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  #16  
Old 10-18-2009, 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted by otto huber View Post
Thanks guys,

I'll stop by Home Depot and pick up some Shower Power since that seems to be pretty mild. Babymog, you mentioned the presence of wax in your last post. The car had been waxed the day before it got sprayed by the sprinkler. What should I use to remove the wax before applying shower power?
Also, I've been using steel wool on the windows with a little success. Ajax and a plastic scrub pad have given me better results. The windows still aren't clear. What a nightmare.
Wash the car with dish soap and warm/hot water, that'll strip the wax coating off. Then try the shower solution to remove the spots. When your done, just re-wax the car.

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  #17  
Old 10-18-2009, 08:18 PM
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Originally Posted by babymog View Post
"breaks the molecular bonds". That's essentially describing acid, which is a low pH (missing hydrogen), reacting with a basic such as lime, "stealing" the hydrogen atoms from the lime will break down the lime (rock). Same with calcium et al.

Provided that the acid isn't strong enough to damage the paint, and that there isn't wax protecting the deposits, this will work. Can take time. Beware that (soda) automotive glass is also basic, so prolonged contact with acids can leave surface pitting/etching.
Not to be picky but your chemistry is reversed. Acids are hydrogen donors (in the form of H+ ions) and bases are hydrogen acceptors.

The product Brandon is describing sounds more like a chelating agent such as EDTA. EDTA is common in some shower cleaning products so it might have automotive applications. I'd be interested to see it's effect on paint as EDTA complexes with almost every metalic compound.
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  #18  
Old 10-18-2009, 10:05 PM
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Oops, always proof your posts.
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  #19  
Old 10-18-2009, 10:15 PM
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So far I've had success wet sanding with 1500 grit on the windows and one door. Since the doors don't get hit with as much sun as the roof, I felt pretty confident feathering the sandpaper along the paint. A little paint came up but not much.
I couldn't find Shower Power, and have given up on the vinegar treatment. Thanks for all of the input and advice so far.
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  #20  
Old 10-18-2009, 10:58 PM
mild insomniac, maybe? :D
 
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holy $h!t



honestly, I would resort to sanding as a last option




cleaning vinegar made by Heinz is a big product of mine...


some photos would probably help this thread a little bit, unfortunately i'm like, on the other side of the country, or i'd come right over and help ya....
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  #21  
Old 10-18-2009, 11:40 PM
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The spots are etched into the paint. The PO let the car bake in the sun with these hard water spots for five days. I've got a detailer coming out to look at the spots on top of the car. Fortunately most of the spots are on the rear passenger door and quarter panel where the paint is still pretty healthy.
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  #22  
Old 10-18-2009, 11:45 PM
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Oh man, this is going to go downhill quick. 1500 sandpaper on the windows.... hopefully you didn't scratch them (or you'll be in for a surprise when the sun beats down on the window). Second, without knowing if you have single stage or base coat/clear coat you might have already done the damage. Also you should be using a "block" when your sanding, or you'll be in for another surprise...
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  #23  
Old 10-19-2009, 10:45 AM
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What color is the car?

If it's a clear-coat color, you might be looking at a classic case of clear-coat delamination misrepresented as hard-water spots.

Hard water spots don't "bake" into paint. They dry, the sediment is there. If it is etched into the paint, more likely the car was parked under a tree where bird droppings were left on the paint and they etched into the paint or something similar.
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  #24  
Old 10-19-2009, 11:23 AM
mild insomniac, maybe? :D
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by babymog View Post
What color is the car?

If it's a clear-coat color, you might be looking at a classic case of clear-coat delamination misrepresented as hard-water spots.

Hard water spots don't "bake" into paint. They dry, the sediment is there. If it is etched into the paint, more likely the car was parked under a tree where bird droppings were left on the paint and they etched into the paint or something similar.
X2



i say halt all efforts until you can get an opinion, or two...


I still say a photo or two might help us judge your situation...
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  #25  
Old 10-19-2009, 07:08 PM
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Take a look at this site www.zainostore.com. I used the cleaner, polish on my 84 300SD and with very good results. Steve
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  #26  
Old 10-19-2009, 07:57 PM
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Guys, did they even have clear coat paint in the 1970's?

My dark blue 81 300SD has given me fits over the years with water spots. It is a single stage paint and I have lightly compounded it at least four times over the last four to five years. It helps but it does not take out all of the water spots (in fact it just makes them a little less noticeable) and I am afraid to keep compounding. Just might try some of your vinegar et al approaches. I asked this same water spot question about a year ago but did not get nearly as many good answers/suggestions as this thread.

It is also beyond me why I can have fresh, new wax and somehow overnight just rain on the hood can create a disaster of water spots. How does it get through all that new wax?????
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  #27  
Old 10-19-2009, 09:19 PM
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The metallic colors had clear-coat, and if it has been painted, it could have clear-coat.
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  #28  
Old 10-19-2009, 09:47 PM
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I've now had two professionals tell me that color sanding is the way to go. I'd post pictures if I thought it would help, but you won't get the detail that's necessary. You have to put your finger on it and see how deep it is to believe it.
The detailer was impressed with the little bit of wet sanding I did on the door. I might try 2000 grit and see if I still get some good results.
Unfortunately I took the advice from the guy at the hardware store and used the 1500 grit on the window. The scratching is very light, and I might be able to polish and buff it out. I'm going to get a second opinion from another detailer since I don't want to color sand paint that is on the top side of the car, it's already pretty thin. This is a single stage paint job in Orient red.
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  #29  
Old 10-19-2009, 11:48 PM
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You can polish glass, but you have to know how to do it correctly. If you polish unevenly, you can cause a lensing effect which distorts your view. A good custom glass shop should be able to do it for you.
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  #30  
Old 10-20-2009, 02:49 AM
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this is gonna sound weird, but trust me. concentrated simple green will remove the water spots. you are better off doing this than some random acid. it's known to work.

just be sure to spray each panel with it evenly, work it in, and then immediately wash that panel with car wash

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