Not feeling good about my car... venting. :(

[turborave]

The last couple times i have washed my car the water has been leaving bad water spots that are leaving outlines of themselves on the car after i dry it. i dont wash in the sun, i dry right after i rinse. i cant think of what i am doing differently. Even my WAUD or QD wont take them up. I am going to have to PC the whole car to get rid of them.



Also my front bumper is covered with rock chips as is the front 3" or so of my hood.. its not stuff a normal person would notice but its driving me nutty. My car has 43,000 miles on it and i guess its just showing its "daily driverness"



On the back edge of my bumper where the trunk lid is there is a ledge there, about 2-3". For some reason scratches are appearing there.. i dont take things out of my trunk often and certainly not anything that would scratch it. I have tried to remove them with my PC, yellow pad and Megs #9 2.0. but they are still there... there was just one there for a while but now there are 2 more shorter ones!



My rims have been getting little nicks and marks on them. not from anything i am doing, just normal wear and tear.. i wish i could just get a whole new set.



AND! the little fisheyes that are my 2 drivers side doors have been mocking me lately. i usually dont notice them but they have been catching my eye lately. They are from when my car got broken into and the glass scratched the doors and i got them removed. I didnt see them when i picked up the car, this was over 2 years ago.



I have 100 other things in my life that i should be worrying about more than if my car is shiney and clean... but i guess its just easier to worry about that than the things that actually matter. OK.. vent over..



i would like to close with a pic of how i would like to remember my car and when i get some free time to spend on my car how i would like to get it back to...



http://turborave.snittens.com/car%20shiz/112303/DSC00164.jpg



http://turborave.snittens.com/car%20shiz/112303/DSC00163.jpg



http://turborave.snittens.com/car%20shiz/112303/DSC00162.jpg



thanks to anyone who read this pile of dribble.

[04BlackAV]

Well the car looks pretty damn good in those pics.



I have the same battle with water spots.The only thing that has helped me out lately is using QEW.

[audio1der]

Don`t get down on yourself- it looks great!

I help a good friend of mine with his balck 99.5 Jetta, whose hood and front bumper look so bad, it seems almost as if the front of the car is turning white!:scared

I`ve never seen such bad pitting in my life- poor car.

It looks like you`ve done well.

I guess a 3M clear bra is a good invesment- def. getting it on my next ride.

[vinnymack]

yea, those pictures look pretty damn nice..It sounds like your driving environment is pretty harsh. I would get a front bra of some sort since the car is fairly new and all

[SilverLexus]

That looks great for any mileage and at 43K you should just be damn proud!



I think rock chips on the front are part of life unfortunately. We see that a lot here in Georgia. I`m thinking of getting some polymer solution.

[hondaguy2582]

Id just get a bra or wax the front end more often. As far as water spots go, is it from the hose water or acid rain? In all honesty, try a water filter on your hose to help lessen the water spots.

[SVR]

Sounds like the water in your area is pretty hard.

What paint protection have you been using on it. If you topped a coat of polymer sealant like WC supa seal, four star UPP etc with three or four coats of klasse and then p21s or similar, I doubt it if stone chips will ever be able to bother you again.



Same goes for bugs too.

Car looks great in those pics and I really like the tyre dressing.

[stilez]

It`s hard, but you have to eventually accept that you have a daily driver. As hard as it is, I have realized this.



As far as fixing them, a repaint on the front bumper would work, then let it cure and get a clear bra ($$$ but a perfect solution).



The door fisheyes, you will have to wetsand/compound/polish them out.



Wheel chips are inevitable...I park away from curbs big time and still get minor blemishes.



The water spots, you will have to look into a water de-ionizer...It will save you time and frustration in the future.



For the rear bumper, you will most likely need a rotary and more abrasive products.



Good Luck and keep your head up.

[imported_neoflex]

I kow how you feel. I too get like that when I care too much about the appearance of my daily driver. Luckily these day my Caddy sits home all week and just comes out on the weekends(Sometimes) I have been fortunate to own it since Oct and still only have 3600 miles on it. Like GSR said, its only a matter of time. The wheels get pitted from daily use no matter how careful you are with them. On my VW I had my front end painted twice, because it drove me nuts. I guess that`s part of what makes up autopians huh? Usually I get to the point where I get so fed up with the appearance that I go and get something new. Extreme yes, but when I start feeling like that about a car there`s usually no turning back. Yes, I do have a sickness!

[imported_KevinA]

I think the pics are from when the car was new. He`d like it to look like that again. Unfortunately, without a quality repaint, it probably won`t.



I had similar issues with my `00 New Beetle. After 23,000 miles it had lots of paint chips and burned-in brake dust on the wheels. Worst experience with a car I`ve ever had.

[xtreme88]

I`m having the same problem with my sistes new Golf. I washed it like I do my car yet it had water spots all over, especially the tailgate as it has the ledge where water collects.

[turborave]

Originally posted by KevinA

I think the pics are from when the car was new. He`d like it to look like that again. Unfortunately, without a quality repaint, it probably won`t.



I had similar issues with my `00 New Beetle. After 23,000 miles it had lots of paint chips and burned-in brake dust on the wheels. Worst experience with a car I`ve ever had.



actually, those pics are from last november... less than a year ago.