Frustrated after detailing my car!

[mamadub]

Does this happen to anyone else? I went out to wash my car today as I'm attending a Breakfast for Bimmers on Sat. and wanted my car to look great. Used my Master Blaster for the first time....incredible. Anyway, I have tons of water spots and I can't figure out why. I pull it into the garage to dry it so the sun won't hit it, and I still get water spots. It's so frustrating as I try so hard to keep my car looking good. Any ideas?

[Templar]

If you are washing outside then drying inside the water spots must have been there prior to washing, i.e. they are etched on. They will continue to reappear no matter how much you wash the car.

You can try a few things:

- Some people have claimed they had luck with their clay bar removing them. I think it will work if the hard water etching isn't too bad.
- You can purchase a bottle of chemical guys hard water spot remover. I don't have a link to it handy, but I know it's out there (I have a bottle of it). It works pretty well, but requires a fair amount of elbow grease to do the job.
- Lastly, you can use a light polish with a finishing pad to polish out the spots on the panel. I had them on my CF room and they wouldn't completely come off with the chemical guys stuff, so I used their scratch and swirl be-gone with a finishing pad, then used jetseal to seal the roof. Spots are completely gone.

Once they are gone for good, you need to prevent them from forming. The key is to dry the car immediately after washing it. Don't allow the water to sit and pool on the paint at all. It's tough, but it works and it beats paying money for a hard water filter system for your garden hose. Since I've polished mine out, I just dry it quickly and don't let the air dry it. No more water spots here.

[TTG]

Originally Posted by Templar

- Lastly, you can use a light polish with a finishing pad to polish out the spots on the panel. I had them on my CF room and they wouldn't completely come off with the chemical guys stuff, so I used their scratch and swirl be-gone with a finishing pad, then used jetseal to seal the roof. Spots are completely gone.

Once they are gone for good, you need to prevent them from forming. The key is to dry the car immediately after washing it. Don't allow the water to sit and pool on the paint at all. It's tough, but it works and it beats paying money for a hard water filter system for your garden hose. Since I've polished mine out, I just dry it quickly and don't let the air dry it. No more water spots here.

+1 I would just cut to the chase and polish the car. The spots were probably there before you even took delivery of it.

GL

[mamadub]

Thanks you guys for the responses. It's almost like I need two people there to help me dry the car really fast. I'm actually thinking about just washing it inside my garage...is that crazy? Templar...I am afraid to claybar or polish my own car. I am SO afraid I will screw up the paint. I think I will try the chemical guys stuff you recommended. If I can't get it off with that, I will have to bring it in to be detailed professionally. Funny you should mention a hard water filter for my garden hose. I was going to look into that. Do you think that would help a lot? I know we do have hard water out here in AZ. BTW, I used to live in NC!!

TTG...exactly what I was thinking about the spots already being there!

[mmm def]

Yup-i have the same problem where I live. I have to dry my car immediately, and then go back every 5-10 minutes and dry the spots by the rear doors that dripped down.

[mamadub]

Originally Posted by mmm def

Yup-i have the same problem where I live. I have to dry my car immediately, and then go back every 5-10 minutes and dry the spots by the rear doors that dripped down.

Ugg, this is the reason I bought the Master Blaster! Really, stressing over washing and drying the M actually makes washing my Suburban, AKA the mother ship, an actual pleasure!

[M3PO]

My guess is that these aren't temporary spots caused by the drying process. Wash it again, but before you do, keep track of the position and shape of some of the more noticeable ones. After you wash it again, I suspect they will still be there, in which case they are permanent (etched into the clear coat) and the paint must be corrected.

[mamadub]

Originally Posted by M3PO

My guess is that these aren't temporary spots caused by the drying process. Wash it again, but before you do, keep track of the position and shape of some of the more noticeable ones. After you wash it again, I suspect they will still be there, in which case they are permanent (etched into the clear coat) and the paint must be corrected.

What do you mean by corrected?

[Z K]

You can invest in a water filtration system to soften the water and remove minerals.

http://www.autogeek.net/defisy.html

I'm lucky I live in a location that has soft water and has great drinkable water from the faucet.

[luckychicken]

He means you will need to clay and polish the car to "correct" the water spots in the clear coat. After correction and some wax, you shouldn't have problems with water spots

[M3PO]

Originally Posted by mamadub

What do you mean by corrected?

Correction is the term that detailers use for removing defects and damage to the paint. As mentioned, that's usually through polishing and/or wet sanding (in the case of extreme damage).

[mamadub]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to find a place to claybar and wax my car. I will check in here first to make sure with all you experts that what they say is the right thing to do while using the right products. Z K, thanks for that link. I'm just thinking now that maybe I'll get a system for the whole house, plus the hose line.

[mmm def]

I'm thinking about getting one of these, anybody have experience?

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...ortby=ourPicks

[MattE92]

Originally Posted by mamadub

Thanks you guys for the responses. It's almost like I need two people there to help me dry the car really fast. I'm actually thinking about just washing it inside my garage...is that crazy? Templar...I am afraid to claybar or polish my own car. I am SO afraid I will screw up the paint. I think I will try the chemical guys stuff you recommended. If I can't get it off with that, I will have to bring it in to be detailed professionally. Funny you should mention a hard water filter for my garden hose. I was going to look into that. Do you think that would help a lot? I know we do have hard water out here in AZ. BTW, I used to live in NC!!

TTG...exactly what I was thinking about the spots already being there!

if you don't polish your car it will continue to reoccur. use zaino, its pretty simple... good luck.

[Dannys M3]

I pretty much only wash the car at dawn, dusk or on cloudy days since the Florida sun is just about as bad as yours. I have well water which is extremely hard even with a water softner. I have a friend who has a portable canopy and it helps if you have no choice but to wash out in the sunlight. Good luck in finding a solution that works for you.

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by mmm def

I'm thinking about getting one of these, anybody have experience?

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...ortby=ourPicks

I have one. It works. I just ordered a full size setup though so we'll see how it goes.

[Templar]

OP, no need to be afraid. As long as you use a light polish and a final polish or finishing pad on a good orbital you'll be fine! I was afraid too, but you really can't mess up too bad unless you use a harsh cutting compound and a cutting pad. Claying is very easy as well, and I guarantee you won't mess up, even with no experience

I would suggest you do your research on detailers (ask in the forums here for a good detailer in your area), a lot of places you drive by (especially where I live) offer a "full detailing" for your car. To them, that means running it through an automatic wash, rubbing it dry with nasty towels, vacuuming the inside, and giving it back to you. Don't take it to the dealership. They usually aren't the right people to detail your car.

You can look into the hard water systems for your hose, but IMO they are unnecessary as long as you are careful about drying your car in a timely manner. You don't have to pull your hair out and run around like crazy, just rinse it off and then dry from top to bottom with a clean and dry waffle weave towel. You can buy them on any of the detailing websites. The bigger the better, and they absorb a LOT of water. Get a couple of them, use one for each half of the car (that's what I do). It takes quite a bit, even with hard water, to etch into the paint. You'd have to let it sit and bake in the sun for a little while for it to cause damage.

FWIW, mine used to have the spots because I lived in an apartment and had to park it in front of my building, right where the sprinklers hit. They covered the car, then it baked in the sun. I could have moved it to the overflow lot and avoided the sprinklers, but a few cars had been hit and a few broken into back there, so I decided to take the sprinklers instead. That's how mine got the spots etched into the paint, but there wasn't much I could do.

I've never had any spots etched in while washing since the corrections I did, and I still wash it and dry it by myself And before I corrected mine, I had no experience. I read a lot here and other sites on how to do it, then I just got out there and tried it. The results were better than I thought they'd be, and I was extremely happy I decided to do it myself!

Here is a link to my thread where I showed the damage I had, and after I corrected it. Note that this was the FIRST TIME I ever used polish or anything on my car. I was very happy

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=593102

[mpower4life]

easiest/most cost effective: Get yourself a Porter Cable 7424xp (can pick one up for around $100 if you shop around) DA polisher and even a few good corrective products (Meguiars compound 105 and finishing polish 205 are great examples as well as Menzernas IP and Power gloss) would take care of the job. Plus you could better maintain and keep your car looking the way it should. It's almost impossible to damage your paint with this polisher as it stops the polisher if you put to much pressure and even if you held it on the same spot for some time you wont burn the paint. Make sure you invest in a good set of pads. One for compounding (typically a yellow cutting pad), an orange pad for swirl removers, and polishing pad both white and green work for a standard polish, and finishing pad typically black. Check out Lake Country as they seem to have a consistent rapport across the board. Do a little research and it can go a long way as far as maintaining your paint. It will make a big difference in the condition of your paint for years to come.

[ShockDoc]

OP-

I had the same problem. I couldn't dry the car fast enough to prevent the spots from forming- even with help.

Check out this thread: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=428652

It's expensive but worth every penny to me since it works so well on my Jet Black E92. The water is horrible here in Indy. I only use it for the final rinse process. I just keep the car wet while washing and connect this device to "sheet" the wash water off the car at the end. I then use a leafblower with excellent results. A drying towel never touches the car. Still on my original resins and I've used it at least 30 times.

Aside: There are some real experts who regularly post in this section who helped me overcome my detailing fears. Eclipsis, Hawk, Eric and many others. Search around.

[mamadub]

Thank you all again for all the great advice and links for products. I will for sure be putting it to good use. I met with my BMW club today and I think some of those guys will help me out with my car. For the first time I actually have water spots on my windows. It's also the first time I used the Master Blaster to dry my car. The Master Blaster heats the air to help the drying process and I was wondering if the heat could have caused the spots. In other words, do you think that instead of blowing all the water off the car, it dried it while it was on the car? I have never had SO many tiny water spots. Perhaps next time I will just use the force of the air without the heat. Thoughts on my theory?

Thanks,
Cheryl

[luckychicken]

If you enjoy washing your own cars, then the porter cable is a good investment. Don't think, just do it!