MoeMistry

After spending hours, sometimes days, properly detailing a car, the moment of joy arrives. Your friends see all the hard work that went into making your car ready for her close-up. You all make the drive to Starbucks and exchange stories, talk about future purchases, etc. As you walk out and arrive to your glistening baby on four wheels, you realize the dreaded sprinklers have gone off. Usually not a problem, except, it managed to hydrate your car as well as the shrubs.

How a tiny little drop of water can ruin our whole day. You hurry home and open the war chest. Do you polish, wax, compound???? You can’t decide but remember this crazy detailer on the forums that always posts his MoeTips. What would Moe do? You search all the threads and now are more confused than before. Well, don’t panic. Help is on the way.

First, let’s examine what just happened. Think back to when you were ten years old, some of you need only to reflect on yesterday. What happened to that poor little ant when the power of the sun was harnessed into a beam of light focused by the trusty magnifying glass? The intense heat sent the ant into a brief state of heat stroke; in the name of science of course. Well, the same is happening to your paint. The water spot acts as the magnifying glass and as it dries, whatever is in the water reacts with the clear coat. The water may contain hard minerals such as calcium, sodium, lime, or even fertilizers. If it has rained and the sun comes out, you have acid rain to worry about. The effects of this process can cause varying degrees of issues that need to be diagnosed and addressed by a proper body shop or professional detailer.

Water Spotting: 1:1 Scale



Water Spotting: 10x Magnification



How to remedy the water spots can be as simple as a wash or, in the extreme, wetsanding or repainting. Most water spots can be remedied with a simple wash and some mild polish. The key is good lighting. Fluorescent light is best here. Tilt your head back and forth and examine the paint at eye level. You may need the aid of a magnifying glass. Note: DO NOT DO THIS OUTDOORS IN THE SUN!!!! You should be able to see the water spot and how deep it is. After a proper wash and dry, try polishing the water spot with a mild polish such as Menzerna Final Polish, Swissvax Cleaner Fluid, P21S Paint Cleanser, or einszett Paint Polish. This will usually do the trick.

If plan A fails, go to plan B. You will need a Dual Action polisher and some high quality polishing pads and Menzerna’s Super Finish Polish or Super Intensive (SIP) Polish. On lighter color cars, you can use SIP and the Orange CCS Curved Pads. On darker colored cars, you will need to follow the SIP stage with the Super Finish Polish and White CCS Curved pads. After this step, you will need to wax any area polished previously.

If plan A and B have failed, it will need to be taken to a reputable body shop or professional detailer. He/She will decide the proper remedy to the situation. As with anything, take the path of least resistance first.

TOGWT

Sometimes a mild acid (Vinegar pH 9.0) will conteract the alkaline water 'spots' without the need to use an abrasive polish

BJonesFL

+1 for this remedy! I start with 50/50 solution of white vinegar/water, spray, let it sit for a minute or two, wipe off with microfibre towel. If water 'spots' have been on the finish for awhile, I increase the proportion of vinegar to 5:1. Only polish if necessary-

Bob

MoeMistry

I've tried using vinegar before, but did not have too great of success. Perhaps I did not let it dwell very long. I'll give it a try next time.

BJonesFL

Moe, that's a possibility, and I think it's safe to say that not all water spots are alike. Whatever is in the Florida water/sprinkler systems reacts well to vinegar(alkaline). Good Luck

MoeMistry

Great point...