Water Spots Galore

[100kdown]

Yesterday, I decided to give D151 another try on my son's fire engine red Grand Am before he went back to college. Well, the results were fantastic! Thanks to Mike P's recommendation of using an "ample" amount of product, I experienced no dusting at all. However, I was quite meticulous about cleaning the pad between each application and am sure this helped immensely.

So, to the problem at hand. Even after cautioning my son about not parking in the path of our sprinkler system, he did anyway. This morning, before we could get the water toweled off, the water spots had already baked into the paint.

I wasn't about to break out the G110 and start over. I tried a healthy dose of QD but it wouldn't touch those nasty water spots. Can anyone recommend a Megs hand applied cleaner that will cut the water spots and give my son some "hands on experience"?

[AeroCleanse]

Re: Water Spots Galore

ScratchX maybe.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Water Spots Galore

Clay bar *might* do the trick, but any other method will at the very least remove the wax you just applied. If they are still fairly fresh you should be able to get them out with fairly mild methods, and I hate to say it- but a G110 and some D151 might just be what the doctor ordered.

[Nappers]

Re: Water Spots Galore

Give Ultimate Quik Detailer a shot, I've removed sprinkler spots with it even after a good baking in.

[Mort Corey]

Re: Water Spots Galore

151 by hand has worked for me as well as either 66 or ColorX......assuming the easiest way of QD fails.

Mort

[Jim Shearer]

Re: Water Spots Galore

I have had success with a vinegar and water solution followed by QD or UQD.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Water Spots Galore

There are two types of water spots...

From this thread,

How To Remove Water Spots off Automotive PaintsSwirls, scratches and water spots are the three most common paint defects car enthusiasts struggle with when it comes to removing them and preventing them from coming back. In this how-to article we'll take a look at water spots, where they come from, how to remove them and also how to prevent them.

There are two basic kinds of water spots or water marks found on automotive paints.

• Type I Water Spots - Above Surface Mineral Deposits
• Type II Water Spots - Below Surface Water Spot Etchings

Type I Water Spots
Type I Water Spots are what Meguiar's refers to as Above Surface Bonded Contaminants. A Type I water spot is some type of deposit, often times a mineral deposit that was suspended in the water source to begin with, then after the water evaporated off the finish the mineral is left behind where it bonds to the finish usually in a circular or pattern or shape.


Type I Water Spots - Mineral deposits sitting on top of the paint







How to Remove Type I Water Spots
If you discover Type I Water Spots on your car's finish, it will often times require the use of both detailing clay and a paint cleaner to completely remove all trace of the mark left behind.

• Step by step process for removing Type I Water Spots
  
  Step 1 - Wash & Dry the Car
  First wash the car thoroughly using a quality car washto remove any loose contaminants and to also remove any portion of the mineral deposit that has not yet bonded to the paint. After washing the car, dry the car to remove any standing water and to prevent further accumulation of Type I Water Spots.
  
  Step 2 - Clay the Paint
  Use Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kitto clay all affected paint panels. Meguiar's Detailing clay is a special clay that you knead into a wafer or patty, somewhat like a pancake, and then rub over the finish using Meguiar's Quik Detaileras a lubricant between the clay and the paint. As you're rubbing the clay over the finish, the specialized abrasives will loosen and remove any deposits sitting on top of the paint and trap them into the clay and our clay will do this without instilling scratches into the paint.
  
  Because as you're claying, you're removing these mineral deposits and trapping them into the clay itself, you'll want to take your clay patty and fold it into itself and then re-knead it to expose a fresh side of clay. Also keep a microfiber polishing cloth handy and wipe down the clayed area as you work to remove any excess Quick Detailer from the paint so that you won't have to re-wash the car.
  
  Repeat the above process until you've clayed all of the horizontal panels on your car and possibly even the vertical panels should you discover Type I Water Spots on the sides of your car's paint.
  
  Step 3 - Clean the Paint with a Paint Cleaner
  After claying the finish, re-inspect the affected areas, the paint should look smooth and clean as well as feel smooth like a piece of new glass. If you see any trace outlines in the paint where the water deposits were previously, then you'll now need to use a paint cleaner like ScratchX to remove these imperfections out of the paint.
  
  Any water spots or marks left in the paint after claying the paint are actually etchings in the paint and must be removed using a paint cleaner. Water Mark Etchings are what Meguiar's calls, Below Surface Defects, that is these water marks are where the mineral deposits, (left after the water evaporated off the finish), actually etched into, or ate into the paint. This is why the detailing clay did not completely remove these marks, it's because these marks are below the surface and detailing clay only removes contaminants sitting on top of the surface.
  
  ScratchX is a paint cleaner that uses Meguiar's Microscopic Diminishing Abrasive Technology to safely remove swirls, scratches and other below surface imperfections out of the paint. Simply apply ScratchX using a clean, soft foam applicator padand then work the product against the finish with firm pressure. Work a small area or directly on the affected area for 2-3 minutes and then immediately remove any leftover product from the paint and inspect. If the mark is no longer visible, apply a coat of wax to protect the paint. If the mark is still visible, then repeat paint cleaning step using ScratchX. Some swirls, scratches and water spot etchings will require multiple applications to remove depending on how hard the paint is and how deep the defects are.

Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface

Type II Water Spots are what Meguiar's refers to as Below Surface Defects. A Type II Water Spot is actually an etching in the surface where whatever was in the water was strong enough in its chemical composition to actually eat or dissolve the paint and thus etch into the paint.


Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface




Close-up of same photo above





If you discover Type II Water Spots in your car's finish, you can use a paint cleaner by hand such as ScratchX and the procedure outlined above in Step 3 for removing below surface etchings left by Type I Water Spots, or you can use a machine applied product such as a Meguiar's paint cleaner, or cleaner/polish to remove the water spot etchings using Meguiar's G100 Dual Action Polisher.

Meguiar's Dual Action Polisher will safely clean your car's finish removing a small amount of paint in an effort to level, or smooth-out the paint. The goal is to remove just enough paint to level the upper most portions of the surface with the lowest depths of the defect you're trying to remove. In some cases you may want to check with a seasoned professional for their advice before attempting to remove below surface defects like Type II Water Spots.


Important Note: Anytime you use detailing clay and/or a paint cleaner on your car's finish, you need to reapply a coat of wax to the paint as detailing clay and paint cleaners will remove any previously applied wax off the paint.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Water Spots Galore

Try to wipe the water spots off using Quik Detailer, if they won't wipe off then chances are good they are not topical but etchings but with any luck they are very shallow...

The next best thing to do would be to wipe the paint down with the D151 and hope that the cleaners in D151 will remove the water spots and the benefit to this approach is it will leave the paint protected.

Try to do just half the hood and see which approach works...

Sorry to hear about the sprinkler, that happened to one of our cars and the spots were so bad we had to compound them off the paint and the glass.

[SD DIESEL]

Re: Water Spots Galore

What speed setting ,pad and size of area did you find that worked with the 151 this time.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Water Spots Galore

I wasn't about to break out the G110 and start over.

I tried a healthy dose of QD but it wouldn't touch those nasty water spots.

Can anyone recommend a Megs hand applied cleaner that will cut the water spots and give my son some "hands on experience"?

As long as these etchings are not too deep, then any of the below should work,

A12 Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax
ColorX
D151 - (pour him some off into a dispenser bottle)

You son would apply these to a clean surface using either a foam or microfiber applicator pad. Work a small section at a time leaving behind a thin coating on the surface. Allow this film to dry and then wipe off.

Have him do a small section about a foot squared or so and make sure he's successful from the get go before letting him go over the entire car.

[100kdown]

Re: Water Spots Galore

Thanks for the input! I hadn't thought about 151 applied by hand. I'll definitely have him give that a try on a small test area. I still can't believe how quickly those water spots etched into the paint. I was hoping the wax(sealant?) in 151 would have prevented that to some extent. But, no such luck. Ever seen a bright, swirlfree, fire engine red Grand Am with Chicken Pox? You got the visual!

Thanks again for the ideas! I'll let you know how the hand applied 151 works out.