[MP525i]

Hi Guys,

I have an issue with my paint. There are extreme water spots on my hood, roof, and trunk. I went 2 months without washing it due to being extremely busy at work. So, this past weekend, I finally got around to detailing the car. Started with a wash and clay.

I went into the compound (using Chemical Guys V34) on a random orbital 7424 with a red pad. Wasn't doing the trick at speed 6, so I moved up to the rotary buffer. Started working in the product at 1200rpms and bumped up to 3,000rpms. After doing multiple passes (I'd say around 20-30 passes), the scratches and water marks finally buffed out.

After doing the rest of the car with the rotary, I went back to the random orbital, threw on a blue pad and hit it with Klasse All-In-One for the hell of it. Finally, I used the Ceramic Detail Spray TEC582 (2 coats - 24 hours between coats).

It was looking really good.... so I drive it to work on Wednesday and it sits out in the sun all day. I get home from work and the water spots rear their ugly little head again.....

Has anybody else dealt with this? Need help!

Thank you.

-Mike

*I'll post some pictures when I have a minute later today/tomorrow.

[cdmulders]

Originally Posted by MP525i

Hi Guys,

I have an issue with my paint. There are extreme water spots on my hood, roof, and trunk. I went 2 months without washing it due to being extremely busy at work. So, this past weekend, I finally got around to detailing the car. Started with a wash and clay.

I went into the compound (using Chemical Guys V34) on a random orbital 7424 with a red pad. Wasn't doing the trick at speed 6, so I moved up to the rotary buffer. Started working in the product at 1200rpms and bumped up to 3,000rpms. After doing multiple passes (I'd say around 20-30 passes), the scratches and water marks finally buffed out.

If your pad colours match what Hex Logic and others use, then the red pad is one of the softest you can get, and it would not work very well with any cutting polish or compound. In that case, you may not have gone deep enough with your buffing. I would go with a green pad (heavy polishing) , or even an orange (medium cutting) if more buffing is needed.

[SWFLf10]

Every case is different, but I’ve used Meguiars 205 polish and a white hex pad most recently to remove some swirls and water spots on a friends vehicle with good luck.

[MP525i]

Here are the pics and the pad specs

[MP525i]

Just an update for anybody still reading... water spots have come back with a vengence... The F10 trunk deck design is pretty weak as after a hard rain, the water just pools... if the sun comes out immediately after the storm and the car sits... that's no good for the paint....

Anyway, I hit it with the rotary again with Meguiar's Scratch-X and a red pad (per the pic above). Everything has come out again, so I'll see how it looks after driving into work this week.

Thanks.

-Mike

[cdmulders]

Originally Posted by MP525i

Just an update for anybody still reading... water spots have come back with a vengence... The F10 trunk deck design is pretty weak as after a hard rain, the water just pools... if the sun comes out immediately after the storm and the car sits... that's no good for the paint....

Anyway, I hit it with the rotary again with Meguiar's Scratch-X and a red pad (per the pic above). Everything has come out again, so I'll see how it looks after driving into work this week.

Thanks.

-Mike

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that it worked! As an aside, and probably not the issue, but using enough pressure on the buffer is also important. I remember one source showing that the pad should deflect a bit (curl up around the edges) but not so much that it wrinkles. Another source estimated that they used about 9 pounds of pressure. I've never had to use the most aggressive scratch removers and pads for anything but deep scratches but I definitely push down on the buffer with measurable force for whatever I'm doing.

[xxpanipuri]

have you tried just using vinegar and water solution first to wipe the car down. Vinegar will do a good job in dissolving the water spots in a safe/non abrasive way, before machine polishing?

[MP525i]

cdmulders - you were correct. I put more pressure down and bumped the speed up a bit. All the advice was to keep the rpms on the rotary at 1500-1800rpms and the weight of the buffer is enough....

So I applied pressure (not sure how much, but it's wasn't a crazy amount) along with bumping the speed up to 2500-2800rpms...

So far, the water marks are gone and haven't returned!!

-Mike