It's been three weeks post a complete 105/205 compound/polishing, followed by two coats of Klasse sealant glaze and once coat of Pinnacle Sov Liquid Wax. My daily driver sits in my gravel driveway and takes constant exposure. I planned on keeping the finish very well protected so it would not need even light polishing for at least another 6 months or more. Well, after a drive to Indianapolis I performed my usual delicate wash routine and discovered the worst water etching I've experienced on a personal vehicle. ARGGGGG. Never happened before in the first three years I owned the car! I have a 17 year old astro that's parked next to this e36 and it has never been etched like this. My roommates' cars are not water-etched and they have NO protection on them. We have had intense rains followed by sun the past few weeks which created the conditions for this to happen. BUT, I am fairly certain that the sealant+wax actually contributed to the damage because 1) the other adjacent cars are fine and more importantly 2) my car "holds" the beaded water for many more hours than the adjacent vehicles due to the LSPs. An evening dew will gather into large beads and stick around until mid morning while the other cars in the area are completely dried off before the sun peaks. When I get to work, the finish is often still holding water whereas all of the cars in the lot are dry; I suspect the etching actually occurred in my work lot due to the aspect/sun/heat.
There are at least a hundred of these etch marks all over the hood now, maybe a dozen on the trunk. The etching is not that deep, thank goodness. I loaned out my porter cable, so I used some 205 by hand and was able to correct 0.5 square foot in about 10 minutes of elbow work. I will wait for the return of my polisher to correct the damage. I'm just frustrated because I don't know how I can prevent it. I'm considering opti-coat based on the discussions and reviews, but if there was something less permanent that would do the job (instead of actually contributing to the damage) I would love to hear about it. I use Ultima PGP on lots of vehicles with great results, but I like a darkening/wetting and warming finish on the daily e36 (as opposed to bright and glossy). After polishing with 205, I will apply Klasse again and then try collinite 845 instead of the Pin Liq Sov. I need a miracle sheeting product.
This car had a complete bmw dealer repaint before I purchased it; the quality of the paint job is spectacular considering (was a major insurance claim for the original owner). For this reason, I've kept compounding to a minimum so it has a lot of visible rock chips and small scratches.
Direct links to the water etching. Sorry these are cell phone shots and I had a very hard time getting anything. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lSnJ4DuxtnLYxlrT--ENAw4B4iPKnurFfwWqiC8Yq7Q?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/j8i6NnyLQfjFp_KQDrfsYQ4B4iPKnurFfwWqiC8Yq7Q?feat=directlink
For reference, here's a link of the hood from last winter before a moderate compounding and polish: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kyUSE12CwGBUjXrkx29mYcOnRkjrBNfQO1kT04sH_Y4?feat=directlink
Oh forgot to mention: before polishing I tried removing the spots with a) 10% IPA, 10% APC, and white vinegar. No luck. I would describe the depth of the etching as light-moderate, maybe a 2/5. Again, the pictures suck. This is what they really look like (Mike's hand I think, NOT MY CAR):
There are at least a hundred of these etch marks all over the hood now, maybe a dozen on the trunk. The etching is not that deep, thank goodness. I loaned out my porter cable, so I used some 205 by hand and was able to correct 0.5 square foot in about 10 minutes of elbow work. I will wait for the return of my polisher to correct the damage. I'm just frustrated because I don't know how I can prevent it. I'm considering opti-coat based on the discussions and reviews, but if there was something less permanent that would do the job (instead of actually contributing to the damage) I would love to hear about it. I use Ultima PGP on lots of vehicles with great results, but I like a darkening/wetting and warming finish on the daily e36 (as opposed to bright and glossy). After polishing with 205, I will apply Klasse again and then try collinite 845 instead of the Pin Liq Sov. I need a miracle sheeting product.
This car had a complete bmw dealer repaint before I purchased it; the quality of the paint job is spectacular considering (was a major insurance claim for the original owner). For this reason, I've kept compounding to a minimum so it has a lot of visible rock chips and small scratches.
Direct links to the water etching. Sorry these are cell phone shots and I had a very hard time getting anything. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lSnJ4DuxtnLYxlrT--ENAw4B4iPKnurFfwWqiC8Yq7Q?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/j8i6NnyLQfjFp_KQDrfsYQ4B4iPKnurFfwWqiC8Yq7Q?feat=directlink
For reference, here's a link of the hood from last winter before a moderate compounding and polish: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kyUSE12CwGBUjXrkx29mYcOnRkjrBNfQO1kT04sH_Y4?feat=directlink
Oh forgot to mention: before polishing I tried removing the spots with a) 10% IPA, 10% APC, and white vinegar. No luck. I would describe the depth of the etching as light-moderate, maybe a 2/5. Again, the pictures suck. This is what they really look like (Mike's hand I think, NOT MY CAR):
Last edited:
