I left my Vantage outside of the garage overnight several weeks ago and a light rain fell. I waited a couple of days before washing it and noticed some water spots on the flat surfaces, most predominantly on the trunk. They are very faint but are new. I tried using 1:1 vinegar/distilled water without success. I tried a dedicated water spot remover and that didn't work either. The car recently had ceramic coating several months ago with a paint correction before.

Has anyone has success with something else to remove water spots? Being an English car, I would have thought it could have held up to a bit of rain. I've read that Aston Martin has "soft" paint. Does that mean the paint is easily etched by mineral deposits in rainwater? The water spots are not easily noticed unless you stare at the car in a certain light, which I do frequently haha. Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

Have you tried to 'clay' the area? That would be my first choice... Second would be a very 'lite' scratch removal compound... Wax touch-up after each....

 

I would take it back to the detailer who did paint correction and ceramic coating and see what they recommend first

 

Good thought... Did not know if that was an option for him-

 

i can usually remove water spots by a vigorous paste waxing on my vantage. of course if the clear coat has been chemically etched by the water spot the chances are the paint will need to be buffed using a rubbing compound and even then, one has to take care that the paint can withstand a buffing without penetrating into the color coat.

...anyway... i was under the impression that ceramic coatings prevented and/or facilitated the removal of water spots. are you experiencing something that contradicts that? see video:
IMO, there's a lot of contradictory BS where ceramic coatings are involved. i think the whole industry exists to take advantage of car owners (primarily male) that are obsessed with their automobiles and will believe any advertising that, and pay a hefty price for, claims to protect their cars' finish from a threat.

 

Interesting video. Thank you for sharing @61mga

 

If you wash your car yourself, I highly recommend a deionized water system for the final rinse. I have one from: https://crspotless.com/shop-now/spotless-water-systems/

DI water is incredibly good at picking up minerals and I've found it to work well at breaking down previous spots.

Yes it's a little expensive and you have to refresh the media from time to time, but I'm a picky and also lazy, so it's worth it to me.

What they say is true, I washed a black car, outside, in summer, in Phoenix (which practically has gravel in the water), rinsed with the DI water and let it drip dry as a test. No spots.

No, I don't actually do that on a normal day, I towel the car off like any sane person would, but you can just let it evaporate if you want to.

Not the cheapest solution but it might be a long term one.

 

Awesome thanks for the replies/advice everyone. I'm planning to call the detailer who applied the ceramic coating tomorrow.
61mga, great video. I agree that some of this was created just to have people spend more money on car care. I know I have a cabinet full of new products made to maintain the ceramic coating. But the car sure does like nice and glossy when I use them.
ccfulton, I was unaware of a DI water system for car wash. May have to keep that on the back burner as it is a little pricey.
I'm surprised that I wasn't able to remove the water spots with a good wash or the spot remover as they weren't on the car for too long. Its a lot of work keeping the car looking nice!

 

I am a CR Spotless user for a number of years. CCFulton's description of the functionality of the product is "spot" on. Griots Garage offers a competing product, but I've got the two barrel CR Spotless product as I feel its a better value. CR's support for replacement media has been very good.

Good luck with the spot removal, Swayz. I know the water spots would bug me, too.

I thought the video was very informative. I don't use ceramic coating on my cars (993, Cayman R, Maserati QP5 Sport GTS); just wash gently and home detail occassionally with an orbital buffer and various Klasse/Sonax products.

 

I have CR Spotless. If I had to do it again I would go with DI Rinse. Replacing the cartridges in the CR Spotless with DI Rinse down tubes doubles the life of the resin. Never been a big fan of ceramic coating here. Prefer Chemical guys wet mirror glaze followed by butter wet wax.

https://dirinse.com/

 

I would use a buffer/orbital on the panel with a fine grade polish first, and see if that takes them out. You'll need to reapply the ceramic if you want to continue with it.

 

Try some Meguiar's Ultimate liquid polish. Easier than pie.
Thanks,
JH