Vinegar Treatment Questions

D

dpreuss

New member
Hey everyone, yesterday, I wiped down my car with vinegar to take care of some waterspots. I had heard of this method thru the guide to detailing program i downloaded from this site. However, I had not seen how long to leave it on the first time, so I left on for around 1-3 minutes, doing other panels on the car before rinsing with water and washing with dawn. I posted the same question on clubgp.com, and a guy on there said he wouldn't be suprised if my paint started peeling off in a week or 2:( !!!!!!!!!! Is this true?????
 
I don't think that this will hurt your paint. Was the vinegar diluted half-and-half with water? If I remember right, it should be for water spot removal. The ABC wash system from Autoint contains an acid wash, and I think the dwell time for it is about the same length as you left the vinegar (a weak acid) on your car. As long as you rinsed it off I think you're OK.:xyxthumbs
 
I actually did not dilute the vinegar, I just soaked a sponge and wiped the sponge across my paint, doing one section at a time. I did the roof and windows first, then rinsed, washed with dawn, rinsed agian, tried with my absorber, then the front, sides, and back in the same way, so i'm sure it was only left on for 5 minutes tops. I then did the mother's 3 step system, which includes a prewax cleaner, so all the leftover residue is gone. Also, would the damage show right away, or show with time?
 
No damage will show, i highly highly doubt that you did any damage to your paint, especially if you cleaned it as throughly as you did afterward. Tell the guy over on clubgp that he needs to join autopia and learn something :)



However Vinegar is an acid, and in some instances can be dangerous, but eating through the paint. Doubt it.



Mike
 
Whenever I use vinegar, I only dampen a rag with it, never dripping. I only ever use it for water spot removal on glass or the occasional concrete spatter.



I'm a little paranoid about some acid finding it way into a crevice unnoticed and then doing what it does best. 3 years from now, I still want the door in the hole meant to hold it, rather than rocking back and forth on the ground ruining my brilliant finish.
 
Im sure there is no damage going to magically show up, like tpgsr said you did a lot of cleaning/polishing ect afterwards. You should be fine.
 
No damage. If a quick wiping with vinegar (100% or diluted) does not remove the waterspot, allowing and it to dwell for several minutes is perfectly and advised okay before moving on to a harsher corrective protocol. Acid rain dwells for a lot longer on most daily drivers and these vehicle's paint is still there. etched maybe but still present.

Vinegar is such a weak acidic fluid that even if some that gets into crevises will be diluted to neutral by the first rain or wash. No concern needed about this situation either.
 
If your car's paint can tolerate the acid rain, snow melt salts, polution, bird crap, etc, a vinegar wash ain't gonna faze it; but does do a great job of getting off water spots and surface crud that a detergent wash misses.
 
Vinegar will not hurt your paint. As a matter of fact , a friend of mine re finnishes hard wood floors and the cleaner of choice is vinagar and water
 
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