[danimal]

Some water droplets (I think from a sprinkler or an extremely brief rain) landed on my car, and I didn't have a chance to wash my car for I guess over three weeks. I finally gave it a good wash this weekend, but when I got all done, the water spots were still there. I tried some cleaner wax on a test area. No effect. I tried a little white vinegar on a different test area. No effect. Finally, I brought out the big guns: Mother's Clay Bar. I did the whole hood very thoroughly, following the instructions religiously. No dice! Didn't even seem to lighten the marks.

Is that it? Is my paint permanently ruined from water? Is there any other recourse besides getting my car (or at least the hood, roof, and trunk lid) repainted?

I spent hours waxing my car just a couple months ago with the whole three-step Mothers system. I thought this would provide at least some protection until I had a chance to wash it. But apparently not.

For the moment, I rewaxed my hood just to protect it from any further damage while I figure out what (if anything) to do about the water spots. It feels perfectly smooth and looks shiny, but if any light hits it from above, it looks pretty bad.

Can someone please advise me?

Thanks,

-Dan

[Detailed Image]

Dan, your next step is to turn to some abrasive polishes to remove the marks. Chances are the water spots etched into your clear coat and you'll need to level out the dips and valleys it created. If you want to do things right, I'd suggest looking into a quality buffer such as the Porter Cable 7424, or better yet, the Flex XC 3401 VRG. I'd recommend looking into either of our starter kits for a great value on everything you'd need to get started.

In terms of polishes, I'd recommend the Menzerna line of products, especially when using a buffer. Some great combinations are Menzerna Intensive Polish and Final Polish II or even better would be Menzerna Super Intensive Polish followed by PO106FF. Either of these two step combinations will help remove the water spots, swirls, and other imperfections in your paint, while further enhancing the depth and gloss of your finish.

You can take the hand application approach, but keep your expectations lower than if you were to invest in a buffer. Bottom line, you're next logical step to try is abrasive polishes.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Cheers,

George

[tintivilus]

Might something like Meg's 47 or Duragloss 505 be effective where clay has failed?

[ibimmer954]

I've used Meguiars ScratchX on some marks like this. I've had mixed results. Sometimes it removes the mark completely. Other times, it diminishes it a lot, but doesn't completely get rid of it. This would work for a few marks. But if you've got a lot of marks, using the buffer may be the only way to go to keep from working your arm off doing the buffing by hand.

Did you try just waxing the mark. Sometimes that'll mask it as well. Hit it with the ScratchX then hit it with some wax. It's all a matter of how "perfect" you want it. With crappy BMW paint though, it'll be hard to get too perfect.

[mnkybiznes]

I had a similar situation w/ my jet black coupe.

I did end up using a buffer with the Menzerna line of products ........ MFP I & II, Menzerna FMP and finished with a coat of 5050. Look forward to spending the majority of the day if unfamiliar with machine buffing. A full day if working by hand with less than expected results.

The best part is how beautiful the finish will look afterward ......... definitely worth the time invested.

[danimal]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. It sounds like the water spots can be buffed out, which is a relief! I don't own a machine, though, and I'm not sure I want to invest in one. It's not really the money, just that it's hard for me to find the time just to wash my car (which is why this all happened in the first place!) much less buy new equipment, learn how to use it, and spend hours buffing. I like doing things myself when I can, but this is just too much. I think I need to find someone to do this job for me.

So, if anyone knows someone good in San Diego, could you please let me know?

Thanks again,

-Dan

[elite3]

danimal, before you turn it over to a professional try 3M rubbing compound I think it's the perfect user friendly product with a orbiter then you would follow up with 3M polish do a test run first