I detail my Mom's '04 350ZR about once a month and where she parks at work there are some stubborn hard water spots. Has anybody used any stuff they can recommend?

 

For hard water spots (actual mineral deposits) try vinegar or vinegar solution first. I've never tried this myself though, so I'm not sure by how much you should dilute it....

 

50/50 is safe. Thats the usual ratio for window cleaner. Try that first and if it doesn't work, boost the vinegar up till it does.

CM

 

I'm talking about water spots on red paint. You can use vinegar on paint?

 

I used it after washing my car and as im drying it i spray it 1oo% non-dilluted and ive done it more than once on two cars and it does work good and no damage. I also used the vinager str8 up 100% as a clay lubricant as im claying the car

 

Yes you can.

Are these mineral deposits, or damaged paint?

If vinegar proves to be ineffective, or you look at it carefully and it really looks like rings IN the paint (and it's not raised like junk on top of the paint) then you'll need to polish out the damaged paint. A scratch remover is usually a good place to start.

Keep the car well waxed.

 

its a brand new 350ZR. The paint is in very good shape it just has water spots on the paint from sitting next to a sprinkler.

 

dave: The vinegar would definitely be the best bet. You can use the 50/50 mixture to remove the water spots and then follow up with polish and then wax.

 

I use Mguiars "Quick Detail" for imperfections on a relatively clean car that doesn't need a wash. It should work well on water spots.

 

Tell her to park away from the sprinklers. But if she can't, you are going to have to use some quick detail spray to clean the car every time it has water spots on it. You don't want to let them sit on the paint. The longer they sit, the more damage they will do to the paint.