Hard Water Spots from He11

Beemerboy

Beemerboy

Just One More Coat
Over this last weekend...I went to watch my niece get married...fun times..about 300 miles each way..road trip with the mighty 540!....they recently got a brand new Ford Focus....light green...they had parked in there apt complex and the sprinklers wet down a good half the car...My niece didn't do anything about it and let the water dry on the car in the hot Nevada heat in July!!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

They have not done one thing about it since:confused::confused:

The day after the wedding we all decided to stay one more night at my sisters house...big family gathering...she asks me to look at her car...no problem..I had my road cleaning gear with me..

I get out to look at the car and you can see and feel the white mineral deposits on the surface...about as bad as I've ever seen...I went to the local auto supplier and picked up some Mothers clay and Megs paint cleaner....The water spots laughed at the clay and PC...there was no effect that I could see..none...I worked on one small area just to see if I could get one small area to clean up..nope!...same with the paint cleaner...I tried some vinegar and water..soaked it like crazy and nothing!!


All I could think of at this point was I needed a rotary and some PP...or some heavier duty clay, the FK1 decon system or set sanding...of which I have all here.

So all this said...after they get back from the honey moon I've invited them here for the weekend to get this corrected...I have ideas..but this is quite possible the hardest water spots I've seen on any car


What do you think?
 
In my experience really bad water spots require a rotary polisher, a medium grit pad, and a "no joke" swirl remover like Wolfgang.

Good luck, you can do it!
 
You also might want to try CLR, its available at any hardware store. It really cuts off old calcium, Even removes Concrete lime like a charm.
 
StlShine said:
You also might want to try CLR, its available at any hardware store. It really cuts off old calcium, Even removes Concrete lime like a charm.
Click to expand...

Have you an personal experience with this on car paint?


Process you used, dilution ratio?

Do I just pour this on the car and hope for the best?



I'm looking to remove the calcium...not the clear coat and paint all the same time:wow:
 
I took a few pics of this the one of the top of the car shows the WS the best...this car is clean on the top that is not dirt of any sort...again these are adhered to the surface of the car...not even a finger nail scraping them did anything

This is brand new paint car is only a few months old...there is a small amount of metallic in it
 

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Have you an personal experience with this on car paint?


Process you used, dilution ratio?

Do I just pour this on the car and hope for the best?



I'm looking to remove the calcium...not the clear coat and paint all the same time
Click to expand...

I've used it for years to take off lime, from run off at the airport parking garages.

It's actually a really easy process, and safe to use on any surface of the car (Plastic, Glass, Paint, Trim) that I have found

There is no need to dilute it, just use it straight out of the bottle.

The process I use is:

1. Wash area to remove dirt/grit
2. Dry area
3. Apply a small amount on the effected area to let soak ( about one minute)
4. Using a terry cloth a a small dab of CLR rub area, thiis should remove any build up pretty easy
5. After Lime/Calcium is removed I like to rinse the area with water to clean off any CLR residue
6. Buff any light scratches as needed

Its actually a pretty good money maker:bigups
 
StlShine said:
I've used it for years to take off lime, from run off at the airport parking garages.

It's actually a really easy process, and safe to use on any surface of the car (Plastic, Glass, Paint, Trim) that I have found

There is no need to dilute it, just use it straight out of the bottle.

The process I use is:

1. Wash area to remove dirt/grit
2. Dry area
3. Apply a small amount on the effected area to let soak ( about one minute)
4. Using a terry cloth a a small dab of CLR rub area, thiis should remove any build up pretty easy
5. After Lime/Calcium is removed I like to rinse the area with water to clean off any CLR residue
6. Buff any light scratches as needed

Its actually a pretty good money maker:bigups
Click to expand...

I don't doubt that it works...I use it here for bathrooms and such..excellent product!


What you are using it on is cement, not auto clear coat and that's what I asked you.

I also posted that I found they do not recommend it being used on painted surfaces that are glazed

You can follow this link to a thread I ran about this some time back...I had thought after seeing this on TV if it would work..you can read about the results here.

http://www.detailcity.org/forums/off-topic-forum/19689-using-clr-hard-water-spots.html?highlight=clr
 
I thought StlShine was kidding. It's an acid. I know Troy likes finish acid but it's purpose designed. CLR cleans pipes and concrete. CLR does not belong on a cars finish. End of story. As detailers we debate the merits of a Dawn wash but condone putting CLR on our paint? CLR undoubtedly works differently on a variety of materials, I love it for shower heads. I personally would rather approach the nuances of wet sanding the finish than dealing with the potenial etching CLR might induce. There are a number of products in between where Beemer has been and actually wet sanding the finish. I've got to think the solution here lies with the right compound/pad combination.
 
I remember reading about someone posting a similar situation. They claimed to have tried everything. When I read their solution I thought no way that could work but I've never tried it. They claimed the ticket for them was to wash the car in the same water that spotted it in the first place (it was a sprinkler system). Said they rinsed it well, let it sit for a bit and washed as they normally would and viola. I can't for a minute tell you this works but it was interesting enough that I remember it.
 
I don't doubt that it works...I use it here for bathrooms and such..excellent product!


What you are using it on is cement, not auto clear coat and that's what I asked you.

I also posted that I found they do not recommend it being used on painted surfaces that are glazed

You can follow this link to a thread I ran about this some time back...I had thought after seeing this on TV if it would work..you can read about the results here.
Click to expand...

The steps I have listed were for use on an auto clear coat...

I was also talking about using a small amout of product, not pouring the whole bottle on it.

I agree CLR is an aggressive method, but the reason for rinsing off the CLR at the end is to neutralize the PH.

I have worked in Bodyshops for over 8 years.... blah blah blah.... I haven't had a problem with it yet:inspector:

But all in all, this is what works for me. If it's not your cup of tea, sorry:passout:
 
Update...

I talked to a friend of mine that was a NASCAR body man for years. He's long since retired from the circuit and has his own body shop now. If you can believe it, he said CLR works under "dire circumstances". I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I can tell you first hand he can make a car glow like it was dipped in liquid glass.

Way beyond my level of experience!

Smokin'
 
GearHead_1 said:
CLR does not belong on a cars finish. End of story.
Click to expand...
Some people used to think the earth was flat and that the sun and moon rotated around it....

Whether it "belongs" on paint or not is for a chemist to decide (you might want to consult one). In this case it has been proven to be one of the least intrusive methods of removing hard calcium waterspots -- without damaging the paint when used correctly. You might want to try something before you condem it; for, it is my opinion, that ignorance is cureable. I'll mention how some people used to say the same thing about Microfibers (Polyester) -- but have sinced changed their tune.
 
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