Car Care Shine Up Your Stang for Show Season, Fix a Dent, And General Car Cleaning

Ultra hard water stains

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 9/22/11, 01:35 AM
  #1  
GT Member
Thread Starter
 
foolio2k4's Avatar
 
Join Date: December 25, 2008
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ultra hard water stains

My car is parked out on the street every day. We currently rent our house and the lawn sprinklers are automated to come on at 12am midnight.

This means that hard water stains keep building up on one side of the car. I've tried washing it off but ive been unable to get the hard water stain off.

What should I do about it.

We purchased a house and is currently in escrow so i will garage my car in a few months time. So I was thinking of just leaving it as is and when we move I will get it professionally washed and waxed for a couple bills.

What are your thoughts on how I should go about solving this problem. Thanks.
Old 9/22/11, 02:17 AM
  #2  
Post *****
 
cdynaco's Avatar
 
Join Date: December 14, 2007
Location: State of Jefferson Mountains USA
Posts: 20,005
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Originally Posted by foolio2k4
My car is parked out on the street every day. We currently rent our house and the lawn sprinklers are automated to come on at 12am midnight.

This means that hard water stains keep building up on one side of the car. I've tried washing it off but ive been unable to get the hard water stain off.

What should I do about it.

We purchased a house and is currently in escrow so i will garage my car in a few months time. So I was thinking of just leaving it as is and when we move I will get it professionally washed and waxed for a couple bills.

What are your thoughts on how I should go about solving this problem. Thanks.
Get a car cover. Costco sells a nice one (Coverking) that is affordable - seems like around $140 that is water repellant and breathable. It fits perfect and covers completely so the sprinklers wouldn't touch your finish. It even protected my finish from a (marble sized) hail storm.

I learned the hard way about hard water from my well. Came home late and thought I was doing a good thing hosing off the bugs before I went to bed, thinking I'd do a full wash the next morning. The next day, water spots from hell etched in the finish! Big honkers and there was no way to get them out.
The Dealer did an 'acid wash' to remove them and then re-applied their polymer protectant. Although I was skeptical I had done the right thing buying the polymer, it guaranteed against water spots, so the fix was N/C.
So now when I wash it, the race is on to dry each panel immediately before any spots set in. Rain is fine, but not water from my well - and it doesn't seem that hard of water on my faucets.
Old 9/22/11, 04:38 AM
  #3  
I lust for a M24
 
05GT-O.C.D.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: November 6, 2004
Location: Football HOF, Canton OH
Posts: 7,045
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Try a clay bar.
Old 9/22/11, 05:22 AM
  #4  
Legacy TMS Member
 
Glenn's Avatar
 
Join Date: August 7, 2006
Location: In Boredom
Posts: 15,811
Received 773 Likes on 565 Posts
or try some swirl remover

Last edited by Glenn; 9/22/11 at 05:23 AM.
Old 9/22/11, 04:20 PM
  #5  
Team Mustang Source
 
1999 Black 35th GT's Avatar
 
Join Date: March 30, 2005
Posts: 3,639
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Glenn's answer is most likely your best solution. I would avoid a car cover due to the fact that they will instill micro marring on the paint. I would try to park it elsewhere and put a nice coat of sealant/wax on it after SwirlX as this is a paint cleaner and does not offer protection. Your most cost effective and durable over the counter protection is most likely going to be Meg's Ultimate Wax.
Old 9/22/11, 06:10 PM
  #6  
Legacy TMS Member
 
Glenn's Avatar
 
Join Date: August 7, 2006
Location: In Boredom
Posts: 15,811
Received 773 Likes on 565 Posts
orrrrrrrrr grab a decent size rock and put it on the sprinkler head nearest your car! Winning
Old 9/23/11, 05:28 PM
  #7  
Detailing Guru
 
MarcHarris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 16, 2011
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 348
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Answered the same question here: https://themustangsource.com/f659/wa...8/#post6131199


Originally Posted by MarcHarris
It depends on the type of etching. Hard water spots will leave mineral residue on the surface - you can even feel it and tell your paint isn't smooth. When this is the case, you can use products like Chemical Guys Water Spot remover, which is an acid based product that causes the minerals to break down in the gel so that they can be removed from the finish. If the spots you see aren't raised (they'll feel smooth), then the damage has actually etched into the finish and the finished must be polished to remove the damage. In some cases, wet-sanding is needed to remove etching damage if the damage is deep enough. In the even the damage goes all the way through the clear-coat, or even most of the way through, there's nothing that can be done and to remove the damage would require a respray of affected panels.

You'll have to figure out what caused the damage and whether is just on the surface, or if more aggressive measures need to be taken. Beware of sprinklers, bird-bombs, and bugs - they'll all potentially cause major damage to your finish.

In your case, it's all mineral build-up and needs to be removed slowly but surely with a dedicated water-spot remover.
Old 9/23/11, 06:01 PM
  #8  
Legacy TMS Member
 
Glenn's Avatar
 
Join Date: August 7, 2006
Location: In Boredom
Posts: 15,811
Received 773 Likes on 565 Posts
vinegar??
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Gigantor
2005-2009 Mustang
31
5/11/23 07:31 PM
RCooke08GT
2005-2009 Mustang
9
2/19/17 03:03 AM
tj@steeda
2015 - 2023 MUSTANG
21
2/10/17 07:12 PM
Beouch
2010-2014 Mustang
0
9/16/15 06:14 PM
Mrmiles1369
Repair and Service Help
2
9/11/15 07:23 PM



Quick Reply: Ultra hard water stains



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:34 PM.