Have you ever washed your car and let it dry in the sun to come out and find you have all these nasty little spots all over the paint and glass? If you are doing a great job washing your car, using the right soap, and not using a brush, as we have discussed before, then the last thing you want it to find is little spots all over your washed car.
What are water spots?
Hard water is made up of minerals, calcium, magnesium, limestone in the water. Once the water dries it leaves behind calcium and mineral spots on the paint. Most of the time these spots will be white on the paint and look like stains on the glass. The harder the water, the harder the stain will be to remove.
Why is the water spotting happening when it rains?
When rain falls it is naturally soft water. The spotting occurs from the containments already on the surface of your vehicle. Once the rain hits the surface it encapsulates the surface contaminants. Once dry, it creates the stain. If you have your car protected with a wax, sealant or ceramic coating, hard water staining can still occur. Even though water stains can still occur, it is much easier to remove hard water stains from cars with some kind of surface protection.
When there are fewer contaminants in your car, there will be less of a chance of hard staining. If you have hard water stains on a treated surface, sometimes it can be as simple as a re-wash, dry and your good to go, spot-free! In more extreme cases, you will need to polish or even wet sand the etched spotting.
How to remove the water spots
There are two simple ways to prevent spotting.
- One option is to dry the car immediately after the rain or after the wash is complete.
- The other is to invest in the spotless water system (di-ionized water system). This system filters the minerals and calcium. When rinsing your vehicle after a wash, there is no drying needed.
Hard water spots can be tough to get rid of if you are not able to dry your car right away. Water stains happen when contaminants that are already on the surface of your vehicle get encapsulated by water droplets that when drying, cause stains. You can run out and dry your car to prevent this from happening, or you can ask your detailer about options like using a spotless water system. STAY PROTECTED. Choose a detailer you can trust!
