water damage on 2014 BMW

[anhizer]

Hi All,


I have a 2014 BMW 335i in the "black sapphire metallic" (metallic black) that I have had since it had about 10k miles. I have been using a Harbor Freight DA polisher with chemical guys hexlogic pads w/ HD Poxy or Blackfire wet diamond (started with poxy, didnt like the durability and moved on to BWD). Anyways, its been a while since I have had time to put a fresh coat of wax on the car and we had some freak summer rain (a very rare occurrence here in CA in the summer).`


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Long story short the car sat with water/dirt/other stuff on it and the BWD that i put on it a while ago was no longer offering any protection. Now i have some HEAVY water spots in the paint. I was able to finally spend a little time on the car today- i used a orange light cutting pad with HD Adapt with little results. I then tried Cut (same pad) which didnt seem to do much either. I was using my HF DA at about speed 4 applying medium pressure. In the shade and indirect sun it looks OK but in direct sunlight it looks really bad.`


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As im not an expert at this sort of thing im thinking about taking the car to a pro for a correction, but I would prefer to do it myself and save some coin. I do have access to my friends Griots DA which has a bit more power the the HF. Any suggestions on product to try? I think im going to need to compound it or at least a heavy polish to get this stuff out. I have to buy compound (the adapt and Cut i have were in small sample bottles). I do have some 3M ultrafine polish but i dont think thats going to do the job.


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I have a HD dealer nearby so that`s preferable, but I`m open to anything.


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Sorry for the long post & thanks in advance.


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[Junebug]

Get thee to HD and buy some ERASURE - the best damn water spot remover this old redneck has evah used!

[David Fermani]

X2 for what JuneBug mentioned. Eraser will help big time. Much better/safer/easier to remove water spots chemically rather than abrasively. Your paint will thank you! Let us know if you need more help.`


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Use code dav15 and get 15% off your chemical purchase:


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http://www.3dproducts.com/eraser-onl...ver-16-oz-gel/

[anhizer]

Thanks for the replies. I forgot to mention- Prior to polish i did use a blue (light abrasive) nanoskin to remove contaminate. Im not sure if the water spots are on the surface or if they are etched into the paint- i think they might be etched. The paint feels smooth to the touch and looks fine in indirect light. However in direct light:





Here is the same portion of the car taken in the opposite direction (away from the sun)





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Does this look like there is contaminant on the paint or that it has been etched into the clear?


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Thanks!

[Quiksilver5882]

It appears that they are etched as you mentioned they weren`t removed by claying. Some polish with an orange cutting pad should do the trick. If not, try a compound and the orange pad. Least aggressive method first!!

[David Fermani]

Personally, I think it`s on the surface mostly. If needed, apply some Eraser to a foam pad and buff the surface on a slow speed. It`s like doing things on steroids.`

[anhizer]

Hey All,


Thanks for the replies. I went into my local HD dealer and showed the car to the sales guy. I explained what I had done so far and after his assessment he sold me a microfiber pad and some HD Cut. I asked him specifically about the eraser and he didnt think it was the best option because it had "been on the car for too long" (and i assume had etched into the paint). `I did the hood last night and it turned out great. i might drop to a less aggressive pad with a polish and see how that works out, but man the hood looks good. I topped the CUT with some SPEED but will hit it with some Poxy over the weekend.


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Thanks!