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Insanely hard water spots – How to remove?
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05-03-2008, 03:50 PM | #1 |
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Insanely hard water spots – How to remove?
So, I usually do my own car washing and such, but apparently my garage sprung a leak somewhere and the last rain that came got my car wet. I put it off for a few days before I had time to wash it.
Unfortunately, when I did, I saw the hard water spots that remained on the car. Regular car wash soap couldn't remove it, polish couldn't remove it, and clay bar couldn't remove it. I haven't yet invested in a buffer, but is that the only thing that can possibly get it off? No pictures, because it just looks like any other hard water spot. Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!
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05-03-2008, 03:54 PM | #2 | |
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05-03-2008, 03:56 PM | #3 |
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Try CG WaterSpot remover. You can also use a mixture of vinegar and distilled water if you would like to go the cheap route. I have not used vinegar and H2O, so I am not sure of the correct ratio, but I am sure someone on this forum is and could help you out.
If the products above do not do the trick, then odds are it is not water spots, for it is etching. You will have to use a DA or rotary polisher to remove etching.
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05-03-2008, 04:44 PM | #5 |
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Thanks for all the tips! I have a few CG products, but I'm also well aware of their expensive shipping, so I was wondering, is there any way to tell if it's a water spot or if it's etching?
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05-03-2008, 04:51 PM | #7 | |
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Which leads me to what I would try. If you don't have abrasives already, get some Meguairs ScratchX and use by hand (remember, it requires some elbow grease); it will remove a deposit anyway, and if it's an etching a few passes should diminish it. |
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05-03-2008, 04:53 PM | #8 | |
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Thanks to everyone for the advice! By the way, 328i, where are you located in central NJ? Do you by any chance have a buffer?
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05-03-2008, 05:04 PM | #9 |
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Hrm. Can you feel them? It sounds to me like they are really hard deposits, probably from calcium in the pipes. A chemical cleaner would probably remove them, but odds are it'll need to be via machine. If you can't find someone on the board head to Autopia.org and ask in the regional section.
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05-03-2008, 05:07 PM | #10 |
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would clay get that out?
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05-03-2008, 05:11 PM | #11 |
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Yeah I can't feel them at all, hence the clay hasn't worked. It seems as smooth as it usually is unfortunately. I'll try vinegar and the like and I'll see what happens.
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05-03-2008, 08:42 PM | #12 |
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You might want to try Quixx scratch remover, it has removed scratches on my paint that ScratchX won't remove. It even comes with some 3000 grit sand paper and polish. I don't know if it will work on etchings but it might be worth a try. You can usually find it at Wal-Mart.
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05-04-2008, 12:18 AM | #13 | |
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05-04-2008, 11:28 PM | #14 |
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Let us know how it goes. I'm surprised the Scratch-X didn't work. As picus said, remember that it requires some elbow grease. You really need to apply pressure when you use it.
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05-06-2008, 12:09 AM | #15 |
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yea i got some killer water spots from parking next to the lawn, sprinkler splash every night. I've been claying and it helps, but there are still marks. I've been using the meguir's smooth car clay kit. Is that clay good/strong enough? I noticed at the store, there are 2 clays, 1 mild and 1 aggressive. Would switching to the "aggressive" clay make any difference?
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05-06-2008, 07:48 AM | #16 |
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Get some of the new ScratchX, its a good choice and can be used by a hand or DA polisher.
Be patient and work it in, spend a little time and do it right. GL. |
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05-07-2008, 12:46 AM | #17 |
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So i've tried mother's & meguiar's clay kits, and I think I like the meguiar's better. But neither one of them could get the water spots out. It looks like it got a lot of the water deposits out, and now the paint feels pretty smooth, but the water spots are still visible!
I also tried CLR on my windows, 50/50, then 100% CLR applied with a small rag with rubbing in a small spot and the water spots didn't fade. I've ordered some ZAIO, zaino glass cleaner, and bought a tube of Scratch X, all of which i'll be trying soon. I'll keep ya'll posted. PS, if anyone's got some secret weapon against water spots (paint & windows) , please share with me!
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05-07-2008, 10:08 AM | #19 | |
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05-12-2008, 03:23 AM | #20 |
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Paint:
The water spots are etched into my paint. The clay and AIO cleaned them up pretty well and they are very hard to see on white anyway, but they will definitely need to be polished out, but I don't have any polish on hand so I've decided to skip that for now. Windows: I tried vinegar, CLR, clay, ZAIO, ScratchX, and Zaino Glass polish (Z-12). Only the Z-12 worked, sorta... "sorta" because I'm doing this all by hand, and if I continue by hand, it will probably take me half a day to do 3 windows. Each application of Z-12 decreases the size of water spots, like the polish is diminishing them from the outer edges and working in or something. I think I may be scratching the windows... I'll continue tomorrow and update ya'll later. Trim: ZAIO does not work, and the rest of those products say not to use on plastics. Need help \(T__T)/
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05-13-2008, 09:28 PM | #22 |
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Question, if youre really pressing into the clear to get these spots out...how do you stop from damaging the clear and so forth. Do you wanna apply this kinda stuff circular, or up and down...or does it not matter because you have to pass over it with a wax when youre done?
Thanks, Haywire. |
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