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Home > CAR CARE
PRODUCTS > Detailing
Tips > Water Spots Detailing 101

Water Spots Detailing
101

WATER SPOTS,
WATER ETCHING and ACID RAIN

Beat them before they become a
nightmare: Prevention is the easiest
method!

Whether it was that untimely
sprinkler, a springtime shower, or spots that
remained from an incomplete dry after a wash, you
are facing one of the toughest detailing problems.
Most water contains contaminants, some more than
others. Pure water is nearly non-existent,
especially if you’re on a well system.
Minerals, iron, calcium, or air pollutants are
all causes of water spots.

A water
spot is residue left behind when a water drop
quickly evaporates—too quickly. Trace elements
of salt, iron, calcium and mineral deposits
remain. These deposits can be extremely difficult
to remove if they remain for any length of time.
Experts give a timeframe of about a week or so
before greater damage is done, when the minerals
are likely to etch your paint. Talk about
aggravation. Once they’ve carved their mark in the
clear coat or paint, the only means of banishing
them is buffing. Unless you really know what
you’re doing, you’ll probably need a professional
detailer’s hand.

A clay bar like Wolfgang
Elastic PolyClay (with a lubricant, of
course), followed by polishing is the most
effective way of vanquishing water spots and
preparing for the next step—waxing. Polishes will
remove all but the very worst of these problems,
simultaneously giving the ultimate surface for
your wax. For severe spots, I’d suggest trying Meguiar’s
#2, followed by Meguiar’s
#9. There’s no way around these additional
steps. Washing alone won’t remove the pesky spots,
but polishing may--along with the protective
coating, so you will need to re-wax.

Trade secret: Sometimes
the spots are too severe and a polish alone can’t
completely remove them. Detailers will sell you on
a high-priced service that does the trick, but you
can do it at home for a few dollars: a gallon of
distilled white vinegar. To work this trick, wash
first with your usual car shampoo and rinse as
always. Using a foam applicator pad or a sponge
doused in vinegar, rub it in. Since you’ve already
cleaned the old wax or sealant off your paint with
polish, you’ll still need to re-wax. This is the
last resort before a professional has to step in.
If the polish-plus-vinegar doesn’t solve it,
you most likely have a problem known as water
etching. Now it’s time to employ the help of a
professional who knows how to wield a buffer.

Glass
Detailer’s Pride High Performance Glass
Restorer is a highly recommended product to
tackle water spots on glass. This crème works like
a jeweler’s rouge--lightly exfoliating, no
abrasive scratching that can mar your glass
permanently. After bringing the glass back to
like-new appearance, follow with Detailer’s
Pride Auto Glass Cleaner for a sparkling
finish. This combination can’t be beat for
eradicating water spots on glass! Using a good
microfiber
glass towel along with these products
will make the job a snap.

Painted
Surfaces Simple, but it must be said,
thoroughly and quickly remove water drops after
any liquid comes in contact with your vehicle.
There are many variations on this theme but the
key is to use whatever tool you like to dry
quickly: towels,
chamois, synthetic drying materials or the
daddy of drying—the Vac
n’ Blo. Wax does provide a bit of a deterrent
to contamination-induced paint etching though,
the best antidote that I’ve found in a product
is a quick
detail spray to eradicate new spots and
prevent future blemishes from water spots.

If you are unfortunate enough
to get caught in some nasty acid rain, you might
be out of luck. Acid rain can etch into the top
two or three layers of the paint. If this has
occurred no chemical will remove the etchings. If
you live in an area with a lot of air pollution,
get yourself a Water Sprite or water blade to keep
in the car for the most convenient, quickest way
to whisk water safely of the car—then, NO WATER
SPOTS! Then you don’t need to worry about any of
it! Prevention is the easiest method.

On
Chrome
Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion or Wolfgang
Pre-Wax Polish Enhancer will gently dissolve
most spots. For severe spots, I recommend either
one of Wenol’s two dynamite metal
polishes.
Please see our sections on
the proper Washing
and Drying
of your vehicle to aid in the prevention and
elimination of water spotting.

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