How to Remove water spots ?

[detailgeek68]

So what is the best way of removing water spots? my friend left his 03 bullet mustang by a sprinkler with out know that it would be turned on and the quality of his well water sucks. So it left some really horrible ones. Someone told him that some shops use a very mild acid to remove them with out cutting into the clear coat. Is there such a thing? or will using a compound or polishing the only way. If so what would be a compound or polish good to use to remove them ??? will get pictures of it soon. Help!!!

[Shade Tree]

Something simple would be mixing equal parts of distilled water & white vinegar.

I'm not sure about what's available from AG, however Chemical Guys makes a product called "water spot remover". As soon as you open it you will notice it also contains vinegar.

Claying the affected areas sometimes helps to remove the spots as well.

[stove937]

Yea, vinegar is acetic acid so thats probably what he's thinking about. Vinegar usually works well on spots that aren't yet etched into the clear coat. In that case, the only hope of removal is polishing.

[dood786]

I also have water spots which are on my car for many years, i have yet to try the distilled water and vinegar but will try it once i receive my polisher and im capable of using it correctly

[elk42]

alot of us have this problem. im hearing a ton of ways from wetsanding to heavy compound to trying different degrees of swirl removers with different pads. test spotting is what you need to do but start with a lower dose of swirl remover then work your way up if it isnt strong enough. oh by the way, they will return once the sprinkler goes back on. geez.

[CEE DOG]

The vinegar/water works wonders! But only if you catch it early before it etches the paint. It removes the mineral deposits but it can't remove an "etch" since the etch is actually "absence of material".
I used to be looking for a water spot remover but I was very happy with the vinegar/water.
I know AG has the duragloss. Here it is
Duragloss Water Spot Remover (WSR) #505 (http://www.autogeek.net/duragloss-water-spot-remover.html)

Here is the price and price per oz.
$ 7.99 $ 0.36

[Mike Phillips]

First you have to figure out which type of water spots you have?

There are two basic kinds of water spots or water marks found on automotive paints.


Type I Water Spots - Above Surface Mineral Deposits
Type II Water Spots - Below Surface Water Spot Etchings

Type I Water Spots
Type I Water Spots are what what we call Above Surface Bonded Contaminants. A Type I water spot is some type of deposit, often times a mineral deposit that was suspended in the water source to begin with, then after the water evaporated off the finish the mineral is left behind where it bonds to the finish usually in a circular or pattern or shape.


Type I Water Spots - Mineral deposits sitting on top of the paint

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Type1WaterSpot2.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Type1WaterSpot1.jpg





Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface

Type II Water Spots are what we call Below Surface Defects. A Type II Water Spot is actually an etching in the surface where whatever was in the water was strong enough in its chemical composition to actually eat or dissolve the paint and thus etch into the paint.


Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface


http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_WaterEtcingSpotOriginalC1Raw.jpg


Close-up of same photo above

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2WaterEtcingSpotOriginalC1RawCloseUpCropped.jpg



Vinegar might remove a Type I Water Spot but anytime you have an etching in the paint the only way to remove it is to remove the paint surrounding the etching until the upper surface is level with the lowest depth of all the etchings you're trying to remove.

If you have Type II Water Spots then you'll need a compound and a polish.


Are you working by hand or machine and if by machine then what type of machine?

:)

[Mike Phillips]

Just to note,

I'm going to move this out of the "Off Topic" forum group and move it into Detailing 101

Detailing 101 is for questions like this and "Off Topic" would be if you wanted to start a thread about a topic that's not really about detailing, (the theme or topic of this forum), for example,

What's your favorite movie from 2009?

The above question is an example of a thread to start in "Off Topic"


:D

[richy]

First you have to figure out which type of water spots you have?

There are two basic kinds of water spots or water marks found on automotive paints.


Type I Water Spots - Above Surface Mineral Deposits
Type II Water Spots - Below Surface Water Spot Etchings

Type I Water Spots
Type I Water Spots are what what we call Above Surface Bonded Contaminants. A Type I water spot is some type of deposit, often times a mineral deposit that was suspended in the water source to begin with, then after the water evaporated off the finish the mineral is left behind where it bonds to the finish usually in a circular or pattern or shape.


Type I Water Spots - Mineral deposits sitting on top of the paint

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Type1WaterSpot2.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Type1WaterSpot1.jpg





Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface

Type II Water Spots are what we call Below Surface Defects. A Type II Water Spot is actually an etching in the surface where whatever was in the water was strong enough in its chemical composition to actually eat or dissolve the paint and thus etch into the paint.


Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface


http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_WaterEtcingSpotOriginalC1Raw.jpg


Close-up of same photo above

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2WaterEtcingSpotOriginalC1RawCloseUpCropped.jpg



Vinegar might remove a Type I Water Spot but anytime you have an etching in the paint the only way to remove it is to remove the paint surrounding the etching until the upper surface is level with the lowest depth of all the etchings you're trying to remove.

If you have Type II Water Spots then you'll need a compound and a polish.


Are you working by hand or machine and if by machine then what type of machine?

:)

Mike...I just wanted to say that was an awesome reply. Your closeup pics really help identify the marks.

[dood786]

^^^^^^^^agreed


I actually have type 2, i will try to see if i can get any success with ultimate compound on my g220 when i get it from CrazyDetailer here in South Africa.

[elk42]

^^^^^^^^agreed


I actually have type 2, i will try to see if i can get any success with ultimate compound on my g220 when i get it from CrazyDetailer here in South Africa.
please let us know cuz i want to get megs ultimate compound for this very same thing. my wife's civic is loaded

[dood786]

please let us know cuz i want to get megs ultimate compound for this very same thing. my wife's civic is loaded

I only have a sample size that i was given to try out, havent used a g220 before so will practice first before i attempt it on my car

[richy]

Danase made a water spot removal cream. I bought some but haven't tried it yet.
Deep Gloss Auto did a post a while back with a big black Suburban or something with horrible water spot damage (type 2 I believe) and it did a FANTASTIC job getting rid of them. DG also makes a spray but I think it's more for type 1 I think.

[Mike Phillips]

Danase made a water spot removal cream. I bought some but haven't tried it yet.

Deep Gloss Auto did a post a while back with a big black Suburban or something with horrible water spot damage (type 2 I believe) and it did a FANTASTIC job getting rid of them.



In order to remove a Type II water spot you must ABRADE the surrounding paint until the uppers surface of the paint is equal to the lowest depth to the water spot etching you're trying to remove.

It's possible for a cream to remove paint but it would do this one of two ways,

1) Abrasives in the cream that abrade or chew off paint

2) Strong chemicals that dissolve paint


With an abrasive product you would have some control over the process.

With a product that dissolves paint, for example Aircraft Quality Paint Stripper, you don't really have any control over how fast the product melts the paint and it's not a very good way to remove defects. :laughing:


If this Water Spot Cream you're taking about works like Vinegar, then it's not removing a Type II, which is a hole or etching in the paint, it's removing some kind of deposit "on" the surface, not "in" the paint.

Just want to clarify because after typing about this for years now there's still some confusion over the types of water spots and how to remove them.

Usually everyone wishes and hopes for the easy way out... no one wants to find out they have to compound every affected panel to remove little annoying round etchings.

Especially in light of the fact that all the UV protection for the base or color coat is in the top layer or the clear coat, the more clear you remove the less paint you have to last over the service life of the car and the less UV protection will be left to protect the paint over the service life of the car.

That's why before you remove water spots you should first make sure the problem isn't going to just come back.

For example, I met a guy on a forum that had to park his car next to a sprinkler that he had no control over the ability to turn it off. IF that's his assigned parking space and he's going to keep parking the car in the space where the sprinkler goes off, it would be futile to remove the water spots.

:)

[southbeach]

All the water spot remover everyone sell don't work.....trust me...I own 3 high end detail shop in Houston, TX. I been removing water spot since 1999. These products are only good if the water spot are just made....But in Texas it get hot and our water suck...In just a few hour, it is already etch into the paint and glass. There are only 2 ways to remove water spot. First is buffing it with a compound. 2nd is with Hydrofluoric Acid, this is the step I used the most (80%). You must be very careful with this step and do it in the shade while the vehicle is cool. I can remove waterspot that been etch into the vehicle & glass in 1 to 2 hrs. wear gloves, glass, and mask. One wipe with Hydrofluoric Acid and wipe off with damp towel. This is the best product to use. You can buy this product from automagic.com. Product is call Spoke, item no.66. It is normally used on chrome wheel, but I don't used it on wheel. You will Thank me for this one trick.