Just waxed my 2001 AE with Meguiar's Gold Class ...first wax on the car. It looked great. After I rinsed it days later, I got small water spots. What can I do, if anything, to prevent water spotting on my car? Thanks

 

Not much really..... if water dries on your car it will leave behind spots. It's the minerals and other stuff that leaves the spots. But, it's nothing that a good wash and wax can't take care of.

 

This is overkill...but if the water spots really bother you, then you may want to consider a water filter for your water main. The filter would be placed after your water meter and would filter out most of the dissolved solids in the water.

As an added benefit, the filter would give you healthier, purer drinking water. I have a humidifier that I run during the winter and I'm always amazed at the crusty mess thats always left behind in it once the water is vaporized.

 

i am a professional detailer and basically, if these waater spots go away after you wash your car again, you have nothing to worry about...but if it is hard water (from sprinklers or something like that) then it is a pain in the @$$...if the water spots stay on the car even after a car wash, you will need to either buff them to get them off, or you can buy a clay bar and use that...a clay bar and buffer are both worthwhile purchases...you should claybar your car at least twice a year and a buffer just helps with door dings etc.

 

I like Meguire's products, which I have waxed a previous car with, but my experience with 3M and Zaino polish is neither of these seem to allow water spots to develop. Just my .02.

 

blarg, i hate it when the lawn sprinklers randomly turn on, all over my car after washing. sheese.

and about clay bars. i have this bar of mothers brand clay bar. what do i do, just spray car with water, then use clay bar, then auto wash, wax etc?

 

Hey MrBurner.. Where can I buy a Claybar?... I've been looking everywhere...
How much do they normally go for?

 

alright, here is how you should use a clay bar

wash your car...be sure to get all of the visible dirt off (the dirtier the claybar gets, the less time it will last)...now you don't need to dry off your car, but i find it easier if you do...so dry off the car completely...you can even clean the windows and rims and everything...now the mothers clay bar comes with a bottle of body shine...when you clay bar a car, it is kinda like waxing...you do one area of the car at a time until you work your way around the car...i usually start on the hood...spray about 1/8th of the hood with body shine and rub the claybar fairly hard over that spot probably 4 times each way (depending on how bad your paint is...you are supposed to rub it until it just glides over the area, but sometimes it is tough to tell with the bodyshine on there...so every area you finish, you can wipe off the body shine or you can just leave it on there...it doesn't really make a difference...keep doing small areas until you work your way all the way around the car...a claybar can be used on rims, windows, headlights etc...anywhere that doesn't feel smooth (other than carpets and leather or cloth)...so now you finished your car and it looks really bad because you have all of this uneven bodyshine streaking action happening on your car...wash your car again...fully, with soap and everything...now dry your car off and it should feel extremely smooth...now do the windows and rims and everything again and now wax your car...the reason i said to do your windows and rims before you clay bar is in case they don't feel too good, you can use the clay bar on them...if you have water spots on an area and you use the claybar on that area, the life of the claybar lasts a little bit less then it normally would

you are supposed to claybar a car twice per year but i usually do mine every 2 or 3 months...i try to wax my car once or twice a month...a claybar should last about 10-15 claybaring(sp? is it even a word?) sessions

 

the claybars we use at work go for about $50 each but they are much larger than the normal claybars you buy at stores...i just bought a mothers claybar from checker for $15 in a box with a bottle of body shine and wax

 

Thanks

 

Ahhh ha ha ha. That one like seriously made me laugh out loud.. maybe i need some sleep.. Hey zach does your car look all ****ty after that storm... mine looks like hell i may wash it tomorrow morning. And hey i just got my chase card so im getting Y pipe and Springs this week..

Adam

 

i washed mine yesterday so it looks like a big giant mirror

 

Is there any harm done to the paint if you wax your car say every month? My cousin said that you should wax your car at least twice a year. Just curious. Also have you tried zaino?

 

haven't tried zaino yet since they don't seem to sell it at any stores around here

you are actually supposed to wax your car more often than twice a year...waxing your car daily is a bit excessive, but if you do it every month it is perfectly fine and is actually good for your paint...buffing it all the time isn't so great because eventually you will wear the levels of clearcoat/paint down, but hand waxing is fine...you are putting almost no pressure on the paint and the wax treats it and makes it "like new"

 

This claybar method sounds abrasive to the paint, but if it makes the paint glisten, then I'm up for it. Does using the claybar create swirls in the clearcoat?...or those nasty looking 'spiderwebs'?

 

Is Meguiar's mist and wipe...it works like a charm if I got some dust or water marks...clear it right up and I get that shine right afterwards too...I got 2 bottles for 1.99 each in Super Trak.

 

The deal with swirls is, if you use ANY product in a circular motion, you may see some swirl marks, I don't care how careful you are. I personally always use only LINEAR, FRONT TO BACK motion when I am washing, waxing, drying, detailing etc. Claybars are abrasive and if not used correctly, they may cause you more harm than good.

Finally, to answer the above post, you should wax your car when your car needs to be waxed! If water is not forming circular, dome shaped beads on your finish, you need a fresh coat of wax. This will depend on what type of wax you are using, and how often you wash the car.

 

For additional information on Zaino and their clay bar, please see:

http://www.zainobros.com/files/z18.htm

I'm elated with the results of using the clay bar and 4 coats of Zaino (1 Z-5 and 3 Z-2 with Z-6 applied in between). My baby is as smooth as glass.

There are a number of threads running around in this forum related to Zaino and other cleaners as well as the sticky at the top.

Cheers!

 

Whats your fastest way to put on a coat of wax? How long does it take you and what do you use?

 

It's not a race, you have to take your time!! I use Mothers 100% Carnuba paste wax, and after the wash and dry, it will usually take me about 1 1/2 - 2 hours (no power tools!) to do a really nice job, including the rims. Oh yeah, wax your rims too, makes it soooooooo much easier to clean off the brake dust!

 

Well said, Maximizd. You don't want to rush this ritual.

I estimate it takes me the following to "do" my baby:

15 minutes wash (not long 'cause I do it all the time and with the Zaino the dirt comes right off)
20 minutes dry (still can't find a California blade!)
25 minutes Z-6 gloss enhancer application
25 minutes Z-2 polish application
2-4 hour dry time (depending on humidity level)
25 minutes removing Z-2
25 minutes Z-6 application (I do this before and after the Z-2 to give it additional depth)
Outcome: Priceless!

 

Have you tried target for a california water blade? If you can't find one, I can pick you up one. I know two stores right by my house that carry them. California dash dusters too!

 

You can either use a clay bar or very light paint cleaner to get rid of most hard water spots. It really depends on how deep the spots are in the paint. More often than not, they are on the surface.

As far as wax goes, I prefer to use Meguiar's #26 Yellow Wax. I thought about the P21s wax. After doing the light cut cleaner and the wax, my baby looks like new.

 

You buyin? (seem to recall someone asking me that at one point )

Target... hmmm... good suggestion. I've got one about 25 minutes from here. Then again, everything is at least 25 minutes from here including any area that has cable modems and DSL. Sorry, wrong forum.

Cheers!

 

There are some issues on this thread that I would like to talk about, and I will probably be against the opinion of many, so take what you will from this...

With water spots, you might just want to get one of those car wash soaps that 'sheet' when you run the hose over it, so that there's less water to dry, and you can usually get the chamoise over it before it leaves spots.

If you keep a coat of wax on your car at all times, then you won't ever get a stain/spot that will last. Even bird crap will come off easily. In regards to how often you should wax your car, I tend to follow a rule of thumb that a fellow car enthusiast once told me: "When it comes to car care, you can never wear too clean of underwear." Swirl marks are the result of the hazing of the wax/polish into a powder that can be rubbed into the paint and scratched into swirl marks (being removed in a circular motion). This is why people with new cars are so reluctant to wax them - they think the paint is too new to be putting swirl marks in it. This is also why waxing in the sun is such a no-no; it bakes the wax and makes it harder, causing more scratches. That being the case, I use some stuff (sealer/glaze) called Liquid Lustre (pink bottle) that dries into an EXTREMELY fine powder that, when wiped off linearly, will not leave swirl marks. It doesn't stay on my car too long, so I seal it in with some other wax. Remember that wax is PROTECTIVE, so things have to be more severe in order to mess the paint up.

I read all this talk about clay bars, and I think it's funny. I always believed that clay bars are for older cars. Clay bars are used to remove dirt EMBEDDED in the paint; stuff that can't be removed by simple washing and waxing. If you have a new car, and you maintain a wax job, you should never have a problem with dirt embedded into the paint, and hence a clay bar is unnecessary (unless you want to make an ashtray). However, since the bottom of the car attracts nastiness, I can see how a clay bar can be used on parts of the car BELOW the midline door molding and lower bumper/grille. All in all, I think a clay bar is not necessary, but can cause no real harm.

Whoah - I type more in this forum per day than I do at work!

 

Not buying but willing to make the 5 minute drive if you can't find one

 

I want to TOTALLY agree with you on the above three points you made: Use ONLY linear motion, clay bars are mostly unnecessary on newer cars that have been properly maintained, and I too type more into this forum than I do at work!!!!!

 

Perhaps this is just sales hype but thought I'd bring it up as additional information. I've heard/read from a couple of different sources about clay bars and it seems to be consistent.

From Zaino's web site:

Z-18 ClayBar removes imbedded contamination from the paint finish that cannot be removed using conventional cleaning methods. It works like no cleaner, compound or chemical can and is safe for use on all paint finishes. The following contaminants are a general description of some of the contaminants that Z-18 ClayBar removes.

Rail dust- is actually tiny, sharp bare metal shavings that can adhere and imbed to the paint finish and cause serious damage when left untreated. Over 70% of new vehicles are transported from the factory using the rail system, therefore rail dust is present on new vehicles. There are many instances where a vehicle travels or is parked near a railroad in which case the finish is infected with rail dust.

Brake dust- similar to rail dust, brake dust is also in the form of tiny, sharp bare metal shavings. In recent years, asbestos brake pads were replaced with metallic brake pads, which are actually brake pads made from tiny metal or metallic shavings. Anytime a vehicle is braking; brake dust is disbursed into the air and onto the paint finish. Since the brake dust is now actually tiny particles of bare metal, this form of brake dust can seriously damage the paint finish when left untreated.

Industrial fallout- is the general term used for pollution and can be found in many forms. Eventually, pollution settles onto the paint finish of all vehicles and can cause serious damage when left untreated.

Tree sap, Road tar, Bug residue, Paint overspray, acid rain deposits and other contaminants that adhere and imbed into the paint finish can cause damage when left untreated.

Why you should use Z-18 ClayBar?

Contaminants that are left untreated can weaken the protective properties and even cause serious damage to the paint finish after a short time.

It is the only way to truly clean the paint finish and prepare the surface for protection with wax, polish and/or paint sealant. A "clayed" paint surface allows wax, polish and/or paint sealant to form a stronger bond to the paint finish.

 

Thanks, bro. Your generosity brings a tear to my eye

I'll let you know if I can't find one on my next trip to Target.