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Apples

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Don't you just love silicon stays? Not!!!

Silicon, and similar coatings, are considered "wet". That is to say, certain particles floating in the air will have a tendency to collect on their surfaces over time. They look really good, until they do. The old timers knew this, and used carnauba wax which applies is a very dry coating.
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Motorpsychology

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Motorpsychology

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Adams Detail. Spray will easily remove spots after waxing or of course 303 Nano Graphene. I follow up a wash with it; wakes up the lustre between 303 jobs, and has a sweet cherry smell my grandchildren love!
If you have access to soft water, that will greatly reduce water spots.
When we had a lawn sprinkler system put in at our old house, I had the sillcock nearest the garage rerouted to the soft water line; didn't need it for watering anymore. I keep threatening to do that in our present townhome, but haven't yet.
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Figarou

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80 or 120 grit?

Grits on polishing pads are similar to the grits on sandpaper and range from 50 to 3000 grit. The lower the grit amount, the coarser a pad is. If you are preparing to remove scratches and small chips you would typically start with a 50 grit pad which is course enough to even the surface out.
Start with something very soft. You want the product to remove the water spots.
 

Dereku

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I strictly wash it when the sun goes down. AZ sunlight dries the truck before I get a chance to get soap on it. Plus it always looks better under moonlight.
 


tlhdoc

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My understanding is that water spots are either excess wax, unpolished dried wax spots or calcium oxide spots. First two are fixed with polishing cloth and the latter is fixed by using Ph5.5 or less water on last rinse which makes it form calcium acetate which doesn't stick to the surface.

Anyway, I don't give a damn about water spots outside the windshield. Driving on gravel/sand road and clay fields makes washing the truck petty useless exercise anyway. It's dirty 50 yards after leaving the parking spot.
I have either 6 or 8 miles, depending on which road I take, of dirt road to go on each time I drive in or out of our place. I wash the truck once a week.
 

Mark W

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Don't you just love silicon stays? Not!!!

Silicon, and similar coatings, are considered "wet". That is to say, certain particles floating in the air will have a tendency to collect on their surfaces over time. They look really good, until they do. The old timers knew this, and used carnauba wax which applies is a very dry coating.
this is VERY inaccurate. There is no such thing as straight carnauba wax. ALL carnauba late waxes contain silicone of some type. It may not be labeled as such as these sneaky companies have names for everything. For instance - cyclomethicone is a silicone.

trust me. I was a chemist for 15 plus years developing car care products. So much misinformation out there. Another example. This Meguairs product appears to be an abrasive product of some type from how the OP describes it. I would never use an abrasive product to remove water spots eventually you will be putting scratches into your paint either through the product or the rag you are using to apply it.
 
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Phil_R

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this is VERY inaccurate. There is no such thing as straight carnauba wax. ALL carnauba late waxes contain silicone of some type. It may not be labeled as such as these sneaky companies have names for everything. For instance - cyclomethicone is a silicone.

trust me. I was a chemist for 15 plus years developing car care products. So much misinformation out there. Another example. This Meguairs product appears to be an abrasive product of some type from how the OP describes it. I would never use an abrasive product to remove water spots eventually you will be putting scratches into your paint either through the product or the rag you are using to apply it.
I don't think it will leave scratches. It sure did not on my black paint and I bet I could see it in the clear over a black color if it did. Anyway, I am happy with it and the results. Most all cleaner waxes that I have used in the past have had a mild abrasive, however most that I have used have left the paint finish looking great.
Here is the info from the product that I used, and I did not use a rag to apply it. I used a microfiber wax applicator that was brand new.


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It can be really easy to get water spots on your paint, but it’s often difficult to remove them.
Where do water spots come from?
Water spots come from impurities in the water source or the environment. These can be things like mineral deposits, calcium, dirt, acid rain, etc. Then, the longer the contaminated water sits on your paint the more likely it will etch and become more difficult to remove.
Fortunately, Meguiar’s has a great solution for removing water spots with Water Spot Remover. This specialized formula works quickly to remove water spots without causing harm to single stage paint and clear coats. Meguiar’s Water Spot Remover can be used by hand, dual action polisher like Meguiar’s MT300, or by Meguiar’s DA Power System Tool. It is safe and effective on paint, glass, chrome, hard plastic, and all metal surfaces. If you have water spots and want to safely remove them while enhancing paint gloss and clarity, Meguiar’s Water Spot Remover is the perfect choice.


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How to prepare the paint before applying Water Spot Remover

  • Wash and dry the vehicle first. Always use a pH balanced car wash soap, such as Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner, which gently cleans your car’s paint and adds gloss and shine while preserving wax protection.
  • After washing and drying, run your clean, dry fingertips over the paint. If it feels rough, you have bonded contaminants on top of your paint. These contaminants can be anything from tree sap mist to industrial fallout or even road tar to paint overspray. Meguiar’s Smooth Surface Clay Kit comes with everything needed to safely remove bonded contaminants and leave you’re the paint as smooth as glass.

Tips for working with Meguiar’s Water Spot Remover

  • Always work on a cool surface and in the shade.
  • Shake well before use.
  • Always apply your cleaner thin and evenly. If too much is applied polishing oils can build-up making it streak and smear when removing.



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  • Apply directly the paint cleaner to a foam applicator like Meguiar’s Soft Foam Applicator Pads, or a foam polishing disc by DA or DA Power System. Work in a 1-2 square foot area with moderate pressure in a circular pattern (by hand), making 2-4 overlapping passes per section. Wipe the residue off before it dries with a clean premium microfiber towel like Meguiar’s Supreme Shine Microfiber Towels. Flip your towel to a clean side for a final wipe.
  • Hard water spots may require re-application of product and more passes.
  • Work one section at a time, removing the product as you go.
  • Do not allow the product to dry. If it does, re-apply product over the dried portions and immediately remove.
  • Not for use on flat, matte or satin finishes.
  • When the water spots are removed be sure to follow with a good wax protection like Meguiar’s Ultimate liquid Wax.
 

JohnnyO

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In my experience water spots that won't come out with wax are often caused by acid rain.
Long time ago I had a black car that got "water spots" on the hood. My ex-wife's brother-in-law owned a body shop in another state and I had him refinish the hood when we were visiting, family discount. He told me the acid rain spots were all the way through the primer and he had to strip the hood to bare metal. Said he'd never seen anything like it.
 

OHTREMOR

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Saw a trick on YouTube. Buy a gallon of Superior Products #4 liquid wax and dilute 10-1. In a spray bottle. While truck is wet mist it on the panel. Will buy you some time. I have used it washing my black truck in the sun (not ideal). No water spots and adds some short term protection. It’s a wax used in tunnel car washes. I bought at O Reilly’s. Saw it on Dallas Paint correction YouTube channel then on Superiors channel.

Also like the older Turtle wax wet wax. Recently been using Turtle wax ceramic wet wax with decent results too.

I always work fast and clean on black vehicle if I can shade too. And pull in garage to dry if I can.

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Phil_R

Phil_R

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In my experience water spots that won't come out with wax are often caused by acid rain.
Long time ago I had a black car that got "water spots" on the hood. My ex-wife's brother-in-law owned a body shop in another state and I had him refinish the hood when we were visiting, family discount. He told me the acid rain spots were all the way through the primer and he had to strip the hood to bare metal. Said he'd never seen anything like it.
Mine came out easy. I think our city water has lots on minerals in it. That acid rain sounds terrible!!!
 

AzScorpion

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We have extremely hard water here so I have a whole house water softener in my garage. I hooked up a spigot to it so now that softened water is what I use through my power washer. It doesn't rain here all that much but between that and the Graphene I really never encounter any water spotting when it does. I actually did all my exterior house windows this spring with it. With all the dust we have here I can now just rinse them off and they'll bead right up. Yes, I have a serious problem. lol ?

We had some serious acid rain back in MA. If your vehicle wasn't waxed and well protected it would etch right through the clear coat and paint like @JohnnyO said above.
 

JohnnyO

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Mine came out easy. I think our city water has lots on minerals in it. That acid rain sounds terrible!!!
Depends where you live. I never got another black car after that.
 
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Phil_R

Phil_R

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Depends where you live. I never got another black car after that.
They are a lot of work and sorry for your bad experience. However cleaned up and detailed, I think black vehicles look great!
 

Gerder

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I think black vehicles look great!
Of course! But it‘s a truck, my gosh… that is the natural 24/7 look ??
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