive Paints
How to remove swirls and other defects out of your car's paint by hand
How to use ScratchX by hand to remove swirls, scratches and water spot etchings

[chiathau]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Thanks Mike for all the useful information.

Another question is, is paint cleaner a must for the detailing? Coz i consulted a few shops and they don't recommend me the cleaner since it might get some of the paint off the ride. They just ask me to go for clay and polish and wax... but not paint cleaning. What is your thought?

I plan to grab one of this? is this polisher ok?

http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=5469

Or, I should go for something with variable speed as a long term investment.
- Could I use sander as a polisher?

Thanks for all your reply.

[poyo]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

I'll give you some pointers, from a local man's view.

- The MG paint cleaners and polish ( in your case, comsumer range items ) is VERY SAFE. And none of MG's stuffs in the consumer range ( like DCS #1, DCS #2 and DCS #3, NXT Wax, Gold Class Wax, Bug and Tar Remover, Glass Polish, Scratch X ) will further damage your paintwork!
- I only recommend you buying Bosch GEX - 270AE, a dual orbiter polishing machine from Bosch, and you can also use MG's polishing pads with this machine. But I seriously doubt that you can find MG's pads in your area ( Kedah ). My suggestion is : Do the whole, correct 5 steps the RIGHT way.

5 Steps ( this is my way lah, more like Multiple Steps ) :

- Wash
- Clay
- Wash
- Remove scratches, bird dropping marks, bug and tars as well.
- Paint cleaner
- Polish
- Wax
- And do this whole steps at once a month will suffice.

To maintain the work you've done on your car :

- Wash your car at LEAST once a week
- Keep a bottle of Quik Detailer and a Supreme Shine MF in your car to remove bird droppings, and remove them as soon as fast as you can spot 'em, as bird droppings is VERY ACIDIC and will eat up your paintwork!
- Also, whenever you spot bug and tar stuck on your car, do try to remove 'em as soon as possible.
- Whenever you are washing your car, after drying, apply a coat of NXT's Spray Wax to further boost up the remaining wax on your car.

Others :

- Remember, when it comes to MG's paint cleaner, work up one panel and after finishing one panel, immediately buff off, do not wait!
- The same when using MG's polish as well.
- When using Scratch X, put at least a size of 50 cents size of product onto the foam pad. Work vigorously on the affected area ( go for a 2 feet X 2 feet area per application ), round, straight, vertically until the product is only a slight film left. Then, immediately buff off with a MF. If there are still any product left, spray some Quik Detailer on the affected area and re - wipe until clear. If required, go for a 2nd application of Scratch X.
- When applying NXT Wax / Gold Class Wax / M16 Paste Wax, thin applications work very well! And also, try to go for a 2 layer wax. No need to go for 3, 4 layers. Two is enough. Also, practice the Swipe Test.
- Keep all your foam pads, MF pads, and all cloths ( either MFs for polish, wax, drying car etc ) clean. To be secure, keep at least a couple for each application / steps / work. Wash 'em by letting 'em soak in warm, slightly hot water with dish washing soap ( make sure the dish washing soap is a normal one, not one with those vitamin lah, safe for hands lah bla bla bla ) for a couple of hours then wash 'em with your hands and a very soft brush.
- Do keep all your foam pads, MF pads, and all cloths ( either MFs for polish, wax, drying car etc ) in separate ziplock bags ( the ones used to store stuffs in the fridge one! ). Either zip the bag 2/3 way or punch some holes in the bags to let 'em breathe too.

Oh well, tired of typing now. Do what I've told you, and you can have a nice, shiny car with less swirls. About watermarks, if you have done all the steps properly, and thoroughly, but they still persist, that means, machine work with Meguiar's professional range of products ( which I use nowadays! )!

[Murr1525]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

I like to apply the bug/tar remover sprays before washing, kind of dab them on and let them sit. Then wash. So fit it in where you feel best.

Local view points are always great since we cant tell what products are available where....

[chiathau]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Hi Poyo,

Thanks for all your recommendation. Actually I wash my black ride every week. and apply a wax (GC and NXT on a rotational basis) bi-weekly. And I will apply the spray wax on every week when I am not applying any wax. (Is that too much?)

I have tried out the paint cleaner (with hand) and i found that most of the water marks do come out...BUT.... there is still some watermark borders at some of the places... try a few more times with paint cleaner but no luck the border is still there... anyway, after the pain cleaner session, it really looks much nicer than before... and the reflection is much nicer now. and of coz I follow up with a polish and a layer of wax... with a single speed machine that I borrow from my friend... and I realize tat (Darn, machine is darn good) and much easier, safe on products, and also... much FASTER compare to hand... so with the budget that I have now, I have go for the black and Decker... (Lets see if I could get a better machine in the future next time)

Anyway, my car looks good now, (under the sunlight) no scratches could b seen and really only minor minor swirl could be notice... BUT when I go under a florescent light... still notice some hidden scratches at my hood. (Damm...). So the question now will be...

What other product that i could opt for to:
1) Remove the water mark border from my ride
2) To remove the scratches that could be seen under the florescent light?

I plan to move to the mirror glaze level now... any good recommendation to me? From step 1 to wax...

Thanks again...

[TrufflePig]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Hi Poyo,


What other product that i could opt for to:
1) Remove the water mark border from my ride
2) To remove the scratches that could be seen under the florescent light?

I plan to move to the mirror glaze level now... any good recommendation to me? From step 1 to wax...

Thanks again...

for water spots, it's all really in the wash. if you can curb them in the drying process you should be okay. use a two bucket method, then dry with a water magnet. use two of them. dry the car once with one and follow in behind with the second. for the final rinse, don't spray the car. put the hose close to the car and them make it sheet over. removes a lot more water and easier to dry.

for the mirror glaze level.

i'm assuming you're talking about this.

Wash
Clay
M80
m83 -if needed
#7 if you want
NXT
M21

[poyo]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

By all means, PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE THE BLACK & DECKER MACHINE! THAT MACHINE IS SO *EDIT* USELESS AND WILL FURTHER INSTILL SWIRLS ON YOUR CAR!!!!!

Do what I told you, you do not need a machine at all! Unless you are working with products like M80, M83, M21 et cetera, only THEN YOU NEED TO INVEST IN A MACHINE, and the only machine locally available in Malaysia that can use Meguiar's pads is Bosch GEX - 270AE.

The scratches you see on your car when the car is under flourescent lights is from the SINGLE SPEED machine that you use to apply polish / wax! ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY MACHINES TO APPLY PRODUCTS ON YOUR CAR, EXCEPT THE Bosch GEX - 270AE!!!!! The guys over at Hypercoat Malaysia ( Malaysia's MG distributor ) will say the same to you.

For a noobie like you, you will only need these stuffs ( unless you have the Bosch GEX - 270AE and Meguair's pads and also MG's Pro - range of products in your area, which is impossible since you're located at Kedah! ) :

- Meguiar's NXT Soap / Gold Class soap
- Meguiar's wash mitt ( I'm not sure which one is available in your area )
- Meguiar's MF Super Suede drying cloth ( to use this properly, 1st wet the cloth thoroughly then wring AS MUCH WATER AS POSSIBLE out off the cloth, so that the cloth is damp, and then dry your car. When the cloth get's too damp with water, wring the water out and dry again )
- Meguiar's Water Magnet drying towel ( to follow up after using the Super Suede )
- Meguiar's wheel and tyre brush
- Meguiar's Endurance High Gloss ( for shining up the tyres )
- Meguiar's Gold Class Bug and Tar Remover
- Meguiar's Scratch X
- Meguiar's DCS #1 ( to clean your paint ) and DCS #2 ( to polish up your car )
- Meguiar's NXT Paste Wax ( can last at least 3 - 4 weeks with the help of weekly washing and weekly NXT Spray Wax )
- Meguiar's M16 Paste Wax is fantastic as a final layer after NXT Paste Wax.
- Meguiar's Spray Wax ( for weekly waxing right after weekly washing )
- Meguiar's MF cloths ( in this case, either Ultimate Wipe MF and / or the Supreme Shine MF )

If there are still some watermark left on your car after applying and removing DCS #1, then use Scratch X. For a really proper work, from washing, to claying, cleaning the paint, removing scratches, bugs and tar marks, to polishing and waxing, will take you up to almost 8 - 9 hours. But once you've done all the steps I've said properly, and you maintain the work done by washing and applying NXT Spray Wax at least once a week, removing bird droppings / tar etc as soon as you spot 'em, the next full detail will take you less than 5 hours, guaranteed! And by hand too!

Remember, wash your care the safest way possible, wash your car under a shade ( or at night, late evening or early morning if you don't have a shade ), use the correct tools and the correct way to use 'em, and your car will have lesser swirls and a shine that's hard to beat! It's useless to have a shiny car when there's a lot of swirls, scratches and brid dropping marks on your car!

Hi Poyo,

Thanks for all your recommendation. Actually I wash my black ride every week. and apply a wax (GC and NXT on a rotational basis) bi-weekly. And I will apply the spray wax on every week when I am not applying any wax. (Is that too much?)

I have tried out the paint cleaner (with hand) and i found that most of the water marks do come out...BUT.... there is still some watermark borders at some of the places... try a few more times with paint cleaner but no luck the border is still there... anyway, after the pain cleaner session, it really looks much nicer than before... and the reflection is much nicer now. and of coz I follow up with a polish and a layer of wax... with a single speed machine that I borrow from my friend... and I realize tat (Darn, machine is darn good) and much easier, safe on products, and also... much FASTER compare to hand... so with the budget that I have now, I have go for the black and Decker... (Lets see if I could get a better machine in the future next time)

Anyway, my car looks good now, (under the sunlight) no scratches could b seen and really only minor minor swirl could be notice... BUT when I go under a florescent light... still notice some hidden scratches at my hood. (Damm...). So the question now will be...

What other product that i could opt for to:
1) Remove the water mark border from my ride
2) To remove the scratches that could be seen under the florescent light?

I plan to move to the mirror glaze level now... any good recommendation to me? From step 1 to wax...

Thanks again...

[chiathau]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Hi Poyo,

Gosh, is too late... that B&D machine is already in my store room (since last week) (Dun scare me, if that machine will cause more swirl on the ride... , now u are getting me worry). Anyway... I could try to get some products in Penang. Not sure if there is any shop in PG that is selling Pro Edition MG products here... emm... (If there is... any recommendation from you Poyo?) from wash to wax... Thanks.

* Oh ya, actually most of my water marks is cause by the rain drops.... any cure to all those water marks border on my ride? Thanks!

With Rgds,
CH

[chiathau]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

for water spots, it's all really in the wash. if you can curb them in the drying process you should be okay. use a two bucket method, then dry with a water magnet. use two of them. dry the car once with one and follow in behind with the second. for the final rinse, don't spray the car. put the hose close to the car and them make it sheet over. removes a lot more water and easier to dry.

for the mirror glaze level.

i'm assuming you're talking about this.

Wash
Clay
M80

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner-polishs/Speed-Glaze

m83 -if needed

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner-polishs/Body-Shop-Professional-Dual-Action-Cleaner-Polish

#7 if you want

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-pure-polishes/Show-Car-Glaze

NXT
M21

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-liquid-car-waxes/Synthetic-Sealant

Thanks!

1) Wash
2) Clay
3) M80

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner-polishs/Speed-Glaze

4) m83 -if needed

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner-polishs/Body-Shop-Professional-Dual-Action-Cleaner-Polish

5) #7 if you want

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-pure-polishes/Show-Car-Glaze

6) NXT

7) M21

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-liquid-car-waxes/Synthetic-Sealant

Anyway, mind sharing what is the different btw M80 and M83? and if I would like to top up a yellow wax before the M21... is that ok? coz i see most of the forumer will do that...

no matter what... thanks for the suggestion!

[rahsoft]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Hi Poyo,

Gosh, is too late... that B&D machine is already in my store room (since last week) (Dun scare me, if that machine will cause more swirl on the ride... , now u are getting me worry). Anyway... I could try to get some products in Penang. Not sure if there is any shop in PG that is selling Pro Edition MG products here... emm... (If there is... any recommendation from you Poyo?) from wash to wax... Thanks.

* Oh ya, actually most of my water marks is cause by the rain drops.... any cure to all those water marks border on my ride? Thanks!

With Rgds,
CH

Chiathau
try ace hardware or home depot fix it for you MG stuff- they may not have everything but i have seen the lambs wool hand mit

poyo
any idea who/where to get the bosch(hypercoat?).I'm in KL

[MI DOG]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

I'm from indonesia and 3days ago ive just purchased Bosch GEX 270 AE, i think it is a very gentle machine. it is good for replaced DA polisher (PC / G100) hheehhe..

[chiathau]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Gosh guys, check on my car today... found that there is swirl mark under downlight... (making me more sad and sad....). Poyo, how does the machine that i bought cause more swirl? now I feel afraid to details my ride d..... shall I stop using that machine and s=use hand in stead for waxing?

THANKS!

[chiathau]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

Finally manage to return the B&D with some other Meg Products! phew....

in return, get a NXT Tech wax, ScratchX, and Paint Cleaner.... anyway, I think for now... i will continue to use hand 1st...

anyway Poyo, u know where could I get Boarch polisher? and wat is the best price in the market so far?

Thanks for everything.

[poyo]

Re: How to Get Rid of Water Marks

You've asked for ideas and recommendations, I gave 'em, but you still insisted to buy the *EDIT* B & D polisher. Congratulations, you have managed to instill more swirls on your car.

I've told you, just buy what I listed out, do the steps I listed out, use the products the right way, and your car will shine better, with much lesser swirls than the car parked next to yours.

I've said this once : the products you need in order to use the Bosch GEX-270AE is not available in Kedah! Just buy the stuffs I listed and do the work by hand. About the swirls and watermarks, I suggest you do it by hand, with a bottle of Scratch X, a few MG foam pads, and at least 2 MG's Gold Class Ultimate Wipe ( if it's available in your area, I doubt it, since even in KL it's no longer available ) or the newer MG Supreme Shine MF.

How to use Scratch X the RIGHT way :

- Make sure the area you want to work with Scratch X is clean ( washed and dried ).
- To avoid any unwanted mishaps, clean the area further with Quik Detailer + MF.
- Put about 50 cents ( Malaysian 50 cents size lah ! ) on the foam pad.
- Work in the product in a 20cm X 20cm area ( square ).
- Work in the product in all ways, straight left, straight right, up and down, circular etc UNTIL THE PRODUCT IS ALMOST GONE, BUT IS STILL SLIGHTLY WET. Do not work the product until it becomes clear, or dusty etc.
- Now wipe off the product with the MF cloth until clear.
- Check your work. If there is still watermarks / scratch / swirls on the area, do the same steps again. Keep doing it until you feel satisfied. Do not worry, Scratch X will not degrade your clearcoat until it becomes too thin / damaged etc.
- Do only one part of the car, once a day ( because using Scratch X on a car is very tiring ).
- After the job is done, seal the area with wax.
- If you do it the way I instructed you to do, at least 60 - 70% of the watermarks, swirls and scratches will be gone, forever. It'll be forever, if you maintain the work with proper maintenance!

Once again, Meguiar's Professional range of products is NOT AVAILABLE in your area ( Kedah ). Just keep on the Meguiar's products that you can purchase direct. Products like M80, M83, M21 etc is not available in your area, and these products can only be used SAFELY with a proper dual orbiter machine and MG's buffing pads, which, I'd say again, IS NOT AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA.

Just get the products I listed in an earlier reply, do it the right and safe way, use a proper, high quality microfibre products ( like from Meguiar's, AND NOT FROM THOSE MR CLEAN et cetera brands! ), wash your car often, remove bird droppings ( with Quik Detailer and MG's MF cloths ), bugs and road tar ( with MG's Bug and Tar Remover, also with some MG's MF cloths ) AS SOON AS YOU SPOT THEM ON YOUR CAR, clay, clean, polish and wax your car once every 4 weeks : your car will shine to it's best, with much lesser scratches, marks and swirls.