[AJ M2 comp]

So I returned from a 10 day trip visiting family for the holidays to find my car covered in a film of some sort. Apparently the cement ceiling of my parking garage has a crack in it directly above my car and water from the floor above dripped through the crack onto my car then dried. Its not covering the whole car but there are 3 spots that are pretty bad. I tried to scrape it off with my finger and noticed it was scratching the paint so decided to take it to the power wash it got a bit of it off but its still bad.

Any recommendations as to how I can get it off?

[AJ M2 comp]

[darkcloud]

Buy a meguiars clay kit ASAP!! You can pick up the kit at most automotive stores. It will come with 2 small blocks of clay, lube and a decent microfiber towel.

Wash the car by hand(if you can), then clay the car. Then just seal the car. Deal with any minor swirls or scratches in the spring. Unless you have a heated garage available to perform a full detail.



Maybe, just maybe try bitching to your building management and see if they'll pay to have your car detailed. It's worth a shot. Oh and get a new parking spot. This happened to me when I was in an apartment and I bitched. I was able to clean my car up fine but a week later the apartment complex and a company come in and make repairs to the garage to eliminate dripping throughout the garage.

[AJ M2 comp]

I have a ziano clay bar that i tried to use but it looked like it was scratching the paint so i called it quits. Maybe I will give it another try.

If there isnt a simeple solution I will probably just take the car in to get a full detail. I just hate to spend the money for a detail in the middle of the winter.... The car will look like hell again before i even get it home.
I already bitched to my HOA board and informed them they would be paying for the repair... hopefully it will work out

Just noticed you were from Ohio.... I was in Youngstown visiting family when this happened

[TopDown]

Originally Posted by darkcloud

Buy a meguiars clay kit ASAP!!

+1
Only way to go.

[zaxjax]

More than likely the water coming through the concrete has stained your paint. Think about what makes concrete, sand, and limestone plus rebar is used to hold slab together.

If it's stained, a clay bar will not remove a set in stain. It will need to be polished out

[pander5]

I found this some time back about hard concrete type drips from garage parking.

Concrete Spots:
Calcified water spots on paint and glass, water and concrete spots are pretty much the same chemically - calcium carbonate, with the concrete being cross-linked with water

Methodology
•Apply 1:1 ratio water with distilled White Vinegar solution, and using a spray bottle, spray that mixture on the spots and let them "soak." Then rinse with water and repeat as necessary.
•If the ambient temperature water/vinegar mix does not work, warm (100-120 degrees) 100% distilled White Vinegar, saturate a clean kitchen sponge with pure vinegar and hold the sponge over the concrete spots for a few minutes.

•If the above do not remove them try equal parts distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and distilled white vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will help etch and dissolve the concrete.
•Rinse the area thoroughly with water after the vinegar and then reapply wax or sealant to that area.

[Detailers Domain]

Originally Posted by pander5

I found this some time back about hard concrete type drips from garage parking.

Concrete Spots:
Calcified water spots on paint and glass, water and concrete spots are pretty much the same chemically - calcium carbonate, with the concrete being cross-linked with water

Methodology
•Apply 1:1 ratio water with distilled White Vinegar solution, and using a spray bottle, spray that mixture on the spots and let them "soak." Then rinse with water and repeat as necessary.
•If the ambient temperature water/vinegar mix does not work, warm (100-120 degrees) 100% distilled White Vinegar, saturate a clean kitchen sponge with pure vinegar and hold the sponge over the concrete spots for a few minutes.

•If the above do not remove them try equal parts distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and distilled white vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will help etch and dissolve the concrete.
•Rinse the area thoroughly with water after the vinegar and then reapply wax or sealant to that area.

2nd this one if its been there long enough you might have to compound/polish it out. I would definitely complain to your building because if its etched in there its going to be clear coat damage.

[purplewidow]

just what i thought Phil!!!

i would seriously complain and make your building pay for the damage as in your case it could cost a normal detail of around 300 pluss 200 for the damage.. that would be a lot but almost guarantee a proffessional is doing it b/c if he wasn't he wouldn't last charging that much unless he had some skills.. at least i should hope so.. 10 days isn't that bad but one night my the wrong sprinkler system can result in horrible etchings in the paint.. this i fear could be much worse and i would complain asap with pics to building management!!! this is part of why you pay them in the first place.

[AJ M2 comp]

Update......
I washed the car then hit it with the clay bar which took care of about 90% of the spots.... The one on the roof in the picture wouldn’t come all the way out so I hit it with the vinegar which cleaned it up quite a bit but still didn’t get it all the way off. I ended up calling my friends friend who owns a detail shop….. he stopped over polished out the last bit and put a coat of wax on the whole car. He would only take $50 but I would have gladly paid more. I am so happy my car is back to normal.

Thanks for the help

[Detailers Domain]

Originally Posted by AJ 335TT

Update......
I washed the car then hit it with the clay bar which took care of about 90% of the spots.... The one on the roof in the picture wouldn’t come all the way out so I hit it with the vinegar which cleaned it up quite a bit but still didn’t get it all the way off. I ended up calling my friends friend who owns a detail shop….. he stopped over polished out the last bit and put a coat of wax on the whole car. He would only take $50 but I would have gladly paid more. I am so happy my car is back to normal.

Thanks for the help

that's awesome news!

[zaxjax]

Good to hear!