Hard water spots
- Thread starter toadman
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bonehead
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Coming from some of the hardest water out there (Phoenix, AZ), I've been victim to rock hard water totally f'ing up pristine black paint. I'm not a professional detailer, just an educated consumer, novice detailer, and **** retentive car owner. So, YMMV.
As for the simple plug-in filters from Autogeek: may work for water with a very low PPM, but not the heavy duty hard water.
That 'Ducky' product is suspect. Hard water spots can only be effectively removed in one of two ways:
1) polishing which is not only time consuming and costly (need a rotary or dual action buffer plus the polishes) but it also removes a small layer of clearcoat. Do this repeatedly and you'll burn right down to the base paint layer=very bad.
2) Acid. If this Ducky stuff only requires wipe on/wipe off, then it's probably not strong enough for tough spots. I've used a product by Chemical Guys.
Chemical Guys Water Spot Remover - 16 oz | Detailed Image
It smells like rotten eggs and takes quite a bit of effort, but it's pretty effective. You DO have to rinse it off thoroughly or it will mess with your clear coat.
Clay bars are not meant to remove water spots and in many cases probably won't be very effective. They remove surface contaminants/atmospheric fallout, but removing etched-in water spots may prove to be futile. Plus, claying comes at a cost: it will mar up your clearcoat causing fine scratches/swirls.
How to prevent the spots completely? Have to remove the dissolved mineral salts with a deionizing filtration system. I use CR Spotless (CRSpotless Water Systems). The resin is pricey to replace, but there are other cheaper, bulk alternatives than buying their refills. Plus, the cost of the resin vs. the headache of removing spots is very much worth it.
Drying the car with a leaf blower is also a great idea which I do as well. Not so essential if you use an effective water deionizing system, but any dust/particulates in the air that settle on a wet vehicle can cause spotting as well. So drying off the car without touching the paint (which can lead to marring/swirls) is a good idea.
As for the simple plug-in filters from Autogeek: may work for water with a very low PPM, but not the heavy duty hard water.
That 'Ducky' product is suspect. Hard water spots can only be effectively removed in one of two ways:
1) polishing which is not only time consuming and costly (need a rotary or dual action buffer plus the polishes) but it also removes a small layer of clearcoat. Do this repeatedly and you'll burn right down to the base paint layer=very bad.
2) Acid. If this Ducky stuff only requires wipe on/wipe off, then it's probably not strong enough for tough spots. I've used a product by Chemical Guys.
Chemical Guys Water Spot Remover - 16 oz | Detailed Image
It smells like rotten eggs and takes quite a bit of effort, but it's pretty effective. You DO have to rinse it off thoroughly or it will mess with your clear coat.
Clay bars are not meant to remove water spots and in many cases probably won't be very effective. They remove surface contaminants/atmospheric fallout, but removing etched-in water spots may prove to be futile. Plus, claying comes at a cost: it will mar up your clearcoat causing fine scratches/swirls.
How to prevent the spots completely? Have to remove the dissolved mineral salts with a deionizing filtration system. I use CR Spotless (CRSpotless Water Systems). The resin is pricey to replace, but there are other cheaper, bulk alternatives than buying their refills. Plus, the cost of the resin vs. the headache of removing spots is very much worth it.
Drying the car with a leaf blower is also a great idea which I do as well. Not so essential if you use an effective water deionizing system, but any dust/particulates in the air that settle on a wet vehicle can cause spotting as well. So drying off the car without touching the paint (which can lead to marring/swirls) is a good idea.
SwampKing
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Seen a commercial on tv.....Mothers has a product available as well.
12' Race Red Raptor SCAB (Loaded to the max!)
SCABS are faster!!
08' SeaDoo RXP-X Clockin' 80+ GPS
12' Race Red Raptor SCAB (Loaded to the max!)
SCABS are faster!!
08' SeaDoo RXP-X Clockin' 80+ GPS
bonehead
Full Access Member
Water softeners and deionizers are not the same. From my understanding, a softener removes calcium, magnesium and other minerals but adds sodium to the water in it's place.
The CR spotless sytem removes all of the minerals for a spot free rinse.
raptor2012
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Toilet bowl cleaner. On the glass only. I have never used it on paint, i probably wouldnt try it
hattrik0797
Full Access Member
I used the Quick Detailer from Meguilar as Nold suggested and it worked amazing tonight. I had no water spots whatsoever on my windows after using this stuff. I also ended up using it on the entire truck (except the wheels and tires) and the Raptor looks freaking awesome. I just order more bottles of this stuff as it works great and it is super easy to use! Thanks for the help here 
I've had the hard water dilemma as well and the spots that go with it. The easiest and cheapest way I've found to help cope with it is in the washing and drying method itself. First, which is pretty common sense is never wash in the sunlight. If the sun is shining where I wash my truck, I don't even bother. There is no way to dry it before spots develop. I've even kicked around the idea of putting an awning on the garage or buying one of those collapsable shelters because evening is the only time I have shade where I wash. The second thing I do is wash in stages. Wash the roof and bed cover, rinse. Front clip, rinse etc. Instead of washing everything at once and then rinsing, this way keeps the truck wet the entire time. Right before drying I go over the entire truck one last time using the sheeting effect to get most of the water off of it and eliminate most of the drying.
It may or may not work for others but it's really helped cut back on water spots for me.
It may or may not work for others but it's really helped cut back on water spots for me.
bonehead
Full Access Member
This can be effective, but probably doubles your labor time. I'd rather dish out the money and get the deionizer (or better yet, pay someone else to wash my cars
)I'm sure it adds to the time, but I wouldn't say it comes close to doubling it. Not for me anyway. Besides, I use it as stress relief time. I have an excuse to get out of the house and play with my truck. The kids run around the yard and give mom a break, which makes her happy, which makes me happy.
I definitely see your point though. I just happen to enjoy doing it though and my cheap side has a hard time paying anyone for work I can do myself. I'm to the point where I've even kicked around the idea of starting to do some basic detailing work on my days off.
I definitely see your point though. I just happen to enjoy doing it though and my cheap side has a hard time paying anyone for work I can do myself. I'm to the point where I've even kicked around the idea of starting to do some basic detailing work on my days off.
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