Water spots on Opticoat and cleaner dried on glass
 

I've got mild water spots all over my Opticoated WRB BRZ. These spots are not really bad, and are not white-ish in color, but they are noticeable up close and in certain angles. I've been using Meguiars D110 Hyperwash soap for my washes. I'm not sure how long these water spots have been there. I have tried a 50/50 mix of distilled water/distilled white vinegar from a hand sprayer, wiped with a MF towel, with no luck. I'd like to get rid of these water spots without damaging the Opticoat.

Also, I had some Meguiars D103 All Purpose Cleaner Plus (about 5:1 ratio mix) dry on the outside glass surfaces of the car. Regular washing, as well as glass cleaner with MF glass towel does not remove the weird looking film/residue that it left on the windshield.

It's hard to take pictures of these defects, but I'll try to get some on here showing what I'm talking about.

Any ideas folks? Thanks.

I'm in the same boat.. the spots get worse especially with socal sun and no garage (the FRS is my daily / "beater"). Really makes me wish I didn't get black, but when she's clean... black looks awesome.

Best luck I've had is claybar... but I'm about to just give up. Next time i'm just going to save up for full clearbra like my other cars... it's much less hassle when washing.

lightly clay it..

also make sure you lubricate the surface well or else you're just asking for scratches.

good luck

So vinegar didn't work, did you try it full strenght?

You need a mild acid cleaner, as the water spot minerals are alkaline based. Chemical guys makes a water spot remover that works really well with OC, and so does Mark V.

Both of these have not reduced the OC IME, IF THEY are used as directed.

You will continue to get water spots until you dry the car quicker, or use spot free water in the rinse.

Cheers,
GREG

Thanks everybody for the tips. I have now tried up to full strength white vinegar with some elbow grease on a soft mf towel, with no luck at taking off the water spots or phantom water streaks/drips.
I'll try the chemical guys water spot remover next.

Any idea on how to clean the glass of the dried on cleaner?

Could be acid rain marks or from bird poop and those aren't going to come out. I have a couple dime size on the hood of my car and I'm going to try some 2500 sandpaper (wet sand) and then buff it out with various compound steps (Griots 1,2,3 & 4) to try and reduce them. Even if you leave bug guts on the front bumper too long it will leave an acid mark. I have the 3D Nitro Seal and I don't think much of anything will stop bird poop marks unless you get them off immediately.

Let us know how chemical guys stuff works...

If the Chemical guys doesn't work, you likely have water etching. You can use a polish to remove them, no need to sand (unless its really bad then I'll send you to a pro to do that level of work).

When you talk of cleaner on the glass? What type of cleaner did you use?

Cheers,
GREG

I had horrible water spots on my car after opticoat (since it pooled the water so much). I was determined to use what I got and I FINALLY found out something that works... good old Meguire's Paint Cleaner worked flawlessly. The vinegar thing only took out the white build up, but still left an outline of the spot. Paint cleaner + gentle towel then clean with good detail spray... won't take off opticoat either...


you're welcome!

A very low-tech way of getting the glass issue cleared up is a good old fashion razor blade.

Will claying remove or even thin out greatly my layer of opticoat? I'd like to at least clay every Summer/Winter season to get rid of those rail dust, etc.

simple answer is NO it won't thin out OC. However it might mar the finish some, as claying is a means by which marring will happen. I would suggest you use IronX to chemically remove the rail dust, and no that won't remove OC either IME. I would only do it once a year in the spring as the snow removal blades leave the iron behind and will stick to the paint.

Cheers,
GREG

Meguiars D103 All Purpose Cleaner Plus (about 5:1 ratio mix) dried on the glass, glass cleaners and MF glass towels do not get this residue off.

Rewet the window with the cleaner and wash it off is an option.

When a polish dries on the paint, adding more polish will remove the old in many cases. Same logic with the glass.

Cheers,
GREG