Hello all, long post, but here goes...

I try to keep my TL in pretty good shape. I clean the paint, polish, and wax it roughly 2-3 times a year. Recently I washed my car and started to noice really bad water spots on it. Since there is a good bit of wax on the car, water usually slides right off, but not this time. I dried the car about 5-10 minutes after I washed it, and these spots occurred. This was done about 6pm with around 70-75 degre temps.

Fast forward about two weeks, and I wash the car again. This time, it looks absolutely horrible. The entire car is covered in water spots. Every piece of chrome, the paint, the windows...everything. It almost looks like the car is covered in spotty dirt.

I live in an apartment complex and I believe either they or the city started adding a chemical to the water (possilby chlorine). The water here is really hard and I have a major problem keeping glassware/coffee pots etc from not having hard water stains.

I've tried nearly everything I can do to remove the water spots. I used stoners glass cleaner, along with some el cheapo foaming cleaner, and even distilled vinegar and nothing has worked so far on the windows. The same holds true on the paint of the car. I've tried meguiars paint cleaner (step 1) and I get the same results. Even with the polish (step 2) I can still see the spots.
I just washed the car again yesterday, hoping that they would wash out, but still nothing.

What can be done to fix this mess? I've got a few pictures here. Maybe you guys can tell what I need to do or what may be causing this? It's kinda hard to take pics of this, so bear that in mind.

The chrome...


Window (without flash)


Window (with flash)


Paint (above the headlight, look very close and you'll see brownish spots


Paint (above the drivers fender, looks like streaks)


HELP!

 

wow, it almost looks like acid rain or something. I'd try a good cleaner wax on your car first. There's a detailing website: www.autopia.org. I'd post your stuff over there and see what the guys say. I'd also check with a good detail shop. The strangest thing is the windows, take a lot to do that to glass.

 

Thanks. I just posted the topic over there too. Hopefully between the two, we can figure something out.

I'm not sure about acid rain. I haven't noticed this on any other cars except mine.

 

Ouch!!......... Those would be challenging to say the least. If you were my client, i would inform you that I could make a vast improvement with a 3 stage polish, then a sealant. But I would also tell you chances are they have etched into the clear coat, and you may have to live with it.
Your first course of action, an acid bath. Dont be alarmed, Im talking a very mild acid, as in vinegar.
Good ol red wine vinegar should resolve quite a bit of that spotting, then a 3 stage polish with a versatile pad will really brighten it up and cut the edges off the etching. A durable sealant will help elleviate any further damage....Then maintain it !

 

The guys over at autopia are telling me to use Klasse AIO and Sonis Ultra Fine clay to get it out. These spots haven't been in the paint for too long, so hopefully all can be fixed relatively easily.

Up until this point, I used a three stage system on the car every 4-6 months...

 

Clay is routine wth any detail. The AIO is a chem cleaner, which MAY dissolve the mineral content, but your still going to need to use an abrasive polish.........Give the vinegar another shot, Its not a wipe on, wipe off product, it needs some time to dissolve the minerals. Get some Saran Wrap (Cellophane) and vinegar, and a spray bottle. Spray the area in concern, and cover with the cellophane. Let it dwell for 15 minutes, and wipe off. Then go with a paint cleaner, then polish. Then seal......Water spots are no piece of cake, especially on darks.....

 

Ouch. that's bad water spotting. Meguiar's 3-step Deep Crystal system will do almost NOTHING to those water spots. The paint cleaner is too mild, and the polish is actually a glaze.

After trying Patrick's vinegar advice and if it still doesn't completely come off, I recommend you try Klasse AIO for your paint and chrome. For your windows, I would try AIO. Remember to COMPLETELY buff off AIO off your windows, otherwise you'll leave streaks which impairs visibility. If AIO doesn't work on your windows, then I suggest something like Autoglym Glass Polish, applied by hand.

 

Since I've never clayed the car, is this also recommended first? Then the AIO? Can you get AIO at any major retailer store? I'm only seeing it online...

I was unware that the Meguiar's 3 step process was pretty ineffective here.

 

i've never see Klasse in a store only online.

 

Claying is good. But I'd concentrate on finding a way to get the water spots out first. Once you find an effective method on your test panel, then you can clay before removing the other water spots.

You can get clay from the autopia store or autogeek.

The 3 step process is the mildest detailing products that you can get from Meg's.

 

Clay will do little for you at this point. AIO is also pretty much useless at this point.

What needs to be done is, as noted already.....an "acid". You always want to try and "dissolve" spots before you resort to "abrasion" (abrasive polish, pad and rotary).

A straight vinegar wash may help but you may need to do it several times. The system I would look into would be the ABC system from Valugard It can be found at Autointernational.com

This will open up the paint and, in a nutshell, "purge" the crap out of the paint. It's a 3 step process but it works well.

Anthony

 

The guy who did my paintless dent removal sold me stuff from his bag of tricks. Its a tan powdery substance and i think its called Alumnium Sulfate (dont quote me on that). I would dampen a cloth, put a little of the powder on on the glass and with just a little bit of elbow grease, buff it right out. It was like magic! Before that, i tried windex, vinegar and all that bs with no luck. I can call my PDR guy and find out exactly what it is if you guys are interested.

 

Please let us know what the product is , and where it can be gotten. This would be a great informational service to uor community.

 

ALUMINUM OXIDE


I saw some on eBay. The one that I got was a tan color if that makes any difference. This stuff took off super tough water spots. Good luck!

 

It looks like hard water stains from a sprinkler system. "demarcus48" made a good suggestion and one other thing. get a car cover.

 

I have the ABC system, it works awesome. I did a white 2000 mustang with rust specks all over it and this stuff made short work of it once I started claying...

 

Joe, you have a link for the ABC System?

 

Wow, I've never seen anything like that. You mentioned that it was only on your car. Do you think someone may be doing something to your car on purpose? I know it seems kind of far fetched, but I don't put anyting past people these days. Also if it is in the water at your complex, then other cars should have it too?

I'm no means an expert on this matter, but just wanted to comment because those spots look really bad. The reason I'm asking if someone could have possibly done this to your car was because, I remember when I was at an apartment some jackass scratched my V6 mustang on the hood, and then when I traded it in for the GT. Some body threw a banana peel on it. I didn't talk to anyone and didn't know anyone in the complex, so I have no idea why they always targetted my cars.

Good luck man. I also concur with the car cover suggestion in case it is in fact a problem with the sprinkler system. If it was done maliciously then at least a car cover would deter them a little.

 

Here ya go

 

Got it, thanks Joe!