[MWhy]

(I thought I posted this earlier. But apparently it failed. Apologies if it's a duplicate.)

Basically, I did something stupid. I've had my BSM 335 less than a month. The other day, I was leaving for work and noticed some birds crapped all over my roof and hood. But since i was running late, I quickly hosed it off and fortunately it hadn't etched in.

But since I didn't do a proper wash, I couldn't dry it. Instead I left it wet and hoped it would "blow" dry as i drive to work. Didn't work. Once there, I noticed that the entire hood was full of nasty water spots. And I can't get rid of them with all of the easy tricks (vinegar, ipa, pre-wax cleaner, chemical guys' water spot remover...).

So unless anyone has any other suggestions, I guess I have to have someone hit it with a PC w/M105 or something. I'm gonna leave that to a pro.

My other question to you guys is this:

I've been making excuses to my wife, blaming myself for being stupid. But she had a good question -- Shouldn't a $60000 car be able stand up to a little water without wrecking the paint? This has never happened on any of our other cars.

What do you guys think? Shouldn't we be able to expect better?

[TOGWT]

Even CeramiClear coatings are not resistant to 'water spots

Water doesn’t leave marks or etch surfaces; it’s the minerals that it contains calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and reactivity (heat acting as a catalyst) the spots are actually traces of minerals left on the surface. Alternatively they can be caused by industrial pollution (i.e. acid rain, bird excrement or industrial fallout)

Generally surface water-spots have no raised edges and are very shallow and so cannot be felt, they are very similar to micro-fine surface marring. They cannot be removed from the surface by washing but they can usually be removed with a slightly abrasive chemical paint cleaner


“Removing Water (Spots) Marks” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ml#post1448627

[SilverII]

wash, clay bar , polish and wax it

[OTDet]

definitely get a pro detailer involve before its too late. sorry to hear what happened..

[drmdvl]

MWhy,
Sorry to hear about your trouble. I had god awful etching all over my car this spring too. Tried everything without success. I started to freak out!
Researched and got some good
Info / advice from detailed image.
If you have a PC, I tried out Meg's DA microfiber correction system with great results. Very easy two step process and pretty inexpensive. Totally doable
even for an amateur DIY'er.

Here's my post from a couple months ago.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=669454

Good luck!

[MWhy]

Thanks guys. I'm definitely gonna have a pro hit it. Sounds like a simple thing for someone good.

I have no experience with a DA/PC and tho I'm pretty sure I could do it, there's no way I'm gonna let my new ride be my guinea pig.

[MWhy]

UPDATE:

So the mobile detailer I was gonna use called and said he was unavailable. But as luck would have it, my package from Detailed Image arrived. I had ordered some Megs m105 and m205, along with a Polishing Pal and assorted LC pads, to eventually tackle my wife's old Acura.

So I just said "what the hell" and hit my waterspots with the 105 and a green LC pad on the Polishing Pal. They all came out with almost no effort! Did the whole hood by hand and it looked great.

I finished it off with the 205 on a black pad. Then an IPA Wipe. And resealed with Wet Diamond.

So I got rid of my spots, gained some polishing experience and saved some cash!

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

[AcidMal]

Dude it's totaled just cut your losses and get an m3.

[peepayy_91]

Originally Posted by AcidMal

Dude it's totaled just cut your losses and get an m3.

Lol

[bikenbowman]

Wash and wax? I get water spots all the time. No big deal, it's not the end of the world. Why pay somebody tons of cash when you can do it yourself?

[coolcobramatt]

Invest in a porter cable 7424, an orange pad, a grey pad and a red pad along with a finishing polish (I use Pinnacle brand) and a quality wax to top it. You won't regret it.

Autogeek.net has specials on package deals all the time by the way.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by MWhy

UPDATE:

So the mobile detailer I was gonna use called and said he was unavailable. But as luck would have it, my package from Detailed Image arrived. I had ordered some Megs m105 and m205, along with a Polishing Pal and assorted LC pads, to eventually tackle my wife's old Acura.

So I just said "what the hell" and hit my waterspots with the 105 and a green LC pad on the Polishing Pal. They all came out with almost no effort! Did the whole hood by hand and it looked great.

I finished it off with the 205 on a black pad. Then an IPA Wipe. And resealed with Wet Diamond.

So I got rid of my spots, gained some polishing experience and saved some cash!

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

Glad to hear those products got ride of them. The polishes you picked up are top notch and should be able to remove the majority of water marks, light swirls, etc. As always if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask!

Greg @ DI