Water Spot Dilemma

[Hamilton]

Hello Dr.G,

 

One of my relatives recently moved to Palm Springs and her car is getting hammered by hard water spots by sprinklers. Everywhere she goes in town to park, including home, has sprinklers that spew hard water. To make matters worse, the spots get baked in the sun ( 100 degrees in Palm Springs). I was able to get the majority of the spots out with a clay bar and a vinegar bath, but some etching still remains. I applied opti-seal over the effected areas.

 

My question is will the etching continue to get worse if I do not buff it out? I am sure the car will continue to get soaked and bake new spots in the sun. I do not want to waste my time or the clear coat of the car buffing it every weekend. The car is a lease and I was planning on showing my relative how to clay and vinegar wash her car and I will eventually buff the entire car when the lease is up. What do you think?

 

Thank you,

 

Hamilton

[Ron Harris]

Let me put my two cents in here.

 

Is the water reclaimed water?

I know alot of the commercial properties in the Palm Springs area use this.

This type of water will leave a nasty film all over the place

 

 

I would recommend keeping the car wet with the vinegar for 10 min prior to claying just to soften the minerals a little.

Then a good car wash after with Optimum's PH neutral soap.

[Doctor G]

Hello Dr.G,

 

One of my relatives recently moved to Palm Springs and her car is getting hammered by hard water spots by sprinklers. Everywhere she goes in town to park, including home, has sprinklers that spew hard water. To make matters worse, the spots get baked in the sun ( 100 degrees in Palm Springs). I was able to get the majority of the spots out with a clay bar and a vinegar bath, but some etching still remains. I applied opti-seal over the effected areas.

 

My question is will the etching continue to get worse if I do not buff it out? I am sure the car will continue to get soaked and bake new spots in the sun. I do not want to waste my time or the clear coat of the car buffing it every weekend. The car is a lease and I was planning on showing my relative how to clay and vinegar wash her car and I will eventually buff the entire car when the lease is up. What do you think?

 

Thank you,

 

Hamilton

 

Hamilton,

 

Thank you for bringing up this question. The minerals in water vary from region to region and as Ron already pointed out it also depends on the source of water (reclaim, artesian water, lakes, etc.). Some areas contain soft water which contains Calcium hydroxide. This type of water feels soapy when you wash with it and in this case the etching will continue everytime the spot gets wet (water reactivates this mineral). Water in some regions, such as in our area, contains metasilicates which forms very hard deposits, however, it does not etch the same way as Calcium hydroxide. Reclaim water can contain just about anything I suppose so it is difficult to predict its behavior.

 

Since you have sealed the spots, there is less chance for water activating the mineral deposits and they should not cause further damage. It should also minimize future damage if the water spots are washed off within a few days. Please keep us posted whether the water spots clean easier now that you have sealed the finish. Thanks again.

 

David,

[Anthony Orosco]

Another note here.....water is in a liquid state so as the water evaporates the minerals carried by the water seek to reform in their original hardened state and they are using your cars surface as a base. At least that's what my cereal box said.

 

Anthony

[OptimusPrime]

i have a similar predicament however the water i got on my car only 1 week after application was from household sprinklers with normal drinking water. although the aftermath was that of severe panic.

 

i ended up using a very very weak solution of white vinegar and distilled water with a microfibre towel to dry off. i pounded the water spots with the solution and rinsed all the dirt/water spot residue off (akin to hosing loose dirt off) then wiped it dry. not sure if this is a proven method but it got rid of the water spots and some of my panic until my detailer arrived who did the applciation and he praised my work as he could not see any water spotting.

 

is this ok to do? 2-5% vinegar with distilled / demineralized water in a huge spray bottle? appears to have work, just hope nothing detrimental. i know vinegar in stronger doses can remove wax, but i also know opticoat can resist a mild acid to a degree.