dascar

Aagh! I parked near the grass at work today and the damn sprinklers came on (who has sprinklers running in the middle of the damn day?) and by the time I came out to my 01 Torch Red coupe that afternoon unaware the sprinklers would kick in I discovered a disaster. The water must be horrible because now my hood has hundreds of water stains that won't come out. I tried Mequires and Zaino polish to no effect and even Scratch-X barely made a dent in them. Any ideas on how to remove wickedly tough water spots from Corvette paint???!!!

Please refrain from the flamethrower jokes, I'm almost in tears as it is.

Humanoid 2.0

If it is etched in the clear coat then you may need machine polishing. But before you do that you need to clay bar.

JohnnyB

Try a soft cotton cloth with white vinegar on it. Let the vinegar sit on the stain for 20 seconds or so, wipe off and repeat. This has worked for me in the past.

hotwheels57

The vinegar and/or a clay bar should spell "relief"...

GrayC5

It may be best to ask this of the folks over in the Car Care Discussion section of the Forum. Several very knowlegeable people and a few professional detailers hang out there. Too, this topic has been discussed there a number of times in the past. Good luck!

ben dover

It might come to 3M micro-polish liquid.

ROJ#79

I had rain spots on my'99 and the only way to solve the problem was to have it wet sanded. It's torch red and now it looks great.

BAD AZZ C5

ATO21

I had the same thing happen to me with my black one. It was almost like the water contained fertilizer or something. A cleaner/wax would not take them out. I had to wash it with Dawn soap and clay bar it to get it out. A couple of coats of Zaino's helped too.

Rou-Rou 03

Had similar problem water softner water drops that would come out of Zanio. Had to wash car with dawn dish soap to remove the Zanio. Then 3m swirl remover and random orgital polisher then rewax

d campbell

White distilled vinegar and water soultion. The vinegar will disolve the hard water. Works like a champ. Then zaino the crap out of it.

chuckster

Read my Story.... I FEEL your pain... But it can be fixed.. Here is my SAGA!!!!

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ht=water+spots

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ht=water+spots

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1336719


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1346611

bugman

CHUCKSTER !!!
where have you been old buddy ? Great to see you're still around

agree-- follow a couple of chuckster's posts on this issue.

chuckster

Glad to see you bro.... I miss this old detailing crew.. I have been hanging out in OT a lot lately..

No real detailing going on and thank GOD! no spots. I sold the Red car last week for $1600... not bad..


I think I am going to tackle my Wifes Victory Red Tahoe this weekend.. It will be like buffing a house!

Stickman81

Sorry to hear about the water spots.

Great info from Bugman there.

I just worked a Grand Prix with a ton of water spots. I think I got out about 95% of them. I think it would have taken more passes, or a rotary to get the rest.

It may take more on the Vette than what I did below.

SSR 2.5 (x2) on Orange Propel pad with PC at 6 and moderate pressure.

Hope this helps.

Click for the bigger pic.

bugman

Stickman !!!
excellent results, and great job doing the picture like that - it's always helpful to mask off a section like that, or else you're not really sure if you're making progress

By the way: SSR = Poorboys polishes for those interested - you detail guys use so many abbreviations - just like the military.

Stickman81

Thanks bugman.

I should have spelled out the PB. I just finished up on another detail sight. Thanks for taking care of that.

bugman

Hey dascar
How are you making out?
my own thoughts:

1. try meguiars scratch X with white pad and PC7424 setting of 5.5
2. if no effect, try it with an orange pad
3. then bump up to 3M #39002 with orange pad - guaranteed to work, setting 5 to 6
4. after 39002, you can use either Menzerna Final Polish II with a white pad, or 3M #39009, to put a final polish on the surface before applying your sealant.

I've actually never failed to get perfect results with 3M 39002 even when done by hand with a terry cloth towel. Pictures for you on my web page - click on SCRTCH/SPOT.

Hope all is well -- post back up here if you're still having trouble, or send me a pm or email.

dascar

Well, in my anger over this whole perma-waterspot thing, I ignored the safety warnings in my head and some great advice from you forum posters and went with Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound. I tested it on a grapefruit-sized area to find the water spots were finally gone and replaced instead with fine scratches from the product. So I followed up with lots of cursing as well as Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Zaino and Scratch-X to pretty much hide the scratches. On the rest of the car, I used a tiny portion of the Rubbing Compound mixed with a generous portion of the Polishing Compound which seemed to do the trick. I still had to follow with Zaino and Scratch -X for the few light scratchy-swirly marks but its better than it was with just the spots. I was also quite impressed with a Caranuba Wax (Mothers) which not only smells good and goes on smooth but also leaves a killer shine.

chuckster

The Carnuba just fills in the scratches.. But if you want them gone for good get a PC and some Menzerna IP... The scratches from Turtle wax are no worse than 2000 grit sandpaper and the IP takes those out perfectly..