need some product advise

[1sty]

I ended up getting most of it off with another coat of sealent. The really bad areas gobbed up and now I can easily buff in any areas I find (having to do this outside makes it tough to find missed spots.

I bought some mequires quik detailer today just to get any missed spots I happen to catch based on the time of day.


I wish I had know about your dislike of chemical guys products before buying the kit as I guess as it had mostly chemical guys products and I am stuck with it now. I also would have thought that the clay process would have removed water spots from the car (the kind you have to be very close and at the right angle to see) but no go and now there is two layers of sealent on them so I guess I will wait till spring when the sealent is gone and get some of this:
http://www.detailedimage.com/Chemical-Guys-M31/Water-Spot-Remover-P194/16-oz-S1/

Unless you reccomend against that aswell.
I will say that the car finish is incredibly slick and the due drops this morning on it were almost to small to disguish apart from one another. Plus just blowing on the car cleared a 6x6 area of water.

 

[tunersteve]

I ended up getting most of it off with another coat of sealent. The really bad areas gobbed up and now I can easily buff in any areas I find (having to do this outside makes it tough to find missed spots.

I bought some mequires quik detailer today just to get any missed spots I happen to catch based on the time of day.


I wish I had know about your dislike of chemical guys products before buying the kit as I guess as it had mostly chemical guys products and I am stuck with it now. I also would have thought that the clay process would have removed water spots from the car (the kind you have to be very close and at the right angle to see) but no go and now there is two layers of sealent on them so I guess I will wait till spring when the sealent is gone and get some of this:
http://www.detailedimage.com/Chemical-Guys-M31/Water-Spot-Remover-P194/16-oz-S1/

Unless you reccomend against that aswell.
I will say that the car finish is incredibly slick and the due drops this morning on it were almost to small to disguish apart from one another. Plus just blowing on the car cleared a 6x6 area of water.

Have you ever tried using a vinegar and water mix to remove water spots?

 

[1sty]

Have you ever tried using a vinegar and water mix to remove water spots?

Nope and I assume that ain't gonna work now that the sealant is down?

truthfully I don't know my ass from my elbow when it comes to detailing.
This is my first go at it other then with otc products where I am basically making it up as I go.

 

[Saskatchewan17]

Etched in water marks will only come out with the proper compound and polish technique. It can be done by hand but takes a ton of time and isn't very easy.

 

[Saskatchewan17]

When you save up enough and really want to tackle those etched in water spots, swirls, defects, and RIDS; this kit is the way to go:

http://autogeek.net/porter-cable-meguiars-kit.html

 

[tunersteve]

I was assuming he only had surface water spots, since the car is new. If not, then polishing is the only way to get them off.

 

[ThrillRide]

I ended up getting most of it off with another coat of sealent. The really bad areas gobbed up and now I can easily buff in any areas I find (having to do this outside makes it tough to find missed spots.

I bought some mequires quik detailer today just to get any missed spots I happen to catch based on the time of day.


I wish I had know about your dislike of chemical guys products before buying the kit as I guess as it had mostly chemical guys products and I am stuck with it now. I also would have thought that the clay process would have removed water spots from the car (the kind you have to be very close and at the right angle to see) but no go and now there is two layers of sealent on them so I guess I will wait till spring when the sealent is gone and get some of this:
http://www.detailedimage.com/Chemical-Guys-M31/Water-Spot-Remover-P194/16-oz-S1/

Unless you reccomend against that aswell.
I will say that the car finish is incredibly slick and the due drops this morning on it were almost to small to disguish apart from one another. Plus just blowing on the car cleared a 6x6 area of water.

Well based on what you said you were needing I think that kit is fine. But I would search a new wax/sealant option once you have used it up. And you will, because the best durability I have seen from their sealant is about 2-3 months tops. Don't feel bad about the choice. It's just that I do this for a living so I have tried so many products and I just know what works for me, and is cost effective for me.

As for the water spot product, don't waste the money! 20 bucks for something you can make at home is crazy! Generally I stear clear of one use specialized products like that. You can mix 50:50 water/Isopropyl alcohol and get the job done. Or the vinegar trick. Also, paint cleaner products will handle it, and that is a product you will find other need for. Also all-in-one products tend to remove spots too. Now, if the spot has etched in and clay and cleaners won't remove them, then you are looking at some paint correction issues. Because the deposits have actually etched into your clearcoat they have to be polished out. But start with getting a paint cleaner product. Meg's has some on the shelf that are so so. I like p21s paintowork cleanser. Search autogeek for different types too. A paint cleaner is a good product to have on hand all the time anyway so choose a good one. The 50:50mix is also a good thing to have on hand for different puposes.

 

[1sty]

what wax would you use for better longevity?
I would definitely like something that is easier to remove.

How does one tell which type of water spot you have+

I assumed they are in teh clear as even the clay didn't take them out?

 

[ThrillRide]

what wax would you use for better longevity?
I would definitely like something that is easier to remove.

How does one tell which type of water spot you have+

I assumed they are in teh clear as even the clay didn't take them out?

Oh man that's always a hard one to answer. I have so many that I like. But to keep you in a decent price range and in the excellent quality range I would suggest Clearkote Carnauba Moose Wax. This stuff is awesome. Can be used on all surfaces...paint, plastic, metal, glass...And I get fantastic longevity out of it. Very easy to use. Do a couple panels, let haze slightly and buff off. For a synthetic I recommend Optimum opti-seal. This stuff is wicked easy to use. So easy you will think you haven't done anything. Again, this can be used on all surfaces, except I don't really like it on glass too much, cause sometimes it streaks. It is a wipe on/walk away product that looks amazing. Those are just two suggestions, one on each side natural vs synthetic. I like both together even! But honestly for the average person looking for a quality shine with great durability you needn't look any further. Oh, and both work great on wheels too.

To know the severity of the spot try the 50/50 mix I mentioned. If it doesn't come off, it is etched in. Clay won't always remove water spots. Clay is good at removing surface contaminates. A paint cleaner will take care of things like water spots, stains, bird bombs (if you get to it quick enough), etc...Some cleaners will even remove very light swirls.

Again, I really like p21s for this (your local harley davidson carries the bike version called s100, same stuff different label, and cheaper). Collinite has a nice cleaner as well. Zymol HD cleanse is a nice one, but can be a pita. 1Z Einszett has a good cleaner polish that I like. Just to name a few. Here have a look here: http://autogeek.net/prewaxpolishes.html There are several there including the ones I mentioned, except for the zymol.

 

[1sty]

Oh man that's always a hard one to answer. I have so many that I like. But to keep you in a decent price range and in the excellent quality range I would suggest Clearkote Carnauba Moose Wax. This stuff is awesome. Can be used on all surfaces...paint, plastic, metal, glass...And I get fantastic longevity out of it. Very easy to use. Do a couple panels, let haze slightly and buff off. For a synthetic I recommend Optimum opti-seal. This stuff is wicked easy to use. So easy you will think you haven't done anything. Again, this can be used on all surfaces, except I don't really like it on glass too much, cause sometimes it streaks. It is a wipe on/walk away product that looks amazing. Those are just two suggestions, one on each side natural vs synthetic. I like both together even! But honestly for the average person looking for a quality shine with great durability you needn't look any further. Oh, and both work great on wheels too.

To know the severity of the spot try the 50/50 mix I mentioned. If it doesn't come off, it is etched in. Clay won't always remove water spots. Clay is good at removing surface contaminates. A paint cleaner will take care of things like water spots, stains, bird bombs (if you get to it quick enough), etc...Some cleaners will even remove very light swirls.

Again, I really like p21s for this (your local harley davidson carries the bike version called s100, same stuff different label, and cheaper). Collinite has a nice cleaner as well. Zymol HD cleanse is a nice one, but can be a pita. 1Z Einszett has a good cleaner polish that I like. Just to name a few. Here have a look here: http://autogeek.net/prewaxpolishes.html There are several there including the ones I mentioned, except for the zymol.

So wait 2-3 months then try the cleaner on the spots?
I assume they are not coming out from under the sealant?

I will have to go grab some of that wax. Hopefully they can take a new England winter

 

[ThrillRide]

So wait 2-3 months then try the cleaner on the spots?
I assume they are not coming out from under the sealant?

I will have to go grab some of that wax. Hopefully they can take a new England winter

Honestly, I know this is a waste of what you already did, but I would go ahead and do it now. The cleaner, either the 50/50 or the products I mentioned will remove the sealant. Or, actually just wash the car with some dish soap like dawn (only for this occasion. Don't use dish soap on a regular basis). It will strip off the sealant. And then you can use the cleaner product to work on the spots.

Another good wax, and one that performs great in the winter, is Collinite 845. Bout the same longevity under normal conditions as the Clearkote, but the Collinite seems to hold up a little better to adverse conditions. And it holds up to more harsh types of washing. So you would have to wash a couple/three times with dawn to remove it.

 

[1sty]

I picked up the P21S cleaner and the opti-seal.
I tried it out on my Xterra this weekend along with first cleaning it with dawn to get all the wax off.

I was a bit disappointing with the P21S. It didn't really seam to do anything.
Are you supposed to REALLY work this stuff in or just wipe on lightly and then lightly buff off the excess?
Basically anything that was visibly on the paint before I used it, was still there after I used it.
After doing half the car with it, I went back and clayed the entire xterra, although faster then I should have to get off a bunch of crap that P21S just wasn't touching.
The P21S definitely brought out the color but that seemed to be about it.

The opti-seal went on easy and its near insane how little you need of that stuff. Although I must say the M-Seal beaded water off much better as right now my 2 month 6 week old M-Seal on my genesis seems to bead as good if not better then the Xterra I did yesterday. I am not sure if this is much of a judge of anything so I guess I am looking for feedback there. Also I only did one coat of opti-seal, I will probably put on a second next wash.

So next weekend I will try to was just the trunk lid with dawn dish soap to remove wax and see if the P21s will get off those water spots.

 

[ThrillRide]

Sorry, which cleanser did you get (paintwork cleaner or TAW?) and what kind of spots were you trying to remove?

 

[1sty]

http://www.detailedimage.com/P21S-M14/Paintwork-Cleanser-P82/118-oz-S1/

water spots and the tougher "stuff" washing just doesn't remove, like a bit of tar left over once you pick the spot off.

 

[ThrillRide]

Well for the tougher issues like tar and such, you need to clay first. Pure polish isn't likely to handle that stuff. If needed always clay the whole car before polishing. As for the spots...

... Also, paint cleaner products will handle it, and that is a product you will find other need for. Also all-in-one products tend to remove spots too. Now, if the spot has etched in and clay and cleaners won't remove them, then you are looking at some paint correction issues. Because the deposits have actually etched into your clearcoat they have to be polished out. But start with getting a paint cleaner product. Meg's has some on the shelf that are so so. I like p21s paintowork cleanser. Search autogeek for different types too. A paint cleaner is a good product to have on hand all the time anyway so choose a good one. The 50:50mix is also a good thing to have on hand for different puposes.

...So if all your efforts with cleaners and polishes aren't doing the job, then you probably have issues that will require some machine polishing. If you've clayed and used good cleaner products, and you still have a rough surface then you have bigger issues.

I recently worked with a BMW 745i that had bad water spoting. I used clay and cleaner products, but the surface still felt rough. Which usually means acid rain etching. Only way to fix it is by machine polishing, with abrasive polishes. Sounds like the issue you are having. Again I can't say without feeling it first hand and also seeing exactly what you tryed, but sounds like you need some paintwork correction. Wish I lived closer to you!

 

[1sty]

The car is very smooth, there are just little spots that don't seem to want to go away with that cleaner.

 

[tunersteve]

Still waiting to see pics of the car and issues. Interested to see what it all looks like.

 

[ThrillRide]

The car is very smooth, there are just little spots that don't seem to want to go away with that cleaner.

Well, I hate to keep tossing out ideas since I can't really asses this issue. But you may want to try some abrasive polish and see if that will work. You might be able to get it done by hand. Meg's scratchX 2.0 is actually pretty good at minor imperfections in the paint.

Some pics might help.