elcheapo

other than aesthetics (for which i dont really mind as it's not obvious on my silver car), is there a concern for water spots left behind for our rdx paint?

there's a bunch of them in my hood, etc. tried removing them with vinegar which helped somewhat. im more curious if this would lead to rust or whatnot later on (yes, my imagination runs wild what with the internet feeding on it! see next par. LOL).

i always thought that water spots are a surface thing (e.g on top rather than inside your paint/coating) but lately i just read that it can actually ruin paint(?) - blame that on all fear mongerers in the internet. tough to avoid these though esp with rain/thunderstorm/sun all happening within a few hours during these spring/summer months.

net, if it's not a bother to me aesthetically (as it's not obvious), should i muck around with these water spots or just leave them alone?

ps. i try to take good care of my vehicle (wash and wax often, carwash during winter), but i dont go about paying $150 for detailing every year. (maybe every 2)

MMike1981

do the proper care, get the car fully cleaned & waxed etc hopefully professionally a few times a year. Even just a semi annual professional treatment works wonders in the long run and protects your car

what color is your RDX? mine is polished metal and ive made prior threads about how im actually impressed with the paint integrity of this particular color, with just about 33k on my ride, it still looks like it rolled off the lot, no joke, yes i take care of it, but overall the paint quality so far has been fantastic, especially holding up well thru new england winters.

im so impressed because i have owned hondas since the mid 90's and no honda paint has remained so glossy and overall non-scathed as the RDX thus far.

sj993

I too have the polished metal metallic with around the same mileage and looks great. It has held up well through a few winters and several road trips.

brizey

This paint is certainly better than my Subaru paint. But then again, I think kid's washable markers would be better than Subaru paint. Really, it is pretty good. I don't take near as good of care of the paint as I used to do with previous cars, but it still looks pretty good.

elcheapo

thanks mike. so do you see no problem with this water spotting? color of my rdx is silver metallic (or something like that LOL). am also impressed with paint integrity so far. just wanted to make sure it's maintained that way - i think a running garden sprinkler might have caused these stubborn to remove water spots and hence, i was wondering if i shld immediately have this professionally fixed. how often do you guys have your vehicles professionally detailed? once before winter and once immediately after?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Maybe posting this in the Wash & Wax section will get some further insight?

MMike1981

never had problems with water spotting, but i get my car professionaly done in & out at least 2x's a year, and usually washed about every week (longer or shorter depending on how dirty it actually becomes) and I most often will give it a turtle ice spray down every time w/microfiber hand clothes

elcheapo

thanks princely. i didnt realize there was a wash and wax section. have checked it out already.

elcheapo

2x/yr? ok ill change my "habits" then. i was planning 1x/yr max (even once every 2 yrs!). mike youve professionally detailed 2x/yr ever since you got your rdx brand new? (isnt it expensive vs doing yourself and wont it strip the clearcoat earlier due to over-polishing?) i guess it's a subjective thing but ill prolly do a complete one/yr and a quick one (whatever that means haha) the other time to make it 2x/yr. havent tried turtle ice quick detailer but may give it a shot - for now, have done the traditional wash/soap, rinse, then paint cleaner then wax method.

{update: managed to remove 90% of the water spots already after using meguiar's paint cleaner and collinite 845 insulator wax tonight. now im left with stubborn dried water spots on the windshield - hopefully wiper blades can remove it once rainy season comes LOL, otherwise im a happy camper already with the body thanks}

MMike1981

turtle ice is the only spray finisher ive used that does not leave streaks, swirls or buff marks, it literally, applies like ice. my car absolutely gleams after. for a 5-10 min once over you will be stunned by how good it looks (obviously apply the ice when the car is very clean) Ive tried others and they are simply too thick or very particular in application - ice is the simplest one ive used & leaves the most popping coat

2xs a year cost me about 400 for a full in and out, stripping the clear coat? there are people that wax & polish their rides way more than twice a year, and if you get a good shop that does it by hand and refrains from massive buffing (like dealers) you will be in good shape. My buddy does my ride & he owns a garage & keeps it for about 2 days and goes thru the entire thing including engine cleaning and deodorizing the ventilation system

elcheapo

thanks mike. youve convinced me to do pro detailing at least 1x a year. . and the turtle wax ice, ill give it a shot but need to get these stubborn water spots (dried) off my windshield first. vinegar doesnt work, im going to try chrome polish (mothers) - some said it works.

elcheapo

btw mike, have you tried mother's california gold detailer? it's on sale in our walmart now. otherwise, which turtle ice do you use? there's tons of them now... LOL. im using you as a basis since your buddy is a detailer and im sure he wont lead you the wrong way. so i wont be reinventing the wheel, so to speak... thanks!

MMike1981

turtle ice liquid polish

it was recommended to me by my good friend (who also owns 5 rides, including a lambo and porsche 911 turbo, among other things - the turbo is modded & makes over 700 hP) he uses turtle ice on all his rides, and if its ok to go on a 200+k ride, i took his word for it and havent used anything since (but like i said, i had been trying a bunch of the other spray products and none of them worked well, meguiars, mothers, eagle etc)

the best thing about the ICE is that you can basically apply it to ANYTHING and in any condition (sunlight isnt a problem) which makes it super easy and convienent

DJ Iceman

Yup, water sprinklers can definitely do that. At commercial/industrial places they often use reclaimed water, which seems to spot much worse. But I wouldn't worry about getting it "immediately" professionally fixed. You're going to be getting a few professional details a week throughout the summer if you go down that road. I don't think you'll get any permanent damage (after all, isn't that what a clear coat is for, to protect the paint) and if you do a nice, thorough clay bar it should take all those contaminants and stains right out.

elcheapo

iceman, thanks for the input. im really perfectly fine with the spots so long as these do not functionally ruin the paint (e.g rust spots in the future). logic tells me that wont happen (and you pretty much confirmed that).

i managed to get say 75%-90 of it off already using paint cleaner and waxing it 2 days ago. it's not obvious anymore (eg. you have to view at an angle with flourescent lighting at very close range - eg <2 inches) to see it. what stressed me out initially were all these internet postings about water spots etching your paint, water spots perforating your metal eventually! (seriously, i dunno how that'll happen as water does destroy stone but it will take decades/centurues of strong running water to destroy stone).

seriously, i definitely want to avoid rust, but dont care much about "appearance" if you get what im trying to accomplish.

thanks for all the help guys!

ps. i tried vinegar (didnt work), and had to rewax after as vinegar strips your wax out... claybar didnt work either (hence why i went to paint cleaners)

it is what it is... if one wants perfection, dont drive it (is what im telling myself to keep my sanity haha)

brianko

Drying your vehicle with a real or synthetic chamois (I use one called "The Absorber") takes care of the water spots. I've never heard of water spots damaging the paint job, but I'm not so sure about the vinegar thing.