Odd white spots on black car, a few days after CQUK

[JHZR2]

I put these pictures into another person's thread over on ask the expert, but I think they may warrant their own discussion... What are these spots???

2015 Honda Accord Hybrid - Black.

I applied CQUK on Saturday afternoon, it certainly didn't rain or even get dew for many hours after application. In fact it never rained since I applied, though am dew may have happened. But as I said, didn't see these when taking SLR pics or until tonight when I stopped. The car has 100 miles of road grime and some condensation on it at this point.

Note on this one that similar spots are on the glass.



A few more attempts:





I did put a finger smudge on one there, and note the road grime and condensation there...

Any ideas?

First thought from searching was some sort of residue from the films they put on for shipping. But I DID prep it with multiple steps, and if it was from that, then why on the glass? I don't think those white films are applied to glass. The car was built in June, delivered in August, hasn't been hit with tree sap or salt from the sea, though it does sit outside. I never washed it until the prep for CQuartz, which was identical to what I did for our Odyssey (ie dawn, iron x, optimum hyper polish, eraser, CQUK). Our Odyssey does not exhibit this. I was doubly careful also on this car to avoid high spots, which I did get in a few spots on the Odyssey because it is so darn big. So the CQUK was applied evenly and thoroughly, buffing with suede and then MF after applying to each ~2x3' section.

Could it be water etching in tiny spots where the CQUK didn't cure or didn't cure flat? Would it be underneath or something that affected it after it went down?

Nothing the car encountered between Saturday and tonight would strike me as a cause. Did I prep wrong? Was it a mistake to not wash from Aug until this past Sat?

The car is kept outdoors.

Thanks!

[Paul A.]

The first thing i evaluate is if they are above the surface or below. You mentioned you clayed in the other thread (i think). I would certainly guess that would have had an affect if they were above the paint. I like doing the baggie test after i've clayed just to make sure i get a really good smooth feel. If not, i clay the area again until it feels perfectly smooth. Forgive me for mentioning something you probably already know but in trying to rule some things out i like to exhaust every effort if they are above the surface of the paint.

Having done that and they are still there AND the paint feels smooth, the next deduction is to see not only if they are below the paints surface but how deep. I use a magnifying glass and get a real good look at some specific spots to look closer. You also mentioned you hit it with your PE-14 and a twisted wool pad with M100 and they remained. I'm thinking they are below the surface and maybe (unfortunately) deeper than your rotary approach cut. I keep my magnifying glass handy and continue to inspect the spots to see what the cut approach did.

My last attempt at removing or at least improving after my magnifying glass assessments would be to find an inconspicuous small area and do a very light wet sand and buff effort. Again, that is my very last and most aggressive attempt to mitigate the problem and even if it does make a difference, i am not sure i would use that approach all over the vehicle. Too risky for me but i sometimes need to know what will either remove or at least minimize them.

I wish i could offer something more definitive but more specific evaluation usually gets me to continue correcting or abandon and live with. I bet, with the exception of those tiny spots, the paint looks fantastic otherwise!

And the big question remains...what caused them? If you decide to live with them, a good coating should help with whatever the cause was if it persists.

[JHZR2]

I hijacked that thread...

I used a CCS green pad with Optimum Hyper Polish. The paint felt fully smooth by the baggie test...

Its beading dew like crazy...



And tonight it was pouring and the water just flung right off when driving. Very nice...

But when it spits rain and it dries, more spots seem to appear...

[AGOatemywallet]

Wash it and take some fresh pictures

Put your finger tip on the paint, so the camera has something to focus on

Thanks

[JHZR2]

Im in the 7 day window so cant wash it...

[davey g-force]

But it got rained on in the 7 day window, right?

Maybe that's the cause of your problem.

[AutowerxDetailing]

Im in the 7 day window so cant wash it...

You need to get the water spots off of the surface before they cure into the coating. At this point, even if you are within the 7 day curing window, it will be better to wash it with a very mild soap dilution so you can remove the spots.

If you let them dwell for too long they can etch into the coating and you will have to resort to polishing to fix it. Another option is CarPro Spotless to chemically remove the water spots; however, I would first try a traditional wash with a mild soap. Even a quick wipe down with ONR or some other quick detailer might be all that is needed.