Waterspots.....

J

JonB

New member
I have been looking all over the place for Prepsol and can't find any. I've tried hobby shops, arts and crafts shops and the Internet....no luck. Maybe a dry cleaning store??



H
 
However, there are many similar or same products, the generic term is "wax,grease and tar remover".



Naptha is a stand alone solvent, also called lighter fluid.



The concern with the use of most "prepsol" type products is most contain xylene in the formulation and this will damage rubber and vinyl trim. The damage is not always seen until some time passes, plus the xylene is a known carcenigenic by inhalation, skin contact etc.



Ketch:eek:
 
Ok....I am preparing to do some paint chip repairs and the instructions contain Prepsol as one of the needed supplies to remove oils etc to prep the surface for the touchup paint. I also looked for denatured alcohol which can substitute for Prepsol, but had no luck finding that as well. Any other suggestions? Or should I just use lighter fluid? I guess I only need a small dab of it to put on the chip, so I am not really concerned about carcinogenicity.



I bought a new hose spray attachement yesterday and on the label it said "Warning, this product contains materials that the State of California had determined to cause cancer". That was a pleasant surprise....



H
 
Clean the chips with the lighter fluid, agitate with a new small paint brush ( one of those cheap 1 1/2 china bristle, (cut the bristles down to about a 1/2 inch or smaller, makes them stiffer) and then clean the chips with rubbing alcohol, (IPA), you get at the grocery or drug store.



Allow to dry and do your touch up.



If you see the primer or base coat trying to "run away" from the chip, there is still some foriegn material in the chip, so the fluid will take it off and then reclean.



Ketch:up
 
Thanks Ron. I'm sure my son has some lighter fluid, though he doesn't smoke cigarettes :confused:



I have a pen like product that has stiff bristles to "roughen" up the chip. I guess that will work. I also bought a great little brush yesterday, very fine with short bristles. Way better than the brush that comes with the touch up paint. I also ordered some paint applicators from Griot's Garages, but that was before I found this brush. I guess I will try them both to see which is better.
 
A paper match!



Not the end with the sulfur on it , but the end that is there when you tear it out of the book of matches.



This is what many use to apply the paint to small chips!



You dip it in the paint, then dab it into the chip, works great.



A can of lighter fluid at the store is about $1.79 to $1.98.



Th "pen" device works great, probably the one that is made by ProMotorCar, (old friends-have the ETG paint gauge we distribute).



Ketch

:up
 
Ron K. I noticed you said to use IPA to clean before doing chip repair. Can denatured alcohol be used interchangably, or is it more agressive/damaging to the finish?



Thanks,

LJ
 
The naptha or other grease/wax removers may leave a slightly "oily" residue, the alcohol makes sure the surface is completely free of any residue which may affect the bond of the paint.



Ketch:up
 
I tried a little "experiment" a few months ago on a 2009 Dark Gray Camry that was covered in nasty waterspots. I filled a spray bottle with White Distilled Vinegar @ about 70% and distilled water @ 30%. Sprayed a section and then took to it with my PC, a white LC flat pad and speed 4.5 to 5. Some sections were hit twice. Amazing results and I'll do it again if I encounter severe water spots!

I've also used staight i.e. uncut vinegar for added strength.

This is obviously a technique used knowing I'll be reapplying an LSP at the end. There's no LSP left after vinegar IME.
 
Puckman said:
I tried a little "experiment" a few months ago on a 2009 Dark Gray Camry that was covered in nasty waterspots. I filled a spray bottle with White Distilled Vinegar @ about 70% and distilled water @ 30%. Sprayed a section and then took to it with my PC, a white LC flat pad and speed 4.5 to 5. Some sections were hit twice. Amazing results and I'll do it again if I encounter severe water spots!

I've also used staight i.e. uncut vinegar for added strength.

This is obviously a technique used knowing I'll be reapplying an LSP at the end. There's no LSP left after vinegar IME.
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Yes, this is what I'm looking for. I have yet to even see this car. It belongs to one of my very best customers boss and I have a funny feeling these spots have been on there awhile. The car only has 11,000 on the clock and sits in the garage undercover 90% of the time :spy:

What I am looking for here is if someone has any non-traditional methods of removing these spots. What I was really hoping is that I could just look at the car, blink my eyes/ tap my heels and they would disappear :wizard:

svtcobra said:
Can't wait to see pics of this Terminator after you finish! I have some water spots on mine from my last wash.
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Well, I will see about snapping a few during the process but if your looking for a pic heavy thread I can tell you now it ain't happening. I don't see how you guys stop so much to take pics. I have about 10 cars I have done recentally on my memory card and quite frankly pic taking is not one of my strong points. On top of that, I haven't a clue as to how to put them on the web. I will be picking the car up a week from this Sunday and we will see what goes :driving:

Todd Helme, I am waiting to here what your plan of attack would be. Stop ignoring my thread :sarge
 
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