[escos]

I have a ton of questions today. I posted on pelegs thread awhile ago about water spots. I tried polishing and buffing to no avail. I read about using a vinegar acid bath to remove water spots on autopia, has anyone tried? Does it work well? Anything to be careful of?

[!4KORNRZ!]

One of my employees here has a b.ack Z06. He acid washes it a couple of times a year. The car always looks great when he has it done, and the paint doesn't seem to have suffered. Apparantly it is done extremely quickly, the acid solution is removed as fast as possible.

[V8Huntr]

If you can't remove water spots with a buffer you have some major problems. What kind of cut did you use?

The acid wash works pretty well, but you can REALLY mess up your paint if it's not done right. One of my friends owns a detail shop and he refuses to do it because of the liabilities.

[chaos311clarity]

ok, listen, i had water spots ALL over my car, i still have some on the rear window trim... but thats not important, my car now has NONE on the paint. i tried the vinegar, i tried a cleaner wax, you need to hit it with a compound, i used 3m fine cut with an orange pad and my PC and it came right out after working it a bit... you may need to hit some spots more than once but a good compound/pad combo will do the trick. UNLESS its past the point of no return, which is highly unlikely.

[RaceComp Engineering]

^What he said. Start with a swirl remover and a pad with medium cut. If that doesn't work, step up to a light compound with the same pad. Should do the trick no problem.

-Dan

[boost_happy]

Yeah I don't think a acid bath is the thing to do, sounds like the lazy way of doing it and I wouldn't think its as easy to control the results like a buffer. I don't like the idea of something melting my clear coat.

[chaos311clarity]

Originally Posted by RaceComp Engineering

^What he said. Start with a swirl remover and a pad with medium cut. If that doesn't work, step up to a light compound with the same pad. Should do the trick no problem.

-Dan

thanx dan..


to the OP, look thru my member journal, my car is clean and shiney.

[VSGTS14]

try some cleaner wax too, but i know the kind of water spots you're talking about..they are hard to get off.

[escos]

I don't have a P/C and have yet to come across a good buffer being sold here for non-pro use. I tried buffing by hand but the water spots were still visible if the light hit just right. The acid bath I read about was the distilled vinegar and water routine, if it isn't safe I might just take the car to a professional.

[chaos311clarity]

if you have solid water spots your not going to be able to do anything with the water/vinegar, trust me, i tried it

[escos]

This is what autopia said:

If the spots are allowed to dry and bake on, they will attach to and harden on your paint. When this happens, you need to use a mild acid to get them loose. Believe it or not, the best acid is also the least expensive and most available: a gallon jug of distilled white vinegar.

Expert car detailers have known this secret for years. If you take your car to a pro, they will tell you about the "magic acid bath" and charge you $60 or more for the pleasure of smelling like a pickle. Save the $60, put on some gloves, and get to it.

To give your car the magic acid bath, first wash your car with your normal car shampoo, rinse, then use the distilled vinegar. Just wipe it on with a sponge, and rub it in. Do one section at a time, let it sit 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse. When you're done, wash the car again with shampoo and rinse. By the way, vinegar will remove your wax. So, be prepared to re-wax your car after the vinegar treatment.

I'm still a little hesitant though...

[chaos311clarity]

hit it with a mild compound and buff hard by hand, get the panel to warm up a bit, watch the compound break down and it should be getting better, like i sadi you may have to hit it more than once

[escos]

Originally Posted by chaos311clarity

hit it with a mild compound and buff hard by hand, get the panel to warm up a bit, watch the compound break down and it should be getting better, like i sadi you may have to hit it more than once

If the weather cooperates this weekiend I'm gonna hit the car again with a mild compound and see how it goes. If no luck then off to the detailers...

[monteiro5]

you also have to be careful with the compound because if you hit the same spot to long you may burn the paint and be careful with the edges

[boost_happy]

Yeah compound and edges don't mix at all, its called paint heaven.