White paint (Acura) and hard water stains

D

derelict

New member
About 3 months after I took delivery on my car, I noticed that there were hard water marks all over the horizontally flat surfaces of the vehicle. I've never done anything but hand wash/dry it... so I can only imagine they were there since the day I picked it up or acid rain has stained it. With the help of this forum I recently decided to pick up a PC7336 and a pad kit from CMA. A post a while back had reported good luck using 3MFCRC with water marks... so I used it with the PC on a small area to try it out. No luck. A local detalier then suggested I try #2, #9 and finish with #26. The end result was a mirror-like smooth hood... but still no luck on the stains. I also tried #1 with the PC, but since it couldn't generate enough heat to break it down properly, I ended up having a heck of a time fully removing the product... and the end result was no difference anyway.



I guess my question is: is rotary the only way I am going to get these out? They are only really visible in direct sunlight at a certain angle... or at night under the reflection of a streetlamp or other lightsource. But I see them every time I detail the car, and it bothers me to no end knowing I cannot remove them. I picked up some #83DACP which I read was probably the most abrasive product I can effectively use with the PC... and I plan on trying it this weekend. But if this doesn't work, I guess I just need some confirmation that a professional detailer is the only option left.



thanks!



Kevin
 
did yu try thge old vinegar trick?? give a try... water your car and with a soft terry towel rub some vinegar on the stains... it might work since it removes water deposits quite well... give that a try before you use something as abresive as DACP.. you only have so much paint you can level... good luck and keep us posted
 
Distilled White Vinegar (in varying concentration from about 10% up to 90%) was the first thing I tried. Sorry, should have mentioned that!
 
This same issue came up last week. You may want to do a search. One of our regular contributors swore by One Grand Special Touch. I have not used this product, so I can't comment. Good luck.
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



Use detailer clay to remove any hardened deposits, then use water/distilled white vinegar or an Isopropyl Alcohol solution, 5:1 (adjust ratio as required) or try equal parts white vinegar and distilled water to dissolve the alkaline-based mineral water deposits.



To remove any etching or surface pitting you will need to level the paint film surface, providing they are not too deep, with an abrasive machine polish



~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ Jon

justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*
 
Those acid rain etches are tough, A skilled person on a rotary and the right product. Even then it can be risky depending on the depth of them.
 
After visiting a prof detailer w/ 15 yrs in the business, the last thing we tried was wet sanding a small test area with #2000... and it worked! We plan to do the rest of the car sometime soon -- are there any recommendations for/against this decision? I've been reading up on wetsanding here and it seems people are very conservative/cautious about it. If this is the last resort, how should I be weighing the appearance of my vehicle vs. the long term implications of losing a thin top layer of clearcoat on the hood, roof, trunk, and horizontal areas on the sides of the car? Will a few coats of wax offset this enough for it to be safe?



thanks
 
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