Cannot get the "waterspots" from liquid de-icer off...

[toyota_f1]

My car is only about 3 weeks old and last week we had some fairly nasty snow... with the switch to liquid de-icer for the roads I've been concerned about what this would do to the paint. It was too cold to wash off that night so I found a heated bay the next morning and went at it... no matter what I did these spots are still there... I made a comment on another forum it looks like my car went through a nasty dishwasher and I'm just hoping the paint isn't irreperably etched.... any thoughts? Is it just standing out more because it's a black car? I'd be really upset if I can't take care of it... Any input is welcome... I haven't clay-barred yet, but I've used deep crystal and wash and wax.

Thanks!

[sneek]

Welcome to MOL
I don't know if this will work because i've never had to use liquid de-icer

but try ScratchX, if Deep Crystal paint cleaner isn't doing the trick. Use ScratchX with the hi-tech applicator pad working it in well!

I'm very supprised that DC1 isn't doing the trick for you if its just hard water spots

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10438

I'm guessing the stuff is by Rain-X (i live in Canada and tons of people use this stuff)

maybe you should give them a call

BTW the new IS 350 is a sweeettt carr!

[sneek]

also http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...&threadid=9960

[Accident]

I have this same problem, but with the de-icer windshield washer fluid (rain-x). Like sneek said, scratch-x has always seemed to work for me. Usually if I can get to it really quickly, some QD will get the majority off and then DC #1 will finish the rest, but if I leave it there for a day or two I have to go with the scratch-x.

[Mike Phillips]

Read this from the Hot Topics forum,

There are two basic kinds of water spots,

1) Above Surface Mineral Deposits
2) Below Surface Water Spot Etchings


Type I Water Spots

Type I Water Spots are what Meguiar's refers to as Above Surface Bonded Contaminants. A Type I water spot is some type of deposit, often times a mineral deposit that was in the water source, sitting on top of the surface.

If you have Type I water spots, you can use either a clay bar or a paint cleaner like ScratchX by hand. Clay bars are for removing above surface defects and will typically do a good job of remove Type I water spots/deposits from off the surface. Sometimes you may have to follow the claying process with a paint cleaner like ScratchX to completely remove all traces of where the mineral deposits attached to the finish.

Type I Water Spots






Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface
Type II Water Spots are what Meguiar's refers to as Below Surface Defects. A Type II Water Spot is actually an etching in the surface where whatever was in the water was strong enough in it's chemical composition to actually eat or dissolve the paint and thus etch into the paint.

If you Type II Water Spots, you can use a paint cleaner by hand such as ScratchX, or a machine applied product such as a compound, paint cleaner, or cleaner/polish to machine clean the finish, removing a small amount of paint in an effort to level, or smooth out the finish. The goal is to remove just enough paint to level the surface with the lowest depths of the defect.

Just to be clear, removing Type II Water Spots means removing paint. As such, you are limited as to how much paint you can remove. In some cases you may want to check with a seasoned professional for their advise before attempting to remove below surface defects like Type II Water Spots.


Type II Water Spots - Etchings below the surface


Close-up of same photo above


Click here to add your comments or ask questions about this article...