re: waterspots

[kmyung]

hey there,

Please help. I just washed my car, clayed, quik detailed, and waxed my car with the dual action polisher and NEXT tech wax. but as i looked at my car i noticed a lot of tiny waterspots all over my car. Its all over my car and window area. How do i get rid of all the water spots on my vehicle? Also what products are recommended? Also which car soap is highly recommended? please help.

Thanks,

Ken

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by kmyung
hey there,

Please help. I just washed my car, clayed, quik detailed, and waxed my car with the dual action polisher and NXT Tech Wax. but as i looked at my car i noticed a lot of tiny waterspots all over my car. Its all over my car and window area. How do i get rid of all the water spots on my vehicle?

Hi Ken,

Sorry for the delay, I had to search around and find this post I made just the other day ago. Before I go into the water spot topic, a quick questions?

Did you notice the water spots before you detailed your car?

If you didn't, could it be they were there but you didn't notice them? Sometimes, when you polish you paint to a high degree of clarity, defects that previously were not noticeable become noticeable. This is true of deeper scratches in the paint. When you machine clean your car's paint you usually remove all the light or shallow scratches, the deeper ones remain. After you finish the cleaning, polishing and waxing steps you eyes will more readily see and be attracted to the deeper scratches because since the shallow scratches have been removed, the deeper ones stand out. Now on to water spots.

There are two kinds of water spots,

1) Above Surface Mineral Deposits
2) Below Surface Water Spot Etchings


Type 1 water spots
If you have type 1 water spots, you can use a clay bar by hand. Clay bars are for removing above surface defects. Sometimes you may have to follow the claying process with a paint cleaner like ScratchX to completely remove all traces of where the mineral deposits attached to the finish.

Type 2 water spots
If you type 2 water spots, you can use a paint cleaner by hand, or a machine applied cleaner/polish, paint cleaner or in a worst case scenario, a compound.

Just to be clear, removing Type 2 Water Spots means removing paint. As such, you are limited as to how much paint you can remove before removing too much and going through the clear coat or in the case of a single-stage, going to far and exposing primer.

You mention these water spots are on you glass as well as your paint, because it's unlikely that whatever is making the spot is etching into the glass, it's more likely the spot is a deposit sitting on top of the glass. If this is true for the glass, it might also be true for the paint. Notice I used the work might. Paint is more susceptible to chemical etching than glass because paint is softer and its chemical make-up is much different. Therefor you will not know until your try a test spot and see what it takes to remove the water spots off both the paint and the glass.

The clay may work on the glass, but you're car's paint may require a paint cleaner like ScratchX. The link below goes to a how-to article on how to remove below surface defects with ScratchX.

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

This article will explain how to apply and work the ScratchX to remove a Type 2 Water Spot. I would suggest first trying to remove the water spots in a small test section on the hood using clay, if that doesn't work, then try using ScratchX by hand to this same small test section to see if you can remove them with a paint cleaner.

Clay bar - Used to remove above surface bonded contaminants
Paint Cleaners - Used to remove below surface defects

Also what products are recommended? Also which car soap is highly recommended? please help.

Thanks,

Ken

I hopefully mentioned two product above to help with the water spots. You can also try re-cleaning the paint by machine using the #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish with a W-8006 foam polishing pad on the dual action polisher on the 5.0 setting.

As for car wash soap, either the NXT Car Wash or the Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner are both excellent, premium quality car washes.

Hope this helps...

Mike

[mike_svt]

For the spots on the windows, there is a product made by One Grand that works excellent to remove such defects. Can't remeber where I purchased it from, try a google search.

[kmyung]

re: water spots

thanks alot mike. great information. i actually washed my car, and clayed the windows and body. then i just applied the NXT tech wax. After that the spots got worst. i notice more spots then before i washed my car. ill try out the scratch X next. can i use the Deep Crystal Paint cleaner also. which do you recommend would do the best job. the scratch X by hand or the Deep Crystal paint cleaner by Dual Action? also what about the Clear coat paint cleaner/polisher? i have that product as well. would that do the job? which wax product would give my car the best glossy looking shine to the car? i use the NXT Tech Wax right now but i am not so happy with the glossy finish. it isnt as much as i would want it to be. am i doing something wrong? do i need to apply more wax? thanks for all the help.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: re: water spots

Originally posted by kmyung
which do you recommend would do the best job. the scratch X by hand or the Deep Crystal paint cleaner by Dual Action? also what about the Clear coat paint cleaner/polisher? i have that product as well. would that do the job? which wax product would give my car the best glossy looking shine to the car? i use the NXT Tech Wax right now but i am not so happy with the glossy finish. it isn't as much as i would want it to be. am i doing something wrong? do i need to apply more wax? thanks for all the help.

Hi kmyung,

It sounds like you need to give the paint a good cleaning with a paint cleaner. Since you have the Clear Coat Body Scrub, (is that what you meant?), then I would suggest trying this with the dual action polisher using a foam polishing pad on about the 4.0 to 5.0 setting.

Do a test section first, about 16" square, wipe off the residue and then apply a coat of wax, allow it to dry, then remove and then inspect and compare to the rest of the finish. If it looks good, then repeat to the entire car, if it doesn't you might have to get either some #83 DACP or some #80 Speed Glaze.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Re: re: water spots

Originally posted by kmyung
Am i doing something wrong? do i need to apply more wax? thanks for all the help.

You're not doing anything wrong, their is a learning curve to everything.

When applying wax, two thin coats are better than one thick coat. Two thin coats insures even and uniform coverage as well as a even and uniform appearance.

Mike

[kmyung]

Thanks alot for all your inpout and information. i will be trying this out over the weekend. I have one final question. from your knowledge/ opinion, what products and steps do you think will give my car the best shiney, glossy finish look to my vehicle? If you can answer that for me that would be great. Thanks so much.


Ken

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by kmyung
Thanks alot for all your inpout and information. i will be trying this out over the weekend. I have one final question. from your knowledge/ opinion, what products and steps do you think will give my car the best shiney, glossy finish look to my vehicle? If you can answer that for me that would be great. Thanks so much.


Ken

Here's the basic order of steps to follow,


Washing
Before detailing your car, first do an extremely good job of washing it. Remove all the dirt from all the nooks and crannies. This prevents any small abrasive dirt particle from entering into the machine polishing process and potentially instilling a swirl. Get the Car Sparkling Clean to start with and everything will be downhill after that.

Claying
After that clay the car, at least the horizontal surfaces. Again, do a good job of claying to insure you remove all above surface contaminants. The level of gloss you can achieve from your car's finish is mostly determined by how smooth you can make your paint. Claying will make your car's finish as smooth as glass.

Cleaning
Cleaning is different than washing. Cleaning is removing both above surface defects like oxidation and below surface defects like swirls, scratches, etchings, and dirt that has embedded itself under the surface. Choose the appropriate paint cleaner for the condition of your car's finish and your application process. If you're unsure of which paint cleaner or cleaner/polish is right for your car, describe your car and if possible post a picture and we'll be glad to make some recommendations.


Polishing
Polishing after removing the defects is typically using a pure polish that is non-abrasive to restore brilliant high gloss and deep, dark reflections. This is an optional step and one best used on medium to dark colored car.

Protecting
This is where you apply your choice of wax or paint protectant. Adding a layer or two of wax creates a sacrificial-barrier on your car's paint to protect it and also add shine and gloss. Generally, two thin coats will insure even coverage with a uniform appearance.

Maintaining
Maintaining is the use of products like a quick detailer or a spray wax to maintain that "Just detailed look" in-between regular washings, and the regular application of a normal coat of wax.


Meguiar's always teaches,

"Always use the least aggressive product to get the job done"

The idea is to see if you can restore an acceptable finish using the least aggressive product.


Take your least aggressive paint cleaner or cleaner/polish and buff for 3-4 minutes an area about 16" square. Stop buffing and wipe off the residue and inspect the results in two kinds of light, (if possible). If your results look good and are acceptable to you, then repeat this process to the entire car and then apply wax.

If your results don't look good, and the paint cleaner, or cleaner/polish is not removing as many of the swirls and scratches as you would like, then try a test section using a more aggressive product. After buffing the test section on the 5.0 setting with a dedicated pad, re-polish the same area with a less aggressive cleaner/polish or pure polish and then remove the residue and inspect again.

Starting with a mild paint cleaner or cleaner/polish and testing to see what can accomplished with it is the safe way to learn which product you will need to safely remove the defects. If the first products you try don't do the job, you can always substitute a more aggressive product.

The most aggressive you can go with Meguiar's products and a dual action polisher is using our #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish and our W-8006 foam pad on the 5.0 setting. Getting any more aggressive than this can cause hazing of the finish and if the defects are serious enough to require a more aggressive product then you should use a rotary buffer or take it to a professional who is experienced with the rotary buffer.

Here's a suggestions, you might want to use a permanent marker to mark the back of your buffing pads with the product number you're using with them with a so you don't mix products on to different pads.

Hope this helps...

Mike

[kmyung]

Ok i got it. I am going to try this during the week. thanks for all your help. oh by the way do i do this same procedure to my windows and windshields? i have the same problem on the windows as well. Please help. it really makes my car look nasty and when i look out the window i see spots all over. Please help. Thanks.

Ken

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by kmyung
Ok i got it. I am going to try this during the week. thanks for all your help. oh by the way do i do this same procedure to my windows and windshields? i have the same problem on the windows as well. Please help. it really makes my car look nasty and when i look out the window i see spots all over. Please help. Thanks.

Ken

A product I've used for years for polishing water spots off of glass is our #4 Heavy Cut Cleaner. This product contains a diminishing abrasive which by definition breaks down as you apply pressure to it and work it against the surface. The diminishing abrasives in this product cut the mineral deposits and other gunk that build-up on the surface of your window glass and leaves them smooth and crystal clear without scratching the glass. You can apply this product by hand using a piece of cotton terry cloth.

Mike