chuckster

Ok, I am so Pissed off.. I parked my car in the lot of the Renaissance Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale during a 4 day stay.

The FU$%king sprinkler head on the grass must have been broken cause look what it did to my car!!!



I just got home and tried to clean it off...so I tried a spot test.. In the above picture you can see the cleaned square in the loawer left corner.

1. Wiped it off with Zaino Z6
2. Zaino Clay Bar
3. 3M SMR
4. Maguires Scratch X
5. Zaino Z1
6. Zaino Z2 Pro

Here is a pic of the residual Rings and damage. Up Close photo of the lower left corner..





So.. Other than asking the Hotel to pay to fix the damage...What can I do with my PC to fix it..

I am hoping if I use Constant Pressure Foam pads with Menzerna Intensive Polish followed up with Menzerna Final Polish II..


Please advise.. I am so upset!

I am thinking after all this the finish may even come out better than before..

ZaneO

It might take multiple passes, but that combo should take care of most of it.

Sorry about that

chuckster

Should I use the 6" CP pads?

ZaneO

They should be fine.

chuckster

Ok...I ran a little experiment...

Just Tried the Vinegar Trick and as I suspected... No Dice.. It takes the Crust off.. But the Damage to the paint still remains....

Just to prove the remaining spots contained NO calcium whatsoever...I took a rag with a 50/50 mixture of Hydrochloric Acid and Water...

I wiped it over the remaining spot with NO Change.. I quickly wiped it again with Z6...

The paint is ETCHED! and looks like ONLY buffing with fix it!

rkhegler

Take it to a body shop and see if they can help you out? Maybe it can be buffed out. I would also make sure that my lawyer contacted the Hotel. Take plenty of pictures and keep the receipts for when you stayed at the Hotel. I would also return and see if you can get pics of the actual sprinkler head that did the damage.

Pizzano

Try Zaino PC-Fusion, that will take them out in a heartbeat, if not by your hand, us a PC7424. good luck, just take your time and be patient.

NB2K

You will need a buffer.. Do you have one? what kind? What pads do you have?

NB2K

BTW, don't use any more Scratch-X.

ZaneO

He has already mentioned having a PC and getting some additional pads and Menzerna polishes.

agentf1

Oh my god, that really sucks. Hopefully the PC and some IP & FPII or ZPC should take care of it. If not your next step should be a Rotary and same products. Worst case scenerio if it actually etched into the clear coat would be to sand with 3000 grit and re polish but I don't suspect your will need to get that aggressive.

I had that happen to me once (luckily mine was only baked 1 day) and most of it came out by hand.

Good Luck.

lager99

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

Florida sprinkler water is usually made up of "well water" or "canal" water. And unfortunately with the heat index can bake in quite quickly. I think that a more abrasive polish than some of those suggested might be necessary (Optimum Hyper, Poorboys 2.5 or 3.0 SSR , or Menzerna Intensive Polish) if truly etched the clearcoat.

One suggestion that you might want to try, and again something I would not normally suggest. You might want to try and wipe the car down with CLR , or Rustaid as well water is also high in lime and rust deposits. Normally you would see a kind of rainbow effect on the paint as it also discolors the finish. I have never used H Acid on paint specifically and not sure if contained in these products.

agentf1

If you wanted to fly me and my buffer down I would be more than happy to excape the 12"+ inches of snow here and fix your problem.

On a serious note, as I said in my previous post. Give the IP and FPII a try, it should work fine as long as it is not etched too bad. Set your PC speed at 4.5 to 5.5 and try a polishing pad first, if that does not work jump up to the orange cutting pad but be prepared as it may leave some micro marring on dark colors and would require going over a second time with a polishing pad to remove. Just keep at it, it will probably take hours since a PC is such a mild tool. Or like I said a rotary should make quick work of it if you know somebody that has one you could borrow or who is willing to do it for you. Good Luck.

chuckster

I have the Porter Cable... I have no pads yet.. I hear I want to get the Constant Pressure pads..

chuckster

I have actually Tried the CLR trick in the past. And as long as it's the calcium that is on the paint.. it works great! However as a test to see if the paint was Etched or it was still left over calcium.. I tried a 50/50 mix of Hydrochloric Acid and water on a rag..(I know.. I know.. Very dangerous..But I have done this in the past to test) But a quick wipe wipe will vaporize any calcium... It took the superficial deposit off.. But still left the etched "SPOT"

rbridges

if the PC and 3M SMR doesn't do it, you can try something a little more abrasive such as Finesse It. Then follow up with SMR. I've had water spots (not as bad as yours) that I've had to PC polish.

I think Mean Green (maybe) posted pics about sprinkler water hitting his car. I guess a lot of places in FL use some type of recycled water for sprinklers that is high in mineral content.

chuckster

Yep, the average sprinkler in florida can get well water at 20' it is the filthiest water you can get!!

bugman

Hi Chuckster !
I'm pretty sure that you restored the finish on an old car that everyone else said couldn't possibly have any clear coat left -- If I'm right, then you are an expert at this topic.

see my web page and click on "SCRTCH / SPOT" and you'll see my wife's black SUV that stood ouside all summer with a sprinkler on it for 3 YEARS, with serious etching.

What worked for me: 3M #39002 by hand with terry cloth towel. Yes, lots of work, but you'll see the before and after on my site.

Since then I've tried (and switched for life I think) to Menzerna Intensive Polish (with THIS constant pressue ORANGE pad) . I love it. Sure, then afteward, you can use some Menzerna Final Polish-2 with a white pad before starting your sealant layers.

Believe me, either the 3M 39002, OR the MIP will solve your troubles. Yes, your car will look better than it did before you parked there.

ok, couldn't resist, here are just two pictures.
AFTER washing, all that baloney with clay, vinegar, CLR etc -- here is the damage still left - this is a "CLEAN" car before using any polish:


AFTER 3M 39002 by hand with terry towel, about 4 applications:

chuckster

Thanks Bug Dude!!! I am gonna use this opportunity to try the Menzerna stuff with my Porter... At least half the car has spots.. So I'll skip the SMR By hand... or I'll look like Popeye..