Allow me to introduce myself....

T

TristanCSI

New member
Hey all.... I'm new to the board, and eager to learn as much as I can. I've got quite an uphill battle ahead of me with the car I use now, so I figure I should get started.



I live in Northern California (Sacramento area) and love cars. Specifically, Import cars that are done nicely (no rice please, thank you).



I'm hoping I can learn from you all, and maybe when the time comes I can show some pics showing my progress from thumb-fingered newb to auto detailing pro! :D



I'm driving a 93 Camry, Dark Green, with lots of Freeway miles. It is filthy, and has deep water spots that I can't seem to get out with a simple wash/wax. Any suggestions?



I'm also hoping to restore the rims of the car, which seem to be coated with a dark discoloration, presumably from salt/sand mixture from it's time in Montana during the winters.



Thanks for any advice, and I'm looking forward to learning at your collective feet!
 
Hi,Tristan,



let me be the first to welcome you at Autopia:wavey



There is a wealth of information here, so spend some time in reading and searching.You can allso test-ride David's Detailing book (first 8 chapters are free) and when you like what you read (and you will:xyxthumbs ) you can buy the rest.



To get rid of water spots:

claying is a possibility

dilluted vinagar is another one



rims : there are acid-free cleaners for that gunk(don't know a brand , you'll need to use the perfectly working search-function)



Happy detailing



Christiaan
 
Welcome aboard Tristan.



It sounds like you've already waxed over your water spots. Now they're "protected" by a coat of wax. Try using Dawn dish soap (blue) to remove the wax. Then, as BlackRegal said, try the white vinegar and water mix.



If they still won't come out the minerals may have actually etched the paint. The next step would be a polish, always use the least abrasive that will do the job.
 
TristanCSI said:
I'm driving a 93 Camry, Dark Green, with lots of Freeway miles. It is filthy, and has deep water spots that I can't seem to get out with a simple wash/wax. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...



A lot of that will depend on how deeply they are etched into your clearcoat. I've had water-spots that were left on my hood for a week that wouldn't come out even with several applications of 3M's fine cut rubbing compound. They got there after the car was driven in a rain storm and then left to bake in the garage from the heat of the engine. Since I don't own a rotary, I had to resort to wet-sanding them off followed by a finesse-job to remove the resulting haze.



I would try some of the less aggressive suggestions posted earlier and then successively move up to stronger compounds if the etch-marks don't go away. Hopefully you won't have to resort to the same stuff I had to.



After this experience I will never just leave a car in the garage after being driven in the rain without at least QDing the hood and front fenders. Sometimes I think it's better to leave your car out in the rain after it's driven to prevent the few existing water spots on your "warming" hood to settle and get embedded.
 
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