water spots 911!

[Gator Rob]

I know there are a lot of threads on this topic already, and I read most of them, but I think I have a unique case...

I have a 2009 black F150. I was giving her her first wash/wax today and it did not turn out well. I went to Walmart and spent $80 on (mostly on Meguiar's) car cleaning products.

Apparently the water in Gainesville, FL is VERY hard. I waited for sun set so my truck would be nice and cool. I also parked it in the shade beforehand so it wouldn't be hot starting the wash. I wash her down, nice and good. I would do sections of the truck, drying each afterward.

I go to apply my NXT 2.0 techwax, put a nice thin layer on, and when I go to buff it out, I notice there are now water spots appearing. They did not come out as I continued to buff my wax.

I was scared that I had waxed over water spots that I didn't see and were stuck under the wax. I went out and bought ScratchX and tried to buff out some of the water spots. It works well on some, but after buffing with medium pressure for a long time. There are literally hundreds of waterspots, the type 2 kind on my hood and sides.

I washed my truck around 7pm eastern it's now 12:40 eastern. Is it possible to have type 2 waterspots so quickly? Do I still have time to remove them? Any help would be appreciated because I'm quite frustrated spending so much money on car products just to end up with my truck looking worse than when i started.

Rob

[Gator Rob]

Re: water spots 911!

In my original thread, ScratchX = SwirlX

Also, I just went out to try some more SwirlX. It seems to get rid of the water spots, but the irony is that I noticed more swirls where I was buffing out the water spots.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: water spots 911!

Hello Rob!
and welcome to MOL!
Don't worry you can fix it!
Do you have a rotory or DA?
What kind of skills do you have?

I would use Ultimate Compound by DA
That should work.
You can do it by hand also.
It'll just take longer
Also can you please post a pic?
That would help.

[CieraSL]

Re: water spots 911!

Read this thread: 2007 Black Civic Si + Waterspots like no tomorrow

[Gator Rob]

Re: water spots 911!

Hello Rob!
and welcome to MOL!
Don't worry you can fix it!
Do you have a rotory or DA?
What kind of skills do you have?

I would use Ultimate Compound by DA
That should work.
You can do it by hand also.
It'll just take longer
Also can you please post a pic?
That would help.

Hey,

Thanks for the quick response. I don't have a rotory or DA and I'm an amateur, but I did watch a lot of youtube videos and read up on waxing.

I'll try to get a pic up today.

Rob

[rgcurtis]

Re: water spots 911!

One of the first things you want to do is start small on a test spot. Here is the process I would recommend:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. UC
4. SwirlX
5. NXT 2.0 x2

Remember if you should always go least aggressive to more aggressive. You should see good results from the UC using the yellow Meg's polishing pad w/ UC. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Gator Rob]

Re: water spots 911!

One of the first things you want to do is start small on a test spot. Here is the process I would recommend:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. UC
4. SwirlX
5. NXT 2.0 x2

Remember if you should always go least aggressive to more aggressive. You should see good results from the UC using the yellow Meg's polishing pad w/ UC. Good luck and keep us posted.

Hey, thanks. I just got done with 5 hours of car detailing. This is what I did:
1) Wash
2) UC (I tried some swirlx, but it didn't work as well as UC)
3) Cleaner Wax
4) NXT 2.0

I noticed after the Cleaner Wax and NXT dried and was wiped off, there was this residue left over that made it look hologramish. I continued to wipe, but with slow, hard strokes and the stuff came off. This is what took the longest part. Is anyone familiar with this? Is there a quicker way to get rid of this residue? It looks gorgeous though, and MOST of the water spots are gone. Some are really hard in there and I'll work on them later.

And RG Curtis, I see you're a Submariner. I'm PCSing to Charleston for NPS June 28th. Just commissioned down here at UF. Looking to do fast attacks out of Pearl or Guam. What boat are you on?

Rob

[Gator Rob]

Re: water spots 911!

[rgcurtis]

Re: water spots 911!

Welcome to the Submarine force....sorta....LOL! I have been on five boomers. I am now at a squadron in Kings Bay. I have been in for 19 years and all boomers. I am waiting to go be a COB (Chief of the Boat) here in a few months. Don't know which boat yet. Oh, GO NOLES!!!! If you need anything just PM me. Where did you do your Midshipman tours??? Did you go on a boat????

[akimel]

Re: water spots 911!

I noticed after the Cleaner Wax and NXT dried and was wiped off, there was this residue left over that made it look hologramish. I continued to wipe, but with slow, hard strokes and the stuff came off. This is what took the longest part. Is anyone familiar with this? Is there a quicker way to get rid of this residue? It looks gorgeous though, and MOST of the water spots are gone. Some are really hard in there and I'll work on them later?

Rob, my guess is that you either applied Cleaner Wax or NXT or both too thick or you did not allow one or both of them to dry properly before removing them. NXT, like every other wax I know of, needs to be applied in a thin layer. You then need to allow it to haze. Do the Swipe Test. People typically find that, depending on ambient conditions, they need to leave NXT on anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: water spots 911!

Man that is a great looking truck...

[Gator Rob]

Rob, my guess is that you either applied Cleaner Wax or NXT or both too thick or you did not allow one or both of them to dry properly before removing them. NXT, like every other wax I know of, needs to be applied in a thin layer. You then need to allow it to haze. Do the Swipe Test. People typically find that, depending on ambient conditions, they need to leave NXT on anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.

I might have applied it too thick, but I did give it some time between application and removal. I waxed it it around and removed it right afterward. It's a big truck so it took at least 20-25 mins to wax the entire thing. Can I wax it tomorrow without washing it? Or must you wash it? I wanted to do another coat.

Also, what do you do for spot touch ups? As you can see, a bird left me a little present right after I finished and was wondering what you all keep in your car to do touch ups here and there?

Welcome to the Submarine force....sorta....LOL! I have been on five boomers. I am now at a squadron in Kings Bay. I have been in for 19 years and all boomers. I am waiting to go be a COB (Chief of the Boat) here in a few months. Don't know which boat yet. Oh, GO NOLES!!!! If you need anything just PM me. Where did you do your Midshipman tours??? Did you go on a boat????

Welcome... sorta? Haha, I hear that a lot, but I'm looking forward to it! Not so much nuke school or prototype, just getting to sea and getting qual'd. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated! Congrats on COB by the way.

I never went on a boat for my midshipman cruises. I skipped my first cruise, went to San Diego for CORTRAMID, and did a FOREX cruise with the Royal Thai Navy last summer. I was aviation all the way until CORTRAMID and a "submarine motivation trip." The "sub moto trip" was a 5-day all-expense paid trip to Pearl to tour subs, meet an Admiral, and have fun.

Man that is a great looking truck...

Thanks Mark!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: water spots 911!

I might have applied it too thick, but I did give it some time between application and removal. I waxed it it around and removed it right afterward.

Check out this thread,

Which products need to dry before removing?

It's a big truck so it took at least 20-25 mins to wax the entire thing. Can I wax it tomorrow without washing it? Or must you wash it? I wanted to do another coat.

If the surface is clean, that is dirt and dust free you can wax it again but more than likely there will be enough dust accumulation that you'll want to wipe the dust off using a quick detailer first before applying any wax. The idea being to avoid rubbing dust into and over the paint.

Also, what do you do for spot touch ups? As you can see, a bird left me a little present right after I finished and was wondering what you all keep in your car to do touch ups here and there?

Wash or wipe the area clean, remove the bird dropping first, then use one of your paint correction product to remove the etching left by the bird dropping and then apply more wax to the worked area.

[Gator Rob]

Re: water spots 911!

Wash or wipe the area clean, remove the bird dropping first, then use one of your paint correction product to remove the etching left by the bird dropping and then apply more wax to the worked area.

Thanks for the help! Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a newbie at this stuff. I finally got the automobile I love and it's getting nothing less than the best.

Rob

[Chop]

Re: water spots 911!

Thanks for the help! Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a newbie at this stuff. I finally got the automobile I love and it's getting nothing less than the best.

Rob

Don't worry. We are here to help. For a newbie you did a great job on your truck. It looks great. Welcome and I salute you and thank you for your service.