water spots and clay bar

my98z71 · October 24, 2005

Can anyone tell me if using a clay bar will get rid of water spots. If not, what do I need to do to get the spots off the paint. Thanks

MrQuadrasteer · October 25, 2005

Yes, it should if done properly. If it doesn't... them some mean water spots !!

LikeaRock14 · October 28, 2005

Sometimes a clay bar isn't aggressive enough to remove the water spots. It can remove the mineral deposits left behind, but it won't remove the etching in the paint, which is probably what you'll see if the clay doesn't remove everything. Using a semi-abrasive polish like 3M Fine Cut or even some Meguiars Scratch-X should do the trick. With the scratch-X you won't need to follow up with a less abrasive polish, but you might with the Fine Cut. Using an agrasive compound by hand can sometimes leave marring behind (either excess product or marring from rubbing it by hand), so a lighter polish should remove any hazing left. If you want me to explain it more, just lemme know

'05_Z71 · October 31, 2005

Sometimes a clay bar isn't aggressive enough to remove the water spots. It can remove the mineral deposits left behind, but it won't remove the etching in the paint, which is probably what you'll see if the clay doesn't remove everything. Using a semi-abrasive polish like 3M Fine Cut or even some Meguiars Scratch-X should do the trick. With the scratch-X you won't need to follow up with a less abrasive polish, but you might with the Fine Cut. Using an agrasive compound by hand can sometimes leave marring behind (either excess product or marring from rubbing it by hand), so a lighter polish should remove any hazing left. If you want me to explain it more, just lemme know

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ditto with the 3M stuff.

I just got done waxing my truck and here's what I do:

Clay bar

3M 39009 Swirl Mark Remover for Dark Cars, even though my truck is white, and a medium cut pad on a random orbit buffer (I like the Porter Cable at ~5000 RPM)

The truck had some pretty tough water spots on it but they are all gone now. The clay bar should work well on your windows too.

LikeaRock14 · November 2, 2005

Sometimes a clay bar isn't aggressive enough to remove the water spots. It can remove the mineral deposits left behind, but it won't remove the etching in the paint, which is probably what you'll see if the clay doesn't remove everything. Using a semi-abrasive polish like 3M Fine Cut or even some Meguiars Scratch-X should do the trick. With the scratch-X you won't need to follow up with a less abrasive polish, but you might with the Fine Cut. Using an agrasive compound by hand can sometimes leave marring behind (either excess product or marring from rubbing it by hand), so a lighter polish should remove any hazing left. If you want me to explain it more, just lemme know

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ditto with the 3M stuff.

I just got done waxing my truck and here's what I do:

Clay bar

3M 39009 Swirl Mark Remover for Dark Cars, even though my truck is white, and a medium cut pad on a random orbit buffer (I like the Porter Cable at ~5000 RPM)

The truck had some pretty tough water spots on it but they are all gone now. The clay bar should work well on your windows too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can't beat the PC if you're a weekend warrior detailer or even if you're a professional. I didn't like mine that much at first because I started with a rotary, but after reading some tutorials on it I love it! The compound I'm currently using works great with a cutting pad and with the speed setting at 6. It'll remove just about anything!