water spots

i just bought a 2008 charger srt demo it had only 10500 miles so i know it has been sitting at the dealership for years without being detailed so when i cleaned it up for the first time i noticed small water spots all over the trunk and top even the windows so what can I do to remove them

Hi

Here is my advice. Start simple. Wash the car with Dawn first, and then go buy a clay bar kit at Wal-Mart.
Meguiars offers one that is around $11.00. You can do this with no experience.


I am not saying this will remove them, but it may. Using polishes and compound by hand , and applying wax can make the problem worse. The damage MAY have etched the clear, and wet sanding/compounding MAY be necessary
to correct the flaw and restore the shine.

You mentioned the spots were on the glass also. This leads me to believe that this may be caused from hard water/
well water drying on the paint. The claybar should remove the spots on the paint , but not on the glass.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2011 01:10PM by billd55.

I would 1st bring this issue up to the dealership you purchased the car from. This car most likely hasn't been properly maintained from day one and has obvious signs of environmental contamination. A clay bar will remove the topical deposits, but will not stop the remaining contaminants from creating further damage to the finish. I would try a product created to remove the problem 1st and foremost. I would atleast use Valugard's ABC wash: [www.valugard.net]
to stop the problem from getting worse. Once the surface is clean you can then examine the level of deterioration to determine what measures are necessary to solve the problem. Many times minor paint correction can be performed to drastically reduce/remove the appearance of the damage. If this doesn't correct the problem then you may need to resort to light surface sanding. Make sure to use someone that is trained and experienced doing these types of operations. If you need a reference feel free to reach out.

Protech is correct take it to the dealer and complain like he'll.
Don't accept in BS tell them you want them removed.

Of course if they have uncertified and untrained DETAILERS they will take compound, a cutting pad and buffer and grind the spots off.

What should be used is a water spot remover which is an acid-based chemical that dissolves the solidified minerals and allows you to wash them off.

Soak towels in the solution and lay them on the water spots to allow chemical to work on the spots and dissolve them.

Remember after using an acidic chemical on the surface you must neutralize the acid with a alkaline rinse such as an all purpose cleaner
Then a hand wash

Bud A

Bud Abra

I'm confused, why would this person go complain to the dealership? It's a 08 demo. Whether it was neglected or not is not the
issue. They sold it as is, so this person should have said something before buying it.

billd55 your right the others dont understand this is my problem its really not that bad i could easily have them removed at a detail shop but i thought i could get some advice from you guys but i guess not. you see the car is clean , hot and it only has 10,500 miles on it the paint shine like new money except for the water spots the car is perfect if i could post some pic. i would show you its a black charger SRT 6.1 HEMI need i say more.

The factory paint warranty is found in your owners manual.
Most will state what that warranty covers, usually 12 months or 12,000 miles from date of purchase, not the build date or year of vehicle, and may cover "enviormental damages to the paint of the vehicle."
Suggest you take a look at your manual.
It may be that Chrysler will cover the cost.
While is is not possible to provide a true diagnois of the condition from afar, however here are some things you may wish to consider.
1.Vehicle sat for a couple of years, exposed to enviormental fallout, acid rain, etc.
2. Being the vehicle is ,according to your post, black, this produces higher skin temperatures of the paint during warm months and with a little moisture, activates the acids that entered the clearcoat paint film.
3.This "etched" into the clear, providing the apperance of "water spots', however in reality they are "etching" of the clear.
4. Before any agressive corrective measures are under taken, the damaging acids must be removed from the paint film.(which is why the use of ABC system was recommended). Should refinishing-IE reapplication/reapplication of the clearcoat be necessary, it is vital that the system be used before the sanding and respraying process or the "spots" will return in a short period of time.
5.Use of an accurate electronic paint thickness gauge is recommended to determine the depth of the damage to the clearcoat.
Just some things for you to consider, however, in my opinion the damage is very deep and just wet sanding and a buffing process will not resolve your concern.
Grumpy

billd55 your right the others dont understand this is my problem its really not that bad i could easily have them removed at a detail shop but i thought i could get some advice from you guys but i guess not. you see the car is clean , hot and it only has 10,500 miles on it the paint shine like new money except for the water spots the car is perfect if i could post some pic. i would show you its a black charger SRT 6.1 HEMI need i say more.

Thanks Moonlight

The groupies here are all about correction . If you have read my posts I am all about saving the clear coat, and protection.
If you are interested I would be glad to send you a sample of AT-5 for you to try on your car. You sound like a person with a open mind who would actually try it. It is not hard to apply, and you can email me if you have any questions. If interested
send me a private message on where I can send it.

yes billd55 i would like to try the AT-5 sample you may send it to ( 6618 alford drive Waco TX. 76710 ) and maybe it will remove some of the spots I thank you

Moonlight

Look , all I ask in return is that you try this product, and not put it on your shelf. I would like you to post an honest opinion
on this forum of how easy it is to use, and please wash it with Dawn anytime it gets dirty, so you can tell the skeptics here
that this product is nothing like wax or sealants.

Also, I will send you a pre cleaner that will help with the spots. Use prior to application of the At-5.

Do you want me to address it to Moonlight 46?

I would still get a claybar kit and use it on your car.

Check your private message account , I sent you a email.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2011 06:02PM by billd55.

moonlight :
The others gave you helpful advice . I'm not sure why you felt they didn't.

Bill's advice to try detailing clay was good, too.

Vinegar can help remove water spots. As Bud says, neutralize it afterwards by washing the car with a weak solution of alkaline APC .

Zaino Glass Polish can work on the windows. No doubt, so can other brands of glass cleaner/polish that contain abrasives.

Doug

Okay, at the risk of "ruffling some feathers", I have had the problem of water spots on one of my cars too. As my memory serves me, which isn't much, mine were caused by what I was using to wash the car with. I switched to Kit. If I recall correctly, I used either a clay bar, scratch remover, or a polish to remove them. I have read some of the responses to your problem and I think they will probably work. I know how frustrating it is when you think others aren't listening. Hope you get those spots off the paint. It drove me insane when I was trying to get rid of mine. While I'm thinking of it, when I use the microfiber towel to dry the car, I spray a Wax and Dry product (Turtle Wax, Eagle, or Ice) on the towel. You won't believe how good it makes the car look. - BC



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2011 04:31AM by 1oldman.

Status on Moonlight 46 car. Got a email from him this morning saying he removed the spots without the need of a professional. Will be sending him a sample of AT-5 shortly to try and evalute.

moonlight46 Wrote:
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>>billd55 your right the others dont understand this is my problem

No, you and Bill are both WRONG. It *can* and *will be* your problem *if* you let it. Otherwise, (if you’re wise) you’d bring this issue up with the selling dealer just to document the problem. This way, if the problem gets worse, you have ½ a leg to stand on. You don’t have to let the dealer touch it either.



moonlight46 Wrote:
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>>its really not that bad i could easily have them removed at a detail shop

How would you know how bad it is? What experience do (or Bill for that matter) have at not just diagnosing these types of problems, but what it REALLY takes to fix them??? Obviously not much if you’re coming here looking for advice.



moonlight46 Wrote:
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>>but i thought i could get some advice from you guys but i guess not.

It’s obvious that you’re blindly avoiding the advice given to you from leaders in the industry. Especially Ron. He’s researched, written and taught the book (at the OEM manufacturer level too) on the cause, origin, diagnosis and permanent treatment of environmental paint damage that are used widespread by almost every car manufacturer as well as countless professional detailers worldwide. For you and Bill to quickly dismiss his advice only shows your ignorance to wanting to really correct this problem the right way. Sorry for you then…



moonlight46 Wrote:
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>>you see the car is clean , hot and it only has 10,500 miles on it

What?? Clean & Hot?? WTF does that mean?? Think what you want about your new used car, but as everyone with ½ a brain (that leaves Bill out as he has less then ½ ?) probably knows is that it’s far from this if it’s been driven this much and been left to decay on a dealer’s lot with sub-par maintenance for over 4 years. Sounds like a recipe for one screwed up paint finish. Ouch! Makes you wonder why it’s been sitting on a dealer’s lot that long???



moonlight46 Wrote:
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>>the paint shine like new money except for the water spots the car is perfect

New Money??? Wrong again. If your paint has water spots, then it’s obviously not shining as well as it can. Anyone that knows anything about making paint perfect will tell you that water spots can and will dramatically reduce your paint’s shine and appearance. But, because you’ve already shown that you have low expectations about your car’s appearance you’re ascertation is probably in line then.



moonlight46 Wrote:
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>>if i could post some pic. i would show you its a black charger SRT 6.1 HEMI need i say more.

??Need you say more? I bet if you posted a picture of your car’s finish it would speak volumes about its condition. I’m sure you’re skeptical about this whole thing all together and that’s you’re final prerogative seeing that you’re the one that who’s got to live with you’re decision. I could care less, but it’s FAR from being a textbook example of how a new car should look.

Here’s one piece of advice that might scare the hell out of you if you’re not too arrogant to try: Go to your local Sears or Home Depot and buy a 500 watt halogen work light. Pull your new used fancy car into your garage with nothing but the halogen light on and look at your paint under this light. I’d be willing to bet that you’re car’s paint is F’d up. And when you finally see and realize that your brand new used car came fully loaded with the Dealer Installed Swirl & Spot Option then snap a picture and post it here so we (all but Bill because he’s blind) can all laugh at what you consider “new money”. LOL.

Pro-Skeptic

Everybody is wrong , but you. Is this how you treat your customers when they disagree with you?

NO. You are wrong and everyone is right. That's why nobody here or on any other forum has ever agreed with anything you're stated. You keep beating your anti-wax & correction drum,but nobody is marching to your beat.

This message is for you, Pro-techt. I read your post to Billd55 and I understand that you think that you can acheive a perfect flawless finish on any car in the world that is driven everyday and out in the elements everday. But according to my Bible, there is non perfect but JESUS CHRIST. And that's only if you are a believer. Anyway the paint job on my car does shine like new money and is flawless to me and I've been cleaning and detailing my own cars for 30+ years The water spots that I was referring to were only a few spots under the tail fin on my Charger It is not the entire car and the spots on the windows were on the back window and I easily removed them with steel wool and distilled vinegar. I do use wax on my cars Meguiar's and it work great but thats my choice there are 100's of differant waxes and sealants out there to choose from and who's to say what's the best you have your way Bill has his way and everybody else has their own way. So sense I only got on this forum to chat with professional detailers about detailing issues and not school kids arguing over who's right and who's wrong and a lot of name calling if I wanted to here this from someone I could have just went to the local car wash on the weekend for advice. A true professional always stays open minded to new ideas to enhance their own knowledge. Because I have learned over my lifetime that no matter how much you think you know about something there're always room for improvement. So with that said Pro-Techt you need to be more open minded and courteous to your follow professional detailers instead of using ugly comments and name calling that's not what this forum is about.

STEEL WOOL ON WINDOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Moonlight

Take my advice and do not even bother to respond!