Iron/'Hard' water spots on finish.....

[RyanChappel]

My well water is full of iron....despite a sediment filter and a water softener, my red/red '91 Z is showing a bunch of iron/hard water spotting, which is mostly resistant to my Meguir's gold carnuba. I haven't used a higher abrasive content wax or rubbing compound. I see suggestions to use white vinegar for 2-5 minutes, then rinse and clean....any tips?

[Kevin]

both compound and vinegar and water are a good idea as is ironx

[efnfast]

I assembled and installed a filter that gives me deionized water for a spot free rinse. First I use a water softener cartridge, then the DI cartridge. You can only run about 1 gpm through the filters, so I use this for rinse water only. Plus the cartridges have a limited life and are fairly expensive. It also works great to rinse off the car when it is just dusty. I have a long dirt drive. -Steve

[dredgeguy]

Go to the Detailed Image website, www.detailedimage.com and get a bottle of Optumum No Rinse Wash & Shine (32 oz for $15.99). Go to Walmart and get a gallon of distilled water and pour into 2 buckets. Put a cap full of No Rinse in your wash bucket and keep the other to rinse dirt from your wash mit.
It is hard to believe no rising will work without putting scratches on the finish but it does work. Reflections Detailing did a demo on my car at a Wazoo event at Lance Miller's home at Carlisle and everybody was impressed with the results. A lot less expensive then water softeners and filters.

[Schrade]

I don' think ionized PURE water leaves deposits; rather the minerals IN the water...

Water is self-ionizing; H2O's ionize into OH's (-), and H3O's (+), and these CHARGED water ions sometimes latch onto the other elements in the water.

That's normally what gets left as a deposit.

Towel dry, and use the water left over, to allow wiping the wax until it's all WIPED IN. Takes a lot longer, but leaves a heavier coat of wax.

Try it. Don't take half (or more) of the wax off that you just put on...

[scottfab]

Some of this is plagiarized but modified by my own experience.


Step 1

Wash the car thoroughly. This will remove road grime and dust on your car. It will also help eliminate some of the minerals responsible for the hard water spots. As always, wash in a shaded location - never in direct sunlight. While the products we are going to use are completely safe to use, heat from a hot surface or direct sunlight can turn something harmless like car soap into an amplified cleaner which can yield unknown results. So while vinegar is completely safe to use on your car's surface, using it in hot sun should be avoided. Now dry the car completely.

Step 2

Mix a 1:1 solution of regular white vinegar with distilled water. Regular tap water will work fine. Apply the vinegar/water solution with a spray bottle on to the affected paint finish. Allow mixture to work for up to 10 minutes. The acid in the vinegar will help loosen the hard water minerals embedded in the paint. This is similar to running your coffee maker with vinegar to remove the build up of hard water.
After allowing to work for 10 minutes, wash and dry the area again to remove the water/vinegar solution. The minerals from the hard water will be gone at this point but you may still notice the rings. If so, repeat. The key is to dry the car quickly.

Step 3

Wax several times. Nothing fights water spots better than some preventative measures (wax)

[nelson007]

Thanks Scott this was very helful, I also have iron in my well water.
nelson007

Originally Posted by scottfab

Some of this is plagiarized but modified by my own experience.


Step 1

Wash the car thoroughly. This will remove road grime and dust on your car. It will also help eliminate some of the minerals responsible for the hard water spots. As always, wash in a shaded location - never in direct sunlight. While the products we are going to use are completely safe to use, heat from a hot surface or direct sunlight can turn something harmless like car soap into an amplified cleaner which can yield unknown results. So while vinegar is completely safe to use on your car's surface, using it in hot sun should be avoided. Now dry the car completely.

Step 2

Mix a 1:1 solution of regular white vinegar with distilled water. Regular tap water will work fine. Apply the vinegar/water solution with a spray bottle on to the affected paint finish. Allow mixture to work for up to 10 minutes. The acid in the vinegar will help loosen the hard water minerals embedded in the paint. This is similar to running your coffee maker with vinegar to remove the build up of hard water.
After allowing to work for 10 minutes, wash and dry the area again to remove the water/vinegar solution. The minerals from the hard water will be gone at this point but you may still notice the rings. If so, repeat. The key is to dry the car quickly.

Step 3

Wax several times. Nothing fights water spots better than some preventative measures (wax)

[efnfast]

A water softener will remove iron and hardness, but will add sodium. Sodium will spot like calcium hardness.

[Hog]

If you chamois you shouldnt get "water spots" I have very hard water and not allowing the drops to dry on their own eliminates the issue.

[scottfab]

Unfortunately if you get caught in rain (has happened to me only 4 times in 17yrs) you can get spots before you can get them dried off.
That is where several coats of wax pays off.