Stubborn water spotting with CSL...too late for exo or will it even help?

[JCDetails]

So I got a call from my father in a minor panic over the jag. He’s taking it to have PPF done tomorrow at 9am and after rinsing it and wiping it down with ONR QD like I told him, he found a bunch of very stubborn, dark water spots.

Aside from my instinct that he’s not 100% following my directions as to towels etc, I believe the main culprit was a pollen covered car out in the rain then remaining out in the sun with more pollen coming down.

The car has CSL on it topped with C2v3 which was probably gone after a few touchless washes.

So, the question is other than garaging the thing, is there something I or he could do besides daily washing to help prevent it?

I’ve been regretting not going with exo on top of the CSL since I originally coated it. Now almost a month on, can I even add exo over top of the cured CSL or is it too late? And would it even make a difference?


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[SWETM]

Some QD is effective on water spots and maybe try the gtechnic QD and see if it's more effective on those than ONR. Know one QD that is very effective on water spots and has a lime scale remover built in it. It's not sold here and don't think it's available in the US. But it can be worth a try to test the gtechnic QD.

GTechniq Quick Detailer 500 ml

Otherwise a water spot remover would be good to have in the arsenal. But if your father is a little careless it could go wrong.

Could it be tree sap? Either way it's also good to have in the arsenal. You don't know when you need it but the day comes.

GTechniq W7 Tar and Glue Remover

 

[The Guz]

Coatings in general are prone to water spotting. But I recall reading various threads on google that C2v3 is prone to water spotting.

Try what was mentioned in the previous post.

You would have to chemically remove c2v3 so exo can bond to CSL. FYI Exo is not as user friendly as CSL.

 

[JCDetails]

Coatings in general are prone to water spotting. But I recall reading various threads on google that C2v3 is prone to water spotting.

Try what was mentioned in the previous post.

You would have to chemically remove c2v3 so exo can bond to CSL. FYI Exo is not as user friendly as CSL.

Any suggestion on the best route to go? Have things like D107, OPC, W6 available to me for that task, or could run a light polish over it.


Once I'm sure C2v3 is gone (pretty easy to tell...slickness being the primary thing) no problem with applying exo about a month after applying CSL?

I know Exo can be a little trickier to apply, is it even any more water spot resistant?


The combination of pollen and water is just annoying, hopefully pollen season starts to calm down here soon.

 

[The Guz]

If they don't come out chemically then your last resort is to polish. Which will more than likely remove everything including CSL.

I can't comment on how durable c2v3 is. Slickness may be one by product of it being gone but it may still be lingering around. CarPro states on their site in order to remove Reload and apply Gliss (their topper coating), one must use ironx (if necessary), tarx (removes the oils from reload), wash with reset and finally a prep wipe. I am not sure if something similar would need to be performed with c2v3. A GTechniq representative would have a better answer on how to make sure it is removed from the surface.

Once it is gone, you can apply Exo right over CSL. Exo V3 is supposed to have better anti-water spotting behavior than the previous formula.

I recall reading a member on here using a water spot remover on old Gyeon Mohs and it damaged the coating. I believe it was Gyeon's water spot remover. I have used CarPro Spotless and it worked fine the time I used it. It did not damage the old coating on my brothers car at the time.

 

[JCDetails]

These did come out eventually with a gentle rub with some Megs #83 and a MF towel. Tried D107 at 10:1, 5:1 and even OPC at 2:1 with no joy.

Something else I noticed was that it seemed like there were a pretty significant amount of bonded contaminants (touch test) on the CSL, which I was surprised at.

 

[theblob640]

CarPro Spotless have worked miracles for me without having to repolish.

All I did was spray Spotless on the panels affected, then used a foam applicator (for waxes) since it is soft and won't damage the paint and it removed it by spreading it around the panel as if applying a wax.

 

[Eldorado2k]

CarPro Spotless have worked miracles for me without having to repolish.

All I did was spray Spotless on the panels affected, then used a foam applicator (for waxes) since it is soft and won't damage the paint and it removed it by spreading it around the panel as if applying a wax.

Have you tried Carpro Spotless on both coated and non coated paint? I’ve only tried it a couple of times on non coated paint with no luck. I know it’s geared towards using it on coated paint and I’m wondering if the results are night & day.

 

[RippyD]

Something else I noticed was that it seemed like there were a pretty significant amount of bonded contaminants (touch test) on the CSL, which I was surprised at.

The coatings I've used all collect contaminants at the same rate as clear coat, if not faster. This is one of my 8 (or 9) issues with coatings.

 

[Eldorado2k]

The coatings I've used all collect contaminants at the same rate as clear coat, if not faster. This is one of my 8 (or 9) issues with coatings.

I agree. It’s my #1 complaint when it comes to coatings. Beading is 1 thing [and even the beading is somewhat unimpressive] But I’ve never seen 1 that actually protects...

This is after just 3 months of being “coated”

I’ll pass on that...

 

[theblob640]

Have you tried Carpro Spotless on both coated and non coated paint? I’ve only tried it a couple of times on non coated paint with no luck. I know it’s geared towards using it on coated paint and I’m wondering if the results are night & day.

I have not. I've only used it on a coated vehicle.

 

[DBAILEY]

Eldorado2k, you must live in a place with a lot of industrial fallout. I've never seen anyone need claying as often as you do with your cars.

 

[Route246]

Eldorado2k, you must live in a place with a lot of industrial fallout. I've never seen anyone need claying as often as you do with your cars.

I'm old enough to remember the smog in LA when you couldn't see down the street because it was so dense. This was in the '70s. Compared to then the air is pristine now.

See: L.A.'s Smoggy Past, in Photos | KCET

But, I have been to mainland China recently and the smog in Beijing, Shangai and Shenzen is probably worse (and more toxic) then LA prior to the Clean Air Act.

See: Smog blankets Beijing, northern China, causes road closures around the country | South China Morning Post

The amazing thing about China is there could be a storm that passes through and when it's gone you would think the air would clear up for a day or two. No chance of that, the smog returns within an hour or less in most cases. What does that tell you about the amount being spewed by factories and cars? Curiously, the cars there, even late model US (Buicks are very popular, BTW) and European models emit a lot of "unburned hydrocarbons" and you can smell it when you're standing behind an idling car. Some smell like '60s hot rods we see here in the US.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Eldorado2k, you must live in a place with a lot of industrial fallout. I've never seen anyone need claying as often as you do with your cars.

Actually, the only time my paint is littered with bonded contaminants is when I decide to stray from my tried and true lsp of choice [a sealant that has been discontinued]

We’ve had this Kia since 2014 when it was brand new and still to this day I’ve never pulled contaminants off it’s paint.

And when I’m not playing games with my daily drivers paint there’s never any bonded contaminants, I’ve gone over a year and still no contaminants & perfectly smooth paint.

But as soon as I decide to play games and do a little testing on my car every single lsp product to date has been an epic fail. Absolutely nothing I’ve tested in the past 4yrs. lives up to expectations, whether it’s wax, AIO’s, popular sealants, spray sealants, coatings, you name it, this is where they come to fail...

[my car split up into test panels]

[and the typical results in a short amount of time]

I live at the southern tip of Los Angeles, within a mile of the Port.

We’re also surrounded by all the refineries down here...

This spot on the road where this picture was taken is like a 2-3 min. drive from where I’m at.

Contaminants are no joke down here. Cute lsps get destroyed. Lol.

 

[GEM65]

Actually, the only time my paint is littered with bonded contaminants is when I decide to stray from my tried and true lsp of choice [a sealant that has been discontinued]

This got my interest!
Curious to know the sealant

 

[fightnews]

I can confirm the water spotting from c2v3. It's only on the surface though but still frustrating.

 

[fightnews]

This got my interest!
Curious to know the sealant

Me to, what's the discontinued lsp Eldo?