Vinegar Wipedown to QEW to SG?

[Mikeman]

Thanks for taking a look here. I have an emergency waterspot situation I`m trying to deal with.



As briefly as possible:



1) Finished AIO and SG Saturday night. Parked car outside out of necessity.



2) Rain Sunday morning, followed by several sunny hours. Car has massive waterspots which come off with vinegar (not detail spray).



I QEWed the entire car, then wiped it down with a vinegar-soaked MF. The water spots are gone. I then QEWed the car again to wash off the vinegar. I`m hoping I`m ready to AIO (or SG?) again.



My questions:



Did the QEW remove the vinegar? What happens to rubber seals and plastic if vinegar is not thoroughly flushed away by a full wash?



Time is important, that`s why I`m trying to skip the full wash. Can I go straight to SG? That would be ideal.



Thanks for any advice.



Mikeman

[Pondscum]

I don`t really understand why the waterspots didn`t remove with a quick detailer. I`ve used Klasse for a long time and there`s been occasions when it`s rained after I`ve just applied SG. I`ve never experienced the problem you have. However, I have made the mistake of using SG over the top of waterspots which is definitely not good and will make them a real hassle to get off.



Is it possible that you had some waterspots before you started? AIO will remove light waterspots, but heavier ones need to be removed with a dedicated polish. If you don`t get them off entirely before you apply SG, you may not notice them until later, but eventually they will stick out like a sore thumb.

[Mikeman]

The car was perfect Saturday night. I just didn`t have time to deal with it this morning when it rained, followed by strong sun. The spots had eaten through the SG/AIO. I guess the rain was full of bad stuff. It ruined MANY hours of work. The paint is fine (vinegar worked), the wax job is shot.



Mikeman

[Mikeman]

A search for "vinegar" answered all my questions. :) This forum is just a gold mine of info!



Mikeman

[NorthPac]

Get a polish/cleaner or just a cleaner and /w MF wipe down that could take care of your new waterspots on the suface. If you use vinegar make sure you use enough of ether QEX or water to neutralize the pH on the suface. Vinegar has a pH of about 4 and water is 7 QEX who knows?



Hey did you know that when paint is applied that it sticks better then the suface is acid. I have no idail about wax/sealers on the right pH?

[Mikeman]

Well, my vinegar-wipe, QEW, AIO, SG plan seems to have worked fine. I used the 5% white vinegar at full strength. I wiped down the paint with a well-soaked (but not dripping) MF. I then let the vinegar sit on the paint for a few minutes before doing a normal QEW wash. The AIO and SG seem to be sticking just fine.



Mikeman

[Scottwax]

Dew water spots would have come off with a QD. Hard water spots, like those from sprinklers often need a vinegar wash. I normally just mix it in with QEW, wash normally, then polish the paint prior to waxing. The polish will remove any trace amounts of vinegar still on the paint.

[stevet]

Originally posted by Mikeman

The car was perfect Saturday night. I just didn`t have time to deal with it this morning when it rained, followed by strong sun. The spots had eaten through the SG/AIO. I guess the rain was full of bad stuff. It ruined MANY hours of work. The paint is fine (vinegar worked), the wax job is shot.



Mikeman





I have never had rain water leave spots that a simple wash couldn`t remove. Any time I have had to use vinegar to remove spots it has been from tap water.