Water Stains

[Dozer FX4]

I wasn't sure what section to put this in so i hope this is correct. I live in the Houston area and we have extremely hard water. Our sprinklers happened to hit my truck a few days in a row and i didn't wash it at that time. The water stains where on my truck for approximately one week and now i think they are etched into the clear coat. I have already tried buffing compound and that did not work. I'm going to hit it with a clay bar tonight and see how that goes. What else could I try? Thank you in advance.

[Rattlesnake18]

Subscribed.... I have the same issue with the passenger side of my truck.

[treg12]

Wet down a small area with water, then take a washcloth saturated with white vinegar and gently rub in a circular motion like you are putting on wax, then rinse with water. Work in small areas like you would while waxing so that you can rinse it off frequently.

Vinegar is mildly acidic and will disolve the deposits. Of course it will probably take off wax also, so you may have to rewax your truck. I have done this for years on my boats gelcoat to keep it clean.

As a preventative, a good coat of wax will help water deposits come off easier.

[Dozer FX4]

Thanks, I will give it a try tonight. I also read something about the Ducky xtreme gel for boats. Have you used this product?


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[Fantom]

You know that waterless wash stuff they try and sell you at gas stations? Believe it or not, that stuff works excellent on waterspots. My obs dually had some wicked waterspots all down the passenger side that I tried everything on. The guy did a sample spot, sprayed it and let it sit for 5 minutes or so, buffed it with a towel and the spots came out. I actually bought a whole case of the stuff. I think it's called FW1 or something like that

**edit**
This is the stuff here
http://www.fw1shine.com/

[c dog]

Just use a polish or buff compound. It will get rid of the spots and scrachtes..... Do the whole truck and use good wax not a cheap one.


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[Dozer FX4]

I used white vinegar last night and it worked pretty well. I did have to use a clay bar and then some ultimate compound in order to get what was left over. I really had to scrub with the vinegar to break the spots down but it did take the bulk of the stains out. It took me about an hour to do a front fender and one door but it's back to normal now. Lesson learned with this, it had been about three months since i had waxed my truck last and I think that played a big roll in the stains being so bad. Thanks for all of your input.

[treg12]

Originally Posted by Dozer FX4

I used white vinegar last night and it worked pretty well. I did have to use a clay bar and then some ultimate compound in order to get what was left over. I really had to scrub with the vinegar to break the spots down but it did take the bulk of the stains out. It took me about an hour to do a front fender and one door but it's back to normal now. Lesson learned with this, it had been about three months since i had waxed my truck last and I think that played a big roll in the stains being so bad. Thanks for all of your input.

I suggested wetting an area with water to dilute the vinegar. Since they are being stubborn, try just using the vinegar soaked cloth on a dry surface in an inconspicuous spot.

[Dozer FX4]

I used straight vinegar in a spray bottle, the diluted mixture didn't touch them. They were pretty bad.


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[treg12]

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