After you have cleaned your car with soap and water with a clean rag or a microfiber cloth, all you have to do is wait until it is totally air dried. But wait, after a few hours of air drying, you may notice water spots on your car’s exterior and even in the windows. What may be the cause of these frustrating small white dots or hard water spots that suddenly appeared in your car?
What causes water spots?
When you find out that there are water spots on your car where you are supposed to have cleaned it, don’t be surprised because sometimes, the water you used to wash your car might have trace elements. These trace elements are what’s left when the water evaporates, leaving behind hardened spots that could damage your car’s paint when not properly treated. Tap water may contain these trace elements, such as calcium, sodium, iron, fluoride, mercury, selenium, and other minerals that are harmful to your car’s paint and exterior.
Additionally, rainwater may also bring acids and other pollutants in the air that is also damaging to your car. If the spots are ignored and allowed to dry and bake, they will cling hard to the car’s surface which might be the start of corrosion. So, how can you remove these water spots in your car? We have here some proven ways on how to get rid of these unwanted spots from your car’s windows, other ways for deep spots, and one for the surface spots, keep on reading, folks!
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Here are 3 Easy Steps on How to Remove Water Spots on Car
1.Removing water spots from the car’s surface
1.
Make sure your car is clean and dry
Do what you are usually doing when cleaning your car. Before you proceed in removing the water spots on the painted surface of the vehicle, be sure that it is free from dirt and other debris and dried, otherwise, the solution you will use may not work in removing the stains.
2.
Pick the area to be decalcified
It is a great possibility that your entire car’s painted surface will not be left with calcified (calcium deposits) spots. Chances are, there will be only some areas in the surface that need to be de-calcified (the process of removing calcium deposits). So, identify the areas that need to be treated and begin where the stain has accumulated.
3.
Use a clay bar for de-clacifying
A clay bar is the best solution in de-calcifying your car. It is a putty made from clay that works well on painted surface without damaging or stripping it. Read the instructions on the clay bar on how to properly use it. Usually, this bar is simply rubbed into the contaminated surfaces pulling away the calcium deposits by sticking to the clay.
It is not necessary to treat the entire car surface when there is no sign of contamination.
One of the best examples of this clay bar is the uxcell Auto Detailing Car Clay Bar, a very cheap but efficient cleaning tool available on Amazon.
4.
Move the clay against the stains
For the clay to work efficiently, you need to move it through the affected parts on the surface of the car to lift the calcium embedded on it. Do not scrub hard the clay as the mineral deposits will not cling to it. If the stains are tough, try to blot the clay against the paint.
Once you have run over the clay from the paint, feel with your hand if there are still stains left on the surface.
5.
Wax the affected surface
Once you are sure that there are no water marks left on the paint, the next step is to wax it. The clay can strip the wax and top protective layer on the surface of your car, so it is better to finish the job by waxing the affected surfaces to protect your paint. Use a wax that lasts longer to give your car the utmost protection.
6.
Buff the car’s paint
After you applied a car wax to the stained area, finish the job by buffing these spots with a buffing machine, if you have one, or use a microfiber cloth to keep it shiny and bright. This will protect the top layer of your car.
2. Removing water spots on windows
1.
Using vinegar and water
Since car windows and windshields are made primarily from laminated glass, vinegar is an efficient tool for removing water marks on these surfaces. Fill a bucket with the same amount (1:1 ratio) of water and vinegar.
2.
Use a microfiber cloth
Wash your windows and windshield using a microfiber cloth dipped into the water and vinegar solution. Scrubbing in a circular motion, the trace minerals from the glass should soften and be discarded from the surface. If you have stubborn water spots, you may want to use pure vinegar without water. Make sure that every stain is removed. A microfiber cloth is ideal to use because it does not leave lint.
3.
Dry the windshield and the windows
When you think that all glass surfaces are cleared of water marks, get another clean microfiber cloth (dry) and wipe the windows and windshield with it until dry. Do this immediately after you have washed the windows. Do not forget to wipe dry the glass surfaces, as the remaining minerals may result to further calcification.
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3. Removing deep water spots
1.
Cleaning and drying your car
If your car has deeper water marks, these may be because of the long time that the stains are sitting on the surface. You will need extra effort to remove these mineral deposits. Again, make sure your car is washed and dried before you proceed with the next steps.
2.
Using a scratch cleaner
A scratch cleaner, like the 3M 39071 Scratch Removal System, is an effective tool in cleaning the area within the pitting on the car’s surface. The deep stains are the results of the left over minerals that are starting to eat the paint. This innovative scratch cleaner takes out light paint scuffs and scratches so the surface remains smooth while you remove the deep stains.
3.
Buffing and polishing
After you have scratch clean the surfaces with deep calcification, it is now time to buff the stain using your buffing machine and a car polish. Make sure that there is a small amount of paint that had been stripped until the turf cut disappeared completely.
4.
Apply a coat of wax
After you have polished the affected areas, use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe off the remaining, paint, minerals, and other debris. Then finish the process by applying a thin coat of wax.
Conclusion
Did you enjoy our discussion for today? We hope we have done a good job in informing you about removing water spots on your car easily without costing you a lot. You now know the damages that can bring about by your lack of action whenever your car is left still wet after cleaning or after being bombarded by rain water when driving outside.
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