Prism Polish + Water Spots

[PT87]

Hi all,

A friend of mine had bad water spots all along his car, and after he tried what he had at his disposal (clean, clay, paint cleaner), he received a recommedation to use Prism Polish (see link below), and it completely removed the water spots. It also cleaned up streaks on a windshield that Invisible Glass would just ignore. My questions to Mike is: is this stuff safe for paint? I'm having a hard time identifying how it works, what a comparable product would be, and exactly what it is. The website isn't 100% clear and it appears to be more of a metal polish.

I'm asking because I have a few water spot areas and when I saw how easy it was to take them off with this stuff, I am somewhat eager to try.

P.S. I cannot find ANY info in these forums about this stuff.

 

[yakky]

From their site: "Prism Polish contains no harsh acids, caustics or abrasives. it is safe to use on all metals fiberglass, gel-coat, plexiglass and painted surfaces"

 

[budinsc]

will it also remove hard water spots that have etched the clear coat?

bud

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

will it also remove hard water spots that have etched the clear coat?

bud

If the water spots are actual etchings or craters "in" the paint, then the only way to remove them is to abrade the paint till the surface is level with the lowest depths of the craters or ethings...

Wiping the paint won't remove a below surface defects.



Water Spots

New - 3 - Types of Water Spots - Type I, Type II and Type III

How To Remove Sprinkler Water Spots

How to remove water spots by hand

Tips for removing Type I Water Spots



Type II Water Spots
Type II Water Spots are actual etchings or craters in the paint because something corrosive in a water source has landed on the paint and was not removed before a portion of the paint was eaten or dissolved by the corrosive substance.

I took this photo myself when I helped Alex Fong from Corvette Forum remove a zillion Type II Water Spots out of the clear coat finish on his Corvette.

Photo Courtesy of MeguiarsOnline.com

Here's a close-up of the same photo, if you look closely you can see the edges are angled downward as this is an actual etching "into" the clear paint.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

My questions to Mike is: is this stuff safe for paint?

See my reply above about removing actual water spot etchings "in" the paint.


I'd have to research the product or test it to answer your question and can't get to that today...

Bigger picture is that if you're dealing with Type II water spots you need to polish or abrade the paint. Nothing you merely wipe over the paint is going to remove a defect that is below the surface.


Water spots are a curse to car owners especially considering how thin factory clear coat paints are...