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Stubborn Water Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

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  • Stubborn Water Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

    My car (2003 BMW e39 525i) wasn't driven for about three months as I upgraded its headliner; it was parked on our driveway, where it accumulated some water spots on the passenger side fender, about a quarter of the hood, and a little bit on the front bumper, also on that side.

    I was finally able to tend to washing it yesterday: I started with Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash. After drying it, I clayed the areas in questions, but this did very little in eliminating the spots (perhaps even nothing). Then I moved up to the DA microfiber compound coupled with the DA polisher. I was able to get a lot of the spots off but when the areas were viewed under sunlight and up-close, you could easily make out the scale-like pattern of the spots, though by this point all those sections were completely smooth to the touch.

    I had also recently purchased a bottle of Meguiar's water spot remover. So I put this to the test, first by applying some by hand onto the areas in question on the bumper. With some elbow grease I was able to get the majority of the spots on there removed. Then I figured I'd give a foam polishing pad + the water spot remover a shot on the hood. Surprisingly, this removed quite a substantial amount of the scaly pattern but some still remain. It looks as though hard rubbing (by hand) gets them off, but I have read on here and elsewhere that you can possibly deal more harm to your clear coat by doing this.

    So, question: Is there a harder cutting compound that I can utilize with the DA system (preferably with the microfiber cutting disc) to eliminate the remaining spots without dealing any harm to the clear coat and without having to resort to wetsanding?

  • #2
    Re: Stubborn Wator Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

    Yes, you can try M105, M100 or M101. They are all more aggressive than D300.
    Originally posted by Blueline
    I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

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    • #3
      Re: Stubborn Wator Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

      Thanks. I'll be giving the least aggressive one from those a try soon. I was able to get a bit more off of the hood today. They're really inconspicuous at this point but the perfectionist in me wants them all gone.

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      • #4
        Re: Stubborn Water Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

        If you already have Water Spot Remover and that gave you decent results on a foam pad with your DA, try using it with a microfiber pad on the DA. You'll gain quite a bit of cut with the microfiber and, if Water Spot Remover did as well as it did with a foam polishing pad, it could be that the change in pad is really all you need to finish things off.
        Michael Stoops
        Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

        Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

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        • #5
          Re: Stubborn Water Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

          Originally posted by Michael Stoops View Post
          If you already have Water Spot Remover and that gave you decent results on a foam pad with your DA, try using it with a microfiber pad on the DA. You'll gain quite a bit of cut with the microfiber and, if Water Spot Remover did as well as it did with a foam polishing pad, it could be that the change in pad is really all you need to finish things off.
          Nice. I will give this a try on the bumper. I just received a package with a 3" backing plate along with 3" microfiber cutting/finishing pads...perfect timing.

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          • #6
            Re: Stubborn Water Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

            I am a boat owner and have used Babe's Boat Care / Babe's Spot Solve religiously for several years now. I have yet to find a water spot of any kind that can't be removed with this stuff.
            The Finishing Touch Auto Detail, LLC | Portfolio | Reviews | Contact Us
            Serving: Austin, TX | San Antonio, TX

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            • #7
              Re: Stubborn Water Spots: Is a Deeper Cutting Compound the Solution?

              Originally posted by TFTADetail View Post
              I am a boat owner and have used Babe's Boat Care / Babe's Spot Solve religiously for several years now. I have yet to find a water spot of any kind that can't be removed with this stuff.
              Interesting. Thanks!

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