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Water spots on trunk? Product suggestions?

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joshmustang

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey guys, my trunk lid has what it appears to be water spots or acid rain spots. I just took these pictures after a wash and clay bar but they are still there, almost etched into the paint/clear coat. The pictures are a bit hard to see the damage. I marked the areas in red to help see. My spoiler is also super scratched up and some water spots also (did not clay).

What kind of product can help me with this? I don't have any machine buffer/polishers but open to purchasing in one if price is decent. I also have some Turtle Wax Polish and Turtle Wax Compound that I used on my taillights if those products could help any. Thank you.


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#2 ·
Vinegar will remove hard water spots/minerals. but if it's etched it's likely gonna remain. My car has some bad ones.
 
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#5 ·
I had a similar problem on silver paint. Vinegar did nothing, so I have to assume it was more than just hard water as I have seen vinegar work before.

I used Adam's Polish paint correcting polish on an orange pad with a porter cable 7424 (try home depot or lowes, probably under $120)

I didn't need to use the paint finishing polish (which is the follow up to the correcting polish) as the paint looked perfect. But, if you have fine marks left after the PCP, the finishing polish (on the white pad) is excellent.

There are certainly other great paint correction products out there, I am just more familiar with the Adam's since that is what I use.

PM me if you have any questions about the process.
 
#6 ·
I usually follow a wash with a spray detailer and microfiber. Cleans up any spots left behind, from the super hard and calcified water we have down here in the desert. If those are etched in though, it'll take a good polishing. If you can't afford a high quality orbital or DA, or don't want to risk marring, You can get cheap electric polishers online for like $40 that are good enough for minor imperfections like that, but don't really have to power to damage, unless you're running the thing dry for 10 minutes.

---------- Post added at 03:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:13 PM ----------

And with all those fine scratches... You could use a polish anyway.
 
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#8 ·
Hand applied polish will only work well at removing topical mineral deposits. Judging by your pictures, you have type 2 spots, they will require machine compounding with a fairly aggressive product/pad combo.

Hand polishing may temporarily dress up the situation from the oils in the polish, but it will fade, for proper removal of the spots, youre gonna need some machine power.

---------- Post added at 06:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 PM ----------

SwAZy McScrotum said:
I usually follow a wash with a spray detailer and microfiber. Cleans up any spots left behind, from the super hard and calcified water we have down here in the desert. If those are etched in though, it'll take a good polishing. If you can't afford a high quality orbital or DA, or don't want to risk marring, You can get cheap electric polishers online for like $40 that are good enough for minor imperfections like that, but don't really have to power to damage, unless you're running the thing dry for 10 minutes.

---------- Post added at 03:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:13 PM ----------

And with all those fine scratches... You could use a polish anyway.
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A 40 dollar harbor freight DA will work as well or better than a PC. Running any machine with a compound generally products Micromarring- normal stuff, just follow with a final polish and IPA wipedown and inspect.

Those water spots may require some time to remove tho, sometimes they require wetsanding, just depends on what causes them and how bad they are.
 
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#9 ·
The trunk pic looks like it will need some more serious work to bring back. Wet sanding and then the buff process, better to leave to skilled hands. I've noticed that the hood scoops and spoilers seem to have a different paint that doesn't hold up as well as the rest of the car. The hood scoop on my 08 gt is looking pretty bad compared to the rest of the car finish. Your rear spoiler seems to have a similar problems.
 
#10 ·
RobD said:
The trunk pic looks like it will need some more serious work to bring back. Wet sanding and then the buff process, better to leave to skilled hands. I've noticed that the hood scoops and spoilers seem to have a different paint that doesn't hold up as well as the rest of the car. The hood scoop on my 08 gt is looking pretty bad compared to the rest of the car finish. Your rear spoiler seems to have a similar problems.
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It's not the paint on those parts that's different, it's the material they are made of; Plastic parts don't conduct or dissipate heat like metal parts do, so the paint is more susceptible to heat damage over time on plastic parts vs metal.

That's also why metal parts can take more aggressive polishing methods, the heat spreads out more, keeping the working area cooler.
 
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#12 ·
Now it is very important that the car has a solid and clean appearance and I use a stain remover to remove stains after hard water. Recently a friend gave me an article on how to remove water spots from car How to remove water spots from car | Water spots removal and I started try some other ways. This guide has interesting and progressive ways to clean paint, glass. I recommend that you read these tips from professionals.
 
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