While my car was parked at work, it rained and of course got my car all wet. And then the sun came out and dried the car. Now I have water stains on my car. I have tried mulitiple glazes and waxes and I can't get the stains off. Does anyone know how to get hard water stains off black paint? I've had my new Mustang for 2 months and I've been so careful but this happens and I'm crushed. If there is anything I can use by hand let me know. Otherwise I'll be having a pro detail my car and it's going to cost alot. I figure this is going to happen again so I would rather learn how to remove the stains myself. Thank you for anyone that can help.

Clay magic is worth a try...if not MAYBE go on ebay and find some OLD blue coral- it WILL take it off, and WILL smooth the paint- but does so by cutting paint- best stuff Ive ever used, but a pain to do, and it does remove paint. Clay magic is safe bet.

Definately go with the clay and then follow it with a polish (meguires or mothers). Then finish it with a good coat of wax

I have had trouble with that myself on my Sonic Blue paint but a good wash and then wax with Maguire's Cleaner wax takes them off with no issues. Of course rain is different depending on where you live, so maybe you can ask some locals who have nice cars what they use. Good luck. :)

i had that happen to me as well when i was out of town with my dad. i parked my stang on teh end spot where i know noone would park next to me. sure enough i notice in the mornign that i was hit by a sprinkler and had huge water marks burned into the paint. all i did was give a good wash, clay magic, and polished the car and got them out. clay bar the car and that should work like martin and ford4v said.

Can't say that I've had your problem, if I have had it, I've omitted it from my memory.

I've become a Megiar's fan, big time. Try their products first, maybe their cleaner, they have one that is chemical, not abrasive, you put it on and rub lightly, and take off while still wet. Cleaned up my old red PU (wasn't that bad, but...) using the "cleaner" and then the polish of their three step group. Was amazed!

Anyone heard of TR-3 Resin Glaze? Was my favorite product for some time. But a reall BITCH to get off, and sometimes worse than that. Was for me anyway. However, I find it works really good at pulling off spots and such. Not an abrasive either, if it is, a really, really, light abrasive.

I was really fond of these products for a while, http://www.liquitech-ky.com/ The fellow that I heard of them from did private detail work, had a Beamer fixation, I did also at the time, his Beamers looked awesome!

I was a Meguiar's user and then found products by Griot's Garage at www.griotsgarage.com/index.jsp the site has good information about caring for the car's finish, including the situation discussed here... water spots on paint. I use their Speed Shine on the water spots on my black GT (as long as the surface has cooled) and after a couple of wipes with a microfiber cloth the spots are gone and the shine is back.

I know exactly how you feel. I typically wash my car once a week and sometimes run it through a coin-op car wash, the kind that just sprays and is touchless. One Friday I went through a new coin-op about a mile from my house. I drove it home to dry it off and found this sandy stuff on the hood that looked like wax particles. I wiped it and it was kind of sticky and gooey. I immediately got a bucket of hot water and some detergent and hand washed the whole car. This stuff was all over the whole car! I was sick. I got a hold of the owner of the car wash after three calls and asked him to find out what it was. Turns out it's called a drying agent and sealer. The company that makes it doesn't think that's what's on my car and they can't tell me how to get it off either. The car looks nice and shiny but, if you look closely you used to be able to see small spots of the stuff. When you run your hand over it it feels kind of rough and slightly sticky. The stuff attracts dust and waterspots something fierce. I've tried many different things to get it off but to no avail. It flat ruined the finish on my spoiler. I'm afarid to try a buffer because I think it'll just gunk up the pad and heat up...A year and a half later, it's still on my car.

The only thing that I can think of is that the stuff bonded to my clear coat, but I can't prove it. I can't even prove that it came from the car wash.

Moral of this story is, don't go through a car wash that you don't know is OK.

I'm thinking of painting my spoiler matte black like the mirrors and the other trim on the car...might look good, no?

local://upfiles/18508/EDE87904C9A14FD0A3A8AB02FABB6F83.jpg

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I have a good idea now what to use. I think I'll try everything and let everyone know what works.

since that clay bar removes paint, will it show scratches?

Clay bars don't remove paint, they remove particles/contaminants stuck to your paint and helps remove wax.

ORIGINAL: Dan04COBRA

Clay bars don't remove paint, they remove particles/contaminants stuck to your paint and helps remove wax.

Exactally. The clean it deep down, not remove.

ORIGINAL: Lasered01

I know exactly how you feel. I typically wash my car once a week and sometimes run it through a coin-op car wash, the kind that just sprays and is touchless. One Friday I went through a new coin-op about a mile from my house. I drove it home to dry it off and found this sandy stuff on the hood that looked like wax particles. I wiped it and it was kind of sticky and gooey. I immediately got a bucket of hot water and some detergent and hand washed the whole car. This stuff was all over the whole car! I was sick. I got a hold of the owner of the car wash after three calls and asked him to find out what it was. Turns out it's called a drying agent and sealer. The company that makes it doesn't think that's what's on my car and they can't tell me how to get it off either. The car looks nice and shiny but, if you look closely you used to be able to see small spots of the stuff. When you run your hand over it it feels kind of rough and slightly sticky. The stuff attracts dust and waterspots something fierce. I've tried many different things to get it off but to no avail. It flat ruined the finish on my spoiler. I'm afarid to try a buffer because I think it'll just gunk up the pad and heat up...A year and a half later, it's still on my car.

The only thing that I can think of is that the stuff bonded to my clear coat, but I can't prove it. I can't even prove that it came from the car wash.

Moral of this story is, don't go through a car wash that you don't know is OK.

I'm thinking of painting my spoiler matte black like the mirrors and the other trim on the car...might look good, no?

local://upfiles/18508/EDE87904C9A14FD0A3A8AB02FABB6F83.jpg



you should try the clay bar. after you use the clay bar, your clear coat will be glass like.

Water spots can result from hard water or dirt that collects in a droplet as it dries it etches into the paint. Try a 50/50 mix of water and vinagar , the clay bar can work as well.

where do you live, cuz thats some nasty acid rain.

I live around the Galveston area (TX coast). We have a lot of refineries and I have to park my car next to the beach all day at work. I really need to invest in a car cover! I get water spots from hell! [sm=smiley7.gif]

at home after it rains and then dries you cant even notice any water spots. but when i go to the beach and leave my car out for a week, i get some nasty water marks, its mainly from alot of salt in the air. good luck with rust too by the beach.

Clay bar is a good try but may not remove the spots completely. Ive used a buffer with a good (meguiars) cleaner wax and it did a nice job. You might have to go over it twice for best results. Just dont use rubbing compound.

Man, some of you guys are lucky that you don't live by a lot factories. I live in Northwest Indiana and there are a lot of steel plants and oil refineries within 30 miles. Every time it rains , even if its just a few drops, the rain leaves little circles all over my car when it dries. Having a black car doesn't help it much either. Very frustrating! I have a car cover, but I think it would be kind of weird if I put it on the car every time I take it to work.[:@]

First of all, rain does not cause hard water deposits. Those come from sprinklers, hoses, etc. What you have is, as someone already mentioned, acid rain etching or contamination from whatever else was sitting on your car when it rained. Your best bet is to polish them out. It's not an easy job by hand. Cleaner waxes may hide the damage for a while, but they won't remove it.

If you like to detail, get your hands on a Porter Cable 7424 or 7336SP random orbit buffers. They are great machine for enthusiasts and can't harm the paint. But, when combined with any number of great polisher out there, you can remove those spots and get your paint looking better than it did when it was new. There are a few detailing forums out there like Detial City and Autopia that can lend a hand. Otherwise, spend the $150 on a detailer to polish them out.

One you get it cleaned up, I would look into using a nice, durable sealant like Zaino or Klasse to protect your paint from the elements.

What the hell? Ive never heard of that! I get water spots on my car when it rains but all I have to do is lick my finger and they come off! You guys must have some serious acid rain!! What about this stuff? Ive seen it on TV and it looks decent?

http://www.nufinish.com/products.html