is right here in Cincinnati. After living here just 1 month, I had a water filter installed for the entire house. It filters out 98% of all the crud and yet still leaves nasty water stains on my car, even after I dry it after a washing. If I re-polish it, the stains will disappear, but return as soon as I wash it next. Any ideas?

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The water is probably filtered through industrial waste piles before getting to the tap.

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Are you using a paste wax like Turtle wax? I use the paste once a month and Maquires spray in between. Paste wax is way better for keeping the car cleaner longer. Also, are you drying your car right away? I find that I get the spots even if I wait a few minutes. Actually, I wash the top of the car, then dry it. Then I wash the plastic cladding on the lower part of the car, then I wash the wheels.

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I use the liquid Turtle Wax after polishing. During washing, I dry the car after a final spray of its entirety. The thing is: I do what I have always done. The only difference is now I am forced to use Cincy's nasty water - albeit, filtered.

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Water filter or water "softener"? BIG difference in what you are trying to accomplish.

While a water filter will remove unwanted mineral deposits and impurities, a water softener is designed to reduce the calcium content in the water supply, more commonly known as "hard water". A filter won't cure a hard water problem.

The calcium deposits are causing the spotting you see when you wash your car. There isn't much you can do about it other than what you are currently doing now. A water softener will reduce or eliminate this problem.

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Sounds like you have hard water. A filter won't help much there.

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Do others in the area have the same issue? Have you called the city water department? Sometimes these things are seasonal or temporary..

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turtle wax is crap man...

Hard water stains suck everything under the sun.. The SDL has like permanent hard water stains that just will not dissipate.

Sounds like the PO was washing with crap water.

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I've never been able to get this straight.

I live in cinti, and thought we had good water (17 grains on average ?) When I am in the shower (my house is on the east side), the soap rinses off instantly or in a few seconds - nice
When I spent 6mo on an AF base in Mississippi (Biloxi) (or when I go camping, showering with well water), it took 5 to 10 seconds of rinsing to get the same soap off of me in the shower. If I dropped the soap, then it took...oh, hey, nevermind =)
Point being, I thought cinti had "soft" water and it rinsed soap off quickly, and southern MS had "hard" water that doesnt rinse as cleanly as soft. Am I wrong here ?

realisitically, it doesnt matter what city you are in, if you have a lousy pipe between you and the water works, then you get "crappy" water, but I have yet to see a good explaination about Hard vs. Soft water, water chemsity (Chlorides, dissolved solids, other minerals) and car washing.

-John

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It may be heresy to mention Griots Garage, but I believe they offer a softener gizmo which attaches to your outdoor hose bib, and you connect your hose to it. I would suppose it has a limited life, depending on how hard your water is, but it might be worth a try. Or someone else may offer the same thing.

Rgds,
Chris W.

In a previous life I had a problem with hard water etc etc and the only way I was able to solve it was to spend money first to filter the water, then soften it, then re-filter it.

It musta been good, people would come over to my house for water when they made beer and they wanted water without all the crud in it.

Plus I got some of the beer

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I live about an hour away. The water here is very hard, I'd say super hard. I remember it being 23 on the hardness scale. 14 is considered hard water. I had one friend who grew a cut off shoot in just tap water for a year. I'd take a sample of water to some place that sells water softners and see what they can determine.
Tom

Here is your solution

The way I've had explained is this: Soft water requires less soap, and this water will feel slippery, whereas hard water requires more soap and doesn't have that slippery feeling. I would guess that your needing to use more water to rinse is just the feeling of soft water and in fact, you really don't need as much water as you think.

I've been to SC recently on 3 trips and I can immediately tell the difference in the water there and in Cincy. SC water is soft and Cincy's is as hard as a rock.

BTW, my home filter is a Hague, which filters and softens. Today I made an appointment to have it checked by the installing copmpany. They did say that I should have no water spots if it's working properly.

In the end, if you don't filter Cincy water, you better have very good medical insurance.

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