Does anyone know how I can get water spots off the paint and then PREVENT them???? Will Clay do the job? An Acid Wash followed by a heavy wax? Was unable to put my car cover on one evening due to heavy rain, next morning sprinkler system got the surface wet and before I could get it dry... WATER SPOTS..

Some suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Deb

 

I would say just wash it again (not in direct sunlight) & dry it. After you towel it off drive it around the block, then dry the new drips. An alternative to towel drying would be to rinse with 20-30 gallons of triple distilled H2O....but that's not too practical.

 

The water where I live is very hard. Even with a towel I still get water spots and they really show up on black. I like to take my car to the do-it-yourself car wash. Give it a quick wash with the brush (which I hate to do because those brushes carry dirt--- which is why I hose the thing down before I let it touch my car). If you don't want to brush it, just spray soap on it. Then rinse the soap off with the spray. Then give it a good rinse with their spot free rinse. The spot free rinse is amazing and water spots never show up---even on black.

 

Clay, polish and wax, in that order. Just make sure you dry your car well after washing.

 

Waiting for Mike-in-Orange to chime in on this one.
You might PM him and ask him to respond here for everyone’s benefit.

 

Water spots run the gamut from super easy to remove to almost impossible, but you don't know what you've got until you start working on them. Sometimes something as simple as a cup of distilled white vinegar mixed with a gallon of water will do the trick, sometimes you need a rotary buffer and a heavy cutting compound. Those are the extremes and I'd definitely give the vinegar/water wash a shot first. If that doesn't do the trick then pick up some Meguiar's ScratchX 2.0 or Meguiar's SwirlX and give that a pretty aggressive application in small areas at a time - no larger than roughly 1 foot square. Wipe off BEFORE the product dries. It's best to use a soft foam wax applicator to apply these rather than a terry cloth towel because terry cloth has some bite to it and can haze the paint when used with a lot of elbow grease.

Regardless which process you choose, make sure to wash and dry the vehicle first.

As for prevention..... that's the tricky part. Obviously you should never let your car air dry after washing it. Keep it away from sprinklers. Far away. Sprinklers usually use untreated (ie non softened) water and as such they often contain minerals and other things that can actually etch into the paint if allowed to sit and bake in. And anything that can actually etch the paint is not going to be stopped by any wax on the market today. Which is why the worst case involves rotary buffing to pull the spots out.

 

I'd be careful and check beforehand. I saw a brush that someone had put 4" deck screws into the back of one of those do it yourself brushes...i couldn't imagine what would happen if someone used it.

 

In our area whenever "city" water gets on a car its gonna leave water spots if you don't get it off. Its the chemicals in our water. My suggestions are listen to Mike he's the expert as far as getting them off. I would offer this..........DO NOT park where the sprinkler is going to hit your car. That's asking for trouble. Always dry your car off if it does happen, don't let the sun dry it, that's where the problems come in. After I wash my car I blow dry it. I get as much of the water off as fast as I can then I towel dry. If is a sunny warm day the blower is in one hand and the towel in another, spots can happen very fast and I try and get the car dry in as quick a time as possible. Its adviseable to wash in the shade or out of direct sunlight if you can. I always use a detail spray after drying as detail spray has a bit of wax in it that will afford you some added protection.
Good luck and stay dry.

 

Great advise guys! My problem with the sprinklers is.... they put two of them on either side of my parking pad out back of my townhouse, they are pointed in the direction of the grass, but you know overspray and wind blows it back on my car. I do not have a garage, wish I did, God do I wish I had a garage. The only alternative is to try and keep it covered with a car cover.

Does anyone know what kind of car cover is best??? Should it be breathable or a waterproof one??? Keep in mind I live on the Coast of Georgia... high humidity generally around 70-80% on a given day.

Thanks
Deb

 

I handwash my car in the country using well water... where everyone lives on 50+ acres of land. I am talking about real well water from an electric pump on the property because there is no city water available. I get more water spots than in the city. Our water must just be hard water. That is why I always bring it to the do-it-yourself car wash and spray it with the spot free rinse.

You guys are right... avoid the brush if you can. I have heard some really bad stories about the brush but after 7 years of using it once or twice a week I never had a problem. I try not to go to those hole in the wall places. That is just me.

 

I go to a hand wash car wash place since there aren't any hose hook ups in my apartment complex. I buy a new microfiber wash mit each time I wash the car and I wash it by hand. Why would anyone use the brush, no matter how clean it looks to your eye? I go either real early or late in the day to wash the car by hand. I've never hand anyone give me a hard time.

With regard to water spots, I also have a black car. Polish is a sure fire way to remove the water sports, but make sure you put some type of wax or sealant over the polished area. Car covers are problematic. If you don't wash the car right before you put it under the cover, it could scratch the paint, which is a huge problem with a black car. My mom had a cover for her TT which was from Audi and for the TT and it still blew ALL over the place when placed over the car and the wind kicked up. I would try to park away from the sprinklers, even if you have to walk further. I feel your pain though, as I don't garage the crossfire either.

 

I got mine from Covercraft, they are on the web. I'd go with their Ultra tech model car cover. I'd also be out there repositioning their sprinklers...........

 

I agree with Mike In Orange.The Meguiars Swirl X is an excellent product. Just started using it myself with great results.

 

First thing is to find a way of sabotaging that pesky sprinkler system! As far as water spots are concerned - I find that if you leather the car off straight after washing this stops them forming. Or, when you get home after a sprinkle attack, just go over it with a detail spray and a soft cloth. This gets these stains off and leaves the car nice and clean. - Good Luck!