[Agamemnon]

My 2013 EBII M-sport has been constantly cleaned and waxed. I wash and sponge off and use Pinnacle Souveran wax. This is a great wax as it gives a good shine and is easy to work with.

I had the car out for a road trip and it sprinkled a bit. I cleaned the car a few days later when I got home but I noticed some water spots mainly on the hood near the windshield. I suspect that a lot of the engine heat escapes from the gap by the windshield so the hood probably gets pretty hot in this area. Tried some cleaner wax but they seem pretty entrenched.

Any ideas? I guess I could always go to a detailer who have cut polish and power polishers but I would rather do it myself if possible. I just use elbow grease and a very clean polishing cloth.

[jtuds]

I think that kinda stuff could require a proper rotary buffer. Were you near trees at all? I was up at a cottage in Muskoka and got some water droplets on the car and there appeared to be some sap...now I've got minor etching. I am the only one who notices but it's definitely there. I know it won't come off without actual paint correction.

[Sabo]

Try duragloss water mark remover it worked on mine

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Saby

Try duragloss water mark remover it worked on mine

Thanks, I'll pick some up. Is it readily available?

[Sabo]

http://www.duragloss.com/Exterior-Cl...r-Spot-Remover)

[KellerKiller]

Originally Posted by jtuds

I Were you near trees at all?

I drove to Amsterdam this Spring. When we went to the tulip fields, dew was falling from the trees in the grass lots. I initially parked under a tall one, but I saw the dew falling on my car. Initially it looked just like water on a dusty car, but on closer inspection it was leaving a different residue. I quickly re-parked and rinsed all the dew spots with a water bottle to get the stuff off. People were looking at me like I was insane, but it worked!

[PTek Will]

So the first thing to recognize is that water spots are deposits of minerals left behind after water evaporates. Initially, these minerals can be removed by a wash. As time progresses, they will bury or eat its way into the clear coat. Claybar can be used to remove water spots if it is still in the early stages. If water spots are left untreated for too long, they will etch away your clear and leave craters, essentially, in your clear. This can only be remedied by like you said, either polishing or compounding, depending on how deep the damage is. You can definitely fix this by hand, but your arm may break off Hope this helps!

[jtuds]

Originally Posted by KellerKiller

I drove to Amsterdam this Spring. When we went to the tulip fields, dew was falling from the trees in the grass lots. I initially parked under a tall one, but I saw the dew falling on my car. Initially it looked just like water on a dusty car, but on closer inspection it was leaving a different residue. I quickly re-parked and rinsed all the dew spots with a water bottle to get the stuff off. People were looking at me like I was insane, but it worked!

Yeah I washed my car in the parking area outside the Pistenklause at the Nurburgring. Lots of people laughing and commenting - asking in broken English if I'd wash their car next. Little did they know I had to deliver a clean car to Log In Out in Munich 5 days later. And I'm obsessive.

[jtuds]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

So the first thing to recognize is that water spots are deposits of minerals left behind after water evaporates. Initially, these minerals can be removed by a wash. As time progresses, they will bury or eat its way into the clear coat. Claybar can be used to remove water spots if it is still in the early stages. If water spots are left untreated for too long, they will etch away your clear and leave craters, essentially, in your clear. This can only be remedied by like you said, either polishing or compounding, depending on how deep the damage is. You can definitely fix this by hand, but your arm may break off Hope this helps!

If you apply something like Zaino or Opti-Coat then notice after application that there are water spots on the clear, can you just wait until the sealant wears off then have proper paint correction done?

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by jtuds

If you apply something like Zaino or Opti-Coat then notice after application that there are water spots on the clear, can you just wait until the sealant wears off then have proper paint correction done?

I don't believe Zaino has a coating product like Opti-Coat. Zaino's sealants and waxes work just like any other wax and can be removed by a heavy degreaser such as a dish soap like dawn. Opti-coat is a permanent ceramic paint coating that is advertised to last the life time of your car. The longest review I've seen was a 2.5 year for Opti-coat and it still bead and sheeted like the day after application. Coatings, like waxes and sealants, can be removed by buffing so there is no need wait for it to wear off.

[jtuds]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

I don't believe Zaino has a coating product like Opti-Coat. Zaino's sealants and waxes work just like any other wax and can be removed by a heavy degreaser such as a dish soap like dawn. Opti-coat is a permanent ceramic paint coating that is advertised to last the life time of your car. The longest review I've seen was a 2.5 year for Opti-coat and it still bead and sheeted like the day after application. Coatings, like waxes and sealants, can be removed by buffing so there is no need wait for it to wear off.

I guess what I am wanting to know, though, is will the deposit continue to do damage underneath the sealant if I wait until the spring instead of removing the sealant and having paint correction done now?

The car is white so yu only see it if you really look. I just don't want it to get worse.

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by jtuds

I guess what I am wanting to know, though, is will the deposit continue to do damage underneath the sealant if I wait until the spring instead of removing the sealant and having paint correction done now?

The car is white so yu only see it if you really look. I just don't want it to get worse.

Eventually it will make its way through the sealant. Sealants, waxes and coatings are by no means a force field. They are a sacrificial layer for your clear coat. If you wait until the spring, it will certainly be too late. Water spots are common, even on glass. This shows just how caustic it can be.

[IowaMatt]

I noticed water spots to on my new black 2014 328xi I wondering this is a manufactor defect? I washed, clayed and waxed and the spots are still there. My car is only 1.5 weeks old.

[bananachipz]

Originally Posted by jtuds

If you apply something like Zaino or Opti-Coat then notice after application that there are water spots on the clear, can you just wait until the sealant wears off then have proper paint correction done?

If it's opti-coat, you're going to wait a few years before it wears off

[bananachipz]

It's not rocket science... Here's what you do in order:
- try a "water spot remover" like the duragloss one (I think Griots makes one too)
- Failing that:
- Wash your car properly
- Clay the area to pull out any of the mineral deposit from the water spot (this may remove the spot entirely)
- finish with a light polish of a Random Orbital (not a rotary as was suggested), and a decent polish (megs 205, Optimum hyper polish, griots, whatever)

Unless the water spot was some alien mineral, a combination of the above should be fine.