Water spots/stains on new veh.

[tbr3345]

Bought a 04 Expedition last week. The vehicle is water spotted.
The dealer has attempted to clean it up. They cleaned the windows and chrome trim (around grill) and it looks ok, in the sun.
Puti t in the garage and can see spots on hood, roof and tailgate. There are probably some on the sides also but really can't tell. Tried using Quick Clay and it works and gets the paint smooth but doesn't remove the spots. What should I use to try and remove them? Really don't want the dealer to touch it again might get carried away with buffer and compound. I don't mind doing it as I am retired and have plenty of time. A friend who was a detailer for over 30 years says have it acid washed. That scares the hell out of me. Any advice will be greatly appriciated.

Tom

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Tom,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

Sad to say, it sounds like the water spots are actually water spot etchings in the paint. If this is true, then to remove the water spots you will have to remove a little paint around the etchings to level it.

I would recommend trying some Meguiar's ScratchX following the direction written here,

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

Using ScratchX and the directions outlined in the above article, I was able to almost completely remove the deep etching left by a bird dropping in this thread,

How to remove the etching left by a bird dropping with ScratchX

While bird dropping and water spot etchings are caused by different sources, the result is the same, and that's an etching in the paint, not a defect on the paint.

Pick up a bottle of ScratchX, (around $7.00 to $8.00 a bottle in most auto parts stores), and give it a try. If you find after 2-3 applications you can remove the etchings, you may want to invest in a G-100 Dual Action Polisher and let the machine do the work.

Hope this helps...

Mike

[tbr3345]

Mike

Thanks for the information. I will pick some up in the morning and give it a try. Sounds safer than letting the dealership have an other try.

Tom

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by tbr3345
Mike

Thanks for the information. I will pick some up in the morning and give it a try. Sounds safer than letting the dealership have an other try.

Tom

In most cases, much, much safer!



Mike