water damage on 2014 BMW

anhizer

New member
Hi All,


I have a 2014 BMW 335i in the "black sapphire metallic" (metallic black) that I have had since it had about 10k miles. I have been using a Harbor Freight DA polisher with chemical guys hexlogic pads w/ HD Poxy or Blackfire wet diamond (started with poxy, didnt like the durability and moved on to BWD). Anyways, its been a while since I have had time to put a fresh coat of wax on the car and we had some freak summer rain (a very rare occurrence here in CA in the summer). 


 


Long story short the car sat with water/dirt/other stuff on it and the BWD that i put on it a while ago was no longer offering any protection. Now i have some HEAVY water spots in the paint. I was able to finally spend a little time on the car today- i used a orange light cutting pad with HD Adapt with little results. I then tried Cut (same pad) which didnt seem to do much either. I was using my HF DA at about speed 4 applying medium pressure. In the shade and indirect sun it looks OK but in direct sunlight it looks really bad. 


 


As im not an expert at this sort of thing im thinking about taking the car to a pro for a correction, but I would prefer to do it myself and save some coin. I do have access to my friends Griots DA which has a bit more power the the HF. Any suggestions on product to try? I think im going to need to compound it or at least a heavy polish to get this stuff out. I have to buy compound (the adapt and Cut i have were in small sample bottles). I do have some 3M ultrafine polish but i dont think thats going to do the job.


 


I have a HD dealer nearby so that's preferable, but I'm open to anything.


 


Sorry for the long post & thanks in advance.


 
 
Thanks for the replies. I forgot to mention- Prior to polish i did use a blue (light abrasive) nanoskin to remove contaminate. Im not sure if the water spots are on the surface or if they are etched into the paint- i think they might be etched. The paint feels smooth to the touch and looks fine in indirect light. However in direct light:


IMG_1597.JPG



Here is the same portion of the car taken in the opposite direction (away from the sun)


IMG_1598.JPG



 


Does this look like there is contaminant on the paint or that it has been etched into the clear?


 


Thanks!
 
It appears that they are etched as you mentioned they weren't removed by claying. Some polish with an orange cutting pad should do the trick. If not, try a compound and the orange pad. Least aggressive method first!!
 
Personally, I think it's on the surface mostly. If needed, apply some Eraser to a foam pad and buff the surface on a slow speed. It's like doing things on steroids. 
 
Hey All,


Thanks for the replies. I went into my local HD dealer and showed the car to the sales guy. I explained what I had done so far and after his assessment he sold me a microfiber pad and some HD Cut. I asked him specifically about the eraser and he didnt think it was the best option because it had "been on the car for too long" (and i assume had etched into the paint).  I did the hood last night and it turned out great. i might drop to a less aggressive pad with a polish and see how that works out, but man the hood looks good. I topped the CUT with some SPEED but will hit it with some Poxy over the weekend.


 


Thanks!
 
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