Tips on removing severe water spotting/etching

[xilex]

Neglected to take care of the car. Dusty with some rain, water accumulates on the rear of the car, lots of sunshine and I guess this is the result. What do you think I should try? I might have to try to do this all by hand. It was present in the past, tried to claybar but that did not do the trick. Vinegar mix first, then a hand polish, then a compound, then call (pay) for help? Thanks.

 

[Akikiki]

Of all places, my sister recommended this stuff to me. I could not believe how great it is at removing water spots. Had never heard of it before. Recommend it.

I used it on my hood where it was covered with Xpel.

Then on another S, without both metal/paint and glass. Great stuff.

 

[xilex]

Of all places, my sister recommended this stuff to me. I could not believe how great it is at removing water spots. Had never heard of it before. Recommend it.

I used it on my hood where it was covered with Xpel.

Then on another S, without both metal/paint and glass. Great stuff.

Thanks, I will keep this product in mind if I get no other ideas. My hood, doors are fine probably water moving off when driving fast, but the rear looks terrible.

 

[mswlogo]

if that stuff posted doesn’t work, this should. I recommended a 3” orbital though. Great stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G10307-ScratchX-2-0-Scratch/dp/B0002UNON8

 

[linuxguyInMD]

I wouldn't try a compound like scratch-x before trying a polish first. I'd wash the car, clay it, then use a polish to see if that resolves the issue. If it does, you could use a sealant.

 

[Scrannel]

When I had my black C6, had some tough spotting and used Poorboy's Swirl Remover (with a buffer). If it's more than just spots, ie. imperfections in the clear coat, you'll likely need something more aggressive.

 

[KenC]

Looks like hard water spots. I'd try something that removes hard water spots, first.

 

[640k]

I wouldn't try a compound like scratch-x before trying a polish first. I'd wash the car, clay it, then use a polish to see if that resolves the issue. If it does, you could use a sealant.

this. if you've never used a compound, orbital or have limited experience with paint correction, DO NOT use a product like scratch-x or any sort of rubbing compound. you WILL diminish your clear coat and potentially ruin your paint.

applying a compound is a multi-step process that involves treating the area, and then sealing the area before and after using a compound. each compound formula needs to be followed up with a lighter abrasive polishing formula until you finally seal the paint, very similar to staining and sealing paint.

a claybar is the lightest abrasive material i would ever recommend to anybody washing and detailing their car.

most water spots can be removed by removing the polish and reapplying. a thorough detailing will remove most if not all.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Just ordered a bottle of Ducky. Lots of uses on vehicles and around the house.

 

[mswlogo]

this. if you've never used a compound, orbital or have limited experience with paint correction, DO NOT use a product like scratch-x or any sort of rubbing compound. you WILL diminish your clear coat and potentially ruin your paint.

applying a compound is a multi-step process that involves treating the area, and then sealing the area before and after using a compound. each compound formula needs to be followed up with a lighter abrasive polishing formula until you finally seal the paint, very similar to staining and sealing paint.

a claybar is the lightest abrasive material i would ever recommend to anybody washing and detailing their car.

most water spots can be removed by removing the polish and reapplying. a thorough detailing will remove most if not all.

You’ve obviously never used this stuff. It’s one step and extremely mild. And I did suggest that if it’s something that can be “removed” chemically try that first. But if the clear coat is etched/damaged you’ll have to use something like this. The swirl remover sounds similar that @Scrannel suggested. It depends on how bad it is. And that picture the OP posted looks pretty bad.

Look at the reviews. You won’t see many, “I damaged my paint”, but more like it wasn’t strong enough to solve their problem. Because it is extremely mild. It is more of a polish than a compound.

 

[640k]

You’ve obviously never used this stuff. It’s one step and extremely mild. And I did suggest that if it’s something that can be “removed” chemically try that first. But if the clear coat is etched/damaged you’ll have to use something like this. The swirl remover sounds similar that @Scrannel suggested. It depends on how bad it is. And that picture the OP posted looks pretty bad.

Look at the reviews. You won’t see many, “I damaged my paint”, but more like it wasn’t strong enough to solve their problem. Because it is extremely mild. It is more of a polish than a compound.

I have. Plenty of times. I didn't post a bunch of diatribe I've had no experience with. If you do not apply Scratch-X correctly, you can damage your paint. Read the negative reviews. Plenty of people on there have regrets because they applied it incorrectly.

Best to stay with the safest products and work your way up. And don't wash your car in direct sunlight.

 

[xilex]

You’ve obviously never used this stuff. It’s one step and extremely mild. And I did suggest that if it’s something that can be “removed” chemically try that first. But if the clear coat is etched/damaged you’ll have to use something like this. The swirl remover sounds similar that @Scrannel suggested. It depends on how bad it is. And that picture the OP posted looks pretty bad.

Look at the reviews. You won’t see many, “I damaged my paint”, but more like it wasn’t strong enough to solve their problem. Because it is extremely mild. It is more of a polish than a compound.

https://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/autopia/polish-chart.pdf

It looks like ScratchX is on the more moderate cutting side of products. I would have used Ultimate Polish and if that doesn't work I would need someone to do it for me because I've never dealt with compounding before. I don't have any DA polisher so it's a a few hundred dollars to try out.

It only seems to look bad at certain angles (picture was taken around 3pm, car facing west). With high noon sunlight it looks normal. My plan is to try vinegar mix, then maybe clay bar, then Ducky or a similar product like 3D Eraser Gel, and then get help if nothing seems to be doing it.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Scratch X is a diminishing abrasive compound, designed to be applied by hand.

It start out of the tube as a fairly mild abraisive, but as you work it the abraisive breaks down and gets finer and finer. After a minute or so, on the cloth it becomes a very fine polish and finally glossy.

Designed to be used on light finish defects that cannot be caught with a finger nail.

Don't believe it is they type of compound that would work effectively on a DA or buffing wheel.

 

[Scrannel]

Poorboys is very mild. Well known to detailers. I used to buff my black C6 once every couple of months with the stuff. I used SSR1.

 

[mswlogo]

https://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/autopia/polish-chart.pdf

It looks like ScratchX is on the more moderate cutting side of products. I would have used Ultimate Polish and if that doesn't work I would need someone to do it for me because I've never dealt with compounding before. I don't have any DA polisher so it's a a few hundred dollars to try out.

It only seems to look bad at certain angles (picture was taken around 3pm, car facing west). With high noon sunlight it looks normal. My plan is to try vinegar mix, then maybe clay bar, then Ducky or a similar product like 3D Eraser Gel, and then get help if nothing seems to be doing it.

That's a nice chart. The Orbital Polisher is not required but it is a heck of a lot easier. And in many ways safer because it does a better job applying even pressure and allows for you to use something use less aggressive and get the max out of the polish. Some folks compensate using more aggressive polish or put to much force. It helps you figure out the right grit, because it's consistent and easy to control. You also don't want to use something that "covers it" and comes back when that wears off.

I've never had good luck in the past with "Compounding" by hand. But I recently restored a fiberglass boat (you had to take an oxidized layer off), a tricky repair job on plastic bumper and a small scratch on the model 3 using the Orbiter. The Orbiter has paid for itself 10x over. Took the tiny (as in not deep at all but long) out the Model 3 in literally 2 minutes.

I recently polished my Model X (Raven) Windshield with Griot's Glass Polish and it came out fantastic. Nothing would touch it. Did my friends Model 3 too after he saw my X glass. The Model 3 I had, for a year never had a clean windshield. Took all of 10 minutes with the right tools.

Now if you are getting re-exposed to this problem over and over yeah I wouldn't use this stuff regularly. But for one off issue I wouldn't hesitate to use it. If you can feel it, it's too deep for it. This gives you idea of how mild and easy it is to use. You'd have a hard time hurting your clear coat with it. I'd prefer use this than some chemicals.

 

[mswlogo]

Scratch X is a diminishing abrasive compound, designed to be applied by hand.

You obviously have never used a DA because you can pretty much use a DA for any polish.

Directly from Mequire's Website.

Keep Meguiar's® Scratch-X® 2.0 close at hand for quick removal of isolated paint problems whenever they occur. Competitive products either hide the blemish or scratch the finish. Meguiar's exclusive micro-abrasive system enables Scratch-X 2.0 to remove fine blemishes while restoring a brilliant high gloss by hand or by dual action polisher like Meguiar's® MT300 Dual Action Polisher.

Here is an article on their forum for using it for water spots, bird droppings etc. If the clear coat is "etched" you will need to use something like this to restore it. It's really no big deal.

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

 

[xilex]

Scratch X is a diminishing abrasive compound, designed to be applied by hand.

It start out of the tube as a fairly mild abraisive, but as you work it the abraisive breaks down and gets finer and finer. After a minute or so, on the cloth it becomes a very fine polish and finally glossy.

Designed to be used on light finish defects that cannot be caught with a finger nail.

Oh yea that's right it breaks down to a polish. This might be easiest after vinegar. I don't want to buy too much stuff, because it'll end up costing more than having someone do paint correction on the entire car when I realize I can't get the job done safely XD

 

[Uncle Paul]

Xilex. In your specific case, the water spots are pretty significant. Might we worth the price to have a professional detailer handle it if the Ducky stuff does not clear it up.
Water spots have lots of minerals, and can sometime eat into and etch your clear coat. Might take more than just homeowner stuff the get your finish back to snuff. Might need to get out the big guns. By big guns, maybe not hire the friendly neighborhood mobile detailer, but take it to a shop with proper lighting and powerful buffers. Look for the guys that do the ceramic type coatings. They really know how to get the finish back to shine.

 

[joebruin77]

Here is a helpful video. When it comes to water spots, first see if you can dissolve the water spots.

 

[mswlogo]

Here is a helpful video. When it comes to water spots, first see if you can dissolve the water spots.

Great Video. I never would have thought to use diluted Wheel Acid. That’s potent stuff.