Water Spots after Swirl?

apony4me apony4me is offline
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Water Spots after Swirl?
I've had my 2009 Midnight Black Clubman S for 1.5 years. In that time tiny swirl marks formed, which I tried to ignore and not become OCD about. However, I failed at the OCD when I accidentally let some water spots form and couldn't easily remove with just clay. So after buying some supplies and a PC, I spent this past weekend doing the following steps.

Wash.
Clay the entire car.
Polish with Swirl and a white pad.
Polish with Amigo and a white pad.
Apply Epic using a black pad.
Finally Banana Gloss by hand.

There were a couple of small scratches I could still see but, the swirl and water marks were gone. However, after driving the car for the past 2 days, I've noticed the water marks are showing up again. It hasn't rained nor have I parked near any sprinklers - so I'm at a loss on why they reappeared. Does anyone have any ideas of what I might have done wrong that would have allowed them to stay or how to get rid of them? It's really driving me nuts and making me ponder trading cars.

Thanks, Anthony



Old 09-09-2010, 09:50 AM
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OctaneGuy OctaneGuy is offline
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To remove water spots, there are a few very important things to understand.

First, what are water spots?
Water spots are a combination of mineral (calcium) deposits in the water and or etchings left behind which can happen if the spots occur on a very hot day on hot paint, literally boiling itself into the paint. The first step to removing water spots, is to SEE them.

Position the car in the shade and use a light to identify where the spots are. Mark them with a towel or tape so you can locate them later.

Next use Distilled Vinegar to remove the calcium deposits. This is as simple as soaking a rag in vinegar and wiping the spots off. You might have to repeat this several times. Re-examine the areas and see if the spots are still there. Even if the deposits are gone, a ghost "etching" may still exist.

The solution to waterspot etchings are as follows in increasing aggressiveness:
1.) Buffing with a polish
2.) Compounding with wool pad
3.) Wetsanding

I don't know what your experience level is with the PC, but if this is your first time, then you need to make sure your techniques are sound first. Do a test spot about 24"x24". Polish that out to perfection using your chosen pad and chemical..i.e. Prima Swirl with an Orange pad. Once you've done that, then you can feel more confident polishing the rest of the car.

However, you MUST remember. If you can't see the defects you are trying to remove, then don't bother polishing. It's imperative you set up lighting so you can see what you are trying to fix otherwise you are just wasting your time.

So before you make yourself go crazy about trading in the car....read my post carefully. Try some vinegar. Try focusing on an area. The orange pad and Swirl with the PC SHOULD be all you need.

Where did you purchase this combo from? Was it me? If so, I would have expected a phone call, email, PM or something for some advice on the matter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by apony4me View Post
I've had my 2009 Midnight Black Clubman S for 1.5 years. In that time tiny swirl marks formed, which I tried to ignore and not become OCD about. However, I failed at the OCD when I accidentally let some water spots form and couldn't easily remove with just clay. So after buying some supplies and a PC, I spent this past weekend doing the following steps. Does anyone have any ideas of what I might have done wrong that would have allowed them to stay or how to get rid of them? It's really driving me nuts and making me ponder trading cars.

Thanks, Anthony
Actually products with fillers are an important maintenance step, especially for those without buffers or on swirl prone cars. While buffing paint and keeping it looking flawless is great, in an ideal world, it takes a combination of buffing a few times a year, and maintaining with good products that utilize fillers to keep the swirls and scratches at bay.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NastyNate View Post
I'm personally not a fan of products that hide swirls, but then it's not unusual for me to spend 4+ hours on my black miata so I don't have to hide them.
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