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View Full Version : Tough water marks / spots, need some advice


dbhak22
11-29-2005, 12:17 AM
Hello all, first post here...and YES I have done my share of searching for my answers, :)



I just bought a used (3400 miles) Saab 9-2X in BLACK...toughest color to keep clean as you all know. The car is less than 6 months old, but the previous owner didn`t maintain the paint as well as he could have. The car was in San Diego all summer and he must have parked in direct sunlight near a sprinkler system as there are some strong water marks/spots on parts of the hood, the passenger side headlight (plastic) and bumper (paint and chrome pieces).



Doing a lot of research on here and posting a thread on the Saab92X forums, I`ve concluded that vinegar/water is a good solution...so I tried it over the long weekend with no luck. I am new to the detailing game but have always been anal with keeping my car clean. I started buying some products and waxed the car for the first time a couple weekends ago and it didn`t help with the spots as someone had suggested. I just purchased a bottle of 3M Imperial Hand Glaze which might help, but I got it to use as a glaze/polish anyway. I haven`t used it yet as it was purchased online and hasn`t arrived yet...



In the meantime, I would like some EXPERT (yes, from reading a lot of threads on here, I havce concluded you are all experts, :) ) advice on which method/product I should use to get rid of the water spots on my bumper/chrome/hood. Keep in mind I have a metallic black paint job and am new to detailling so do not want to use a powered device.



Here is a picture of what I`m dealing with...



http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-9/1076625/DSC00680.JPG



THANKS!
Bioman
11-29-2005, 01:57 AM
You`re going to need an abrasive compound/polish to get rid of water spots. First, clay the affected area`s to get rid of any surface contaminants. Then go over it with some rubbing compound, such as the 3M brand (can be bought locally at pep-boys), and a foam applicator. I am assuming you will be doing this by hand, although a PC will be 10x more effective. Then apply your hand glaze you purchased. For the chrome areas, you should get a chrome polish, such as Mother`s, which can also be bought locally.
dbhak22
11-29-2005, 10:06 AM
You`re going to need an abrasive compound/polish to get rid of water spots. First, clay the affected area`s to get rid of any surface contaminants. Then go over it with some rubbing compound, such as the 3M brand (can be bought locally at pep-boys), and a foam applicator. I am assuming you will be doing this by hand, although a PC will be 10x more effective. Then apply your hand glaze you purchased. For the chrome areas, you should get a chrome polish, such as Mother`s, which can also be bought locally.



Bioman, thanks for the reply. I have a couple follow-up questions....



- Can I clay just parts of the car? In my case, the hood and maybe the front fenders as that`s where the water marks are...or should I clay the entire car?



- You mention a rubbing compound...would this just be called "3M Rubbing Compound"?



- Finally, what about my headlight? (plastic) Is it OK to follow the procedure outlined above for my hood (metal) as well as the bumper and headlights (plastic)?



Thanks again!
opass
11-29-2005, 02:15 PM
Time to buy PC or save the elbow grease to hire pro doing the job. Paint correction isn`t easy at all by hand.
imported_Neothin
11-29-2005, 02:37 PM
Your really going to want to pick up a porter cable. Not only would it help out in this project, but it will also help maintain that black finish of yours.



If you do want to go the hand application route though, I would pick up some plastX, ScratchX, and some 3M rubbing compound from your local auto parts store. Use the PlastX on the plastic pieces that are affected. For the painted pieces, start off with the scratchX, remember you want to start with the least aggressive method first. Try that for a few minutes and if the water spots remain, step up to the rubbing compound. After compounding follow up with scratchX to remove haze/swirling left over by the compound.



It`s ok to clay just small areas of the car, but why would you want to? I think its better to just get all the crap off the entire car vs just small areas.
cwcad
11-29-2005, 02:54 PM
I know that you do not have a PC ....yet. here is what i did to get rid of some of the problem that is similiar to your situation. http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?p=633821#post633821 Nothing I did by hand fazed the water marks.



I ended up using Poorboy`s SSR3 with PC and a wool pad and the product from hawaii that the member here sent me. It took a long time and i was real careful. I got over 95% of the spots removed.



Hope this will help.
dbhak22
11-29-2005, 03:08 PM
Thanks guys! Didn`t realize how serious these watermarks were...I live in an apartment complex and it`s just a royal PITA to vacuum or bring any sort of electrical tools outside that require cabled power. I will take your responses, do some research and let you know how it goes...



Thanks again!
Bioman
11-30-2005, 01:55 PM
Yes, you can clay anything on your car that you can touch. If you have the money, go buy a PC...it will save you a lot of sweat. The product I was thinking was indeed 3M rubbing compund. I only mentioned that because you can find it locally, and I assume you want to get rid of them asap. There are others you can find that are just as good, if not better, online.