I want to thank Philip for the awesome advice which worked great.

I was having trouble getting rid of the hard water spots on the hood of my fathers CLS. They have been there for weeks/months because nothing would take them off. I used the advice that Phillip from detailers domain gave me. Wash your car, rub water spots with distilled white vinegar, wash off. I didnt wash the car because i just wanted to see if it worked so i just rubbed on some vinegar and washed off with some water and the results were amazing.

Look at the pics.

Ps. This was done very poorly just to get an idea which is why the car is still dirty so when i wash the car next time ill follow the instructions 100%.

 

Some pics after applying Gold Class Wax, the water spots are not 100% gone, but I hope the PC can fix that (waiting for my polishes to be delivered)








I had a little visiter also, this dude lives in the front yard or something.

 

The pH of vinegar is about 3.0, making it VERY acidic. This has a potential to damage the finish. There are polishes specifically made to remove water spots such as yours. By wiping down with the vinegar, you now reactivate the calicium, sodium, lime, etc. that was in the water spot further damaging the clear. Not a good idea in my opinion.

 

hmm... I read up on autopia and other forums and people recomend it as well. Im sure if you use it regularly the result wont be good but the spots are gone and it looks better than ever. Maybe its bad for softer clears?

 

I find the clear on Pcar to be very thin. I agree with Moe and use 3M rubbing compound to remove water spots and oxidation. It works for me. No clear damage but I only used it once, then polish and rejex!

 

vinegar is useless, polish the paint, vinegar belongs in the kitchen. I hope you weren't smearing vinegar into the paint when it was dirty. I suggest reading up on proper techniques for washing, claying, and such. I'd also suggest you get a good detailer or invest in a porter cable random orbital and polish those ugly swirls out.

 

I got a PC 7424 and menzera SIP and 106FF. Just havnet used it yet.

 

- I'd wash the car with dawn liquid soap (capefull will go long way) to remove any wax ...etc residue.
- Clay the car, read the instructions carfeully
- Use a rubbing compound to remove water spots
- Polish
- Wax or Rejex
- If you Rejex then Wax goes over the Rejex

If you do this properly and take your time, you'll be able to take all the reflections shots you want!

 

Welcome to 1982... You want to use a good wash soap (something made for cars not dishes) a clay bar, and a machine buffer (random orbital or rotary), a good compound, polish, and sealent. Like I said before, I highly recommend reading up on autopia.org, detailcity.org, or checking out the http://www.exotixboard.com detailing section.

 

Dawn strips old wax and cleans the paint well prior to claying, it doesn't harm the paint or clear coat. Many many people (award winners) use it. I wouldn't use it for regular car washes or on a brand new paint job.

 

I know what it does and there are much better products that do that which are designed for automotive finishes. A regular wash + a good claying will do the same. Dawn is useless in my opinion.

 

Dawn might be good at stripping wax, but it wouldn't do anything for water spots which contain minerals. I'm not a fan of using detergents, household products, etc. on the finish. As mentioned already, there's a reason why there are specific products made for specific automotive applications. That's my 2 cents.

 

I second that, +1 to you moe!