I've got a 2006 Tacoma whose finish has been mucked up by water spots - they are definitely etched in. I've maintained the finish since new with Klasse products as well as Sonus (I usually use a combination of a clay bar and Klasse All In One). So these water spots didn't respond to washing, nor to a clay bar, nor to Sonus SFX-1. So I bought CarPro Spotless Intensive Water Spot Remover and scrubbed the heck out of some areas - no improvement. Help !!!
Very Frustrated w/Water Spots
- Thread starter Snp1973
- Start date
Rsurfer
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- Jan 26, 2007
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Google, MX7 for tough water spots.
swanicyouth
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- Mar 3, 2011
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If they are etched as you say, nothing will help short of making the area around the water spot level with the water spots. An etched water spot is like a small divot in the clear coat - or a pockmark.
Imagine a dude that had bad acne and has a pockmarked face. No lotion or cleanser will remove those pockmarks. Nothing you can safely wipe on his face will remove the pockmarks - same with your paint.
So, you will need to use some abrasive polish to level the clear coat. I'm guessing these will likely require a compound and a cutting pad if they are etched. You may want to assess the thickness of the paint prior to aggressive compounding.
All this being said, the trick is to avoid them once they are fixed. If whatever liquid that is causing these etchings is strong enough to eat through clear coat, it's strong enough to eat through any wax / sealant / coating IMHO.
If these are from tap water getting on the paint and being left to dry, wether it be from a sprinkler or not drying after washing - you must avoid that.
If you live someplace where it rains toxic chemicals out of the sky - there is not much you can do except wash frequently and try not to let your wet car bake dry in the sun - as the heat of the sun can "catalyze" the reaction that forms a water spot in a positive manner.
Imagine a dude that had bad acne and has a pockmarked face. No lotion or cleanser will remove those pockmarks. Nothing you can safely wipe on his face will remove the pockmarks - same with your paint.
So, you will need to use some abrasive polish to level the clear coat. I'm guessing these will likely require a compound and a cutting pad if they are etched. You may want to assess the thickness of the paint prior to aggressive compounding.
All this being said, the trick is to avoid them once they are fixed. If whatever liquid that is causing these etchings is strong enough to eat through clear coat, it's strong enough to eat through any wax / sealant / coating IMHO.
If these are from tap water getting on the paint and being left to dry, wether it be from a sprinkler or not drying after washing - you must avoid that.
If you live someplace where it rains toxic chemicals out of the sky - there is not much you can do except wash frequently and try not to let your wet car bake dry in the sun - as the heat of the sun can "catalyze" the reaction that forms a water spot in a positive manner.
RevitalizeAutoSpa
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- Apr 23, 2014
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Sprinkler systems are BRUTAL on paint.
CarPro Spotless will have an effect on the surface spots, but not on the etching. That will require polishing.
CarPro Spotless will have an effect on the surface spots, but not on the etching. That will require polishing.
Dr_Pain
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- Nov 28, 2012
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:whs: +1
Setec Astronomy
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- Aug 31, 2010
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Sounds like a job for Wolgang Uber Compound.
Kamakaz1961
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- Aug 23, 2013
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:iagree:+2
Mike Phillips
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- Dec 5, 2022
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Yeah... that's what I've been telling people for years now... If there's an actual ETCHING in the paint like a crater in the clear coat, then wiping on and wiping off some water spot remover or vinegar isn't going to do anything.
3 - Types of Water Spots - Type I, Type II and Type III
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.
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.
For these types of "water spots" a person has to compound the paint to level it.
I'd say that Type III water spots as well as Tracers, Pigtails and RIDS are the worst below surface paint defects to have to deal with.
Tracers Tracers - RIDS - Pigtails - Cobweb Swirls - Rotary Buffer Swirls - Holograms - Water Spots - Bird Drooping Etchings - Micro-Marring
Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
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Working on a 2006 Tacoma, with the factory clearcoat?
You want something more aggressive but also something very safe as this truck is 8 years old and if this is the factory clearcoat then it was thing from the start and it hasn't been getting any thicker since it left the assembly line.
Uber Compound is a very aggressive and safe compound. More info here,
The Wolfgang Four
Uber Compound
- Aggressive Compound - More aggressive than Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and Wolfgang Finishing Glaze.
- For use with any type of polisher/buffer and can be used by hand.
- Body Shop Safe = Can be used in a fresh paint. environment (body shop) and can be used on fresh paint, (paint just sprayed and less than 30 days old).
- Safe for Ceramiclear paints.
- Cafe for all clear coat paints.
- Safe for all single stage paints.
- For some people on some cars it can be used as a compound/polish after which the paint can be sealed with a wax or synthetic paint sealant.
Wolfgang Uber Compound 3.0
And also be sure to use foam cutting pads and thin, 5.5" pads work best on a Porter Cable.
See this thread,
Video: Mark your backing plate to make it easy to see pad rotation
Scroll down a little bit....
RevitalizeAutoSpa
New member
- Apr 23, 2014
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Menzerna FG400 or Meguiar's D300 are good options too.
- Thread starter
- #12
So I picked up a bottle of Meguire's D300 earlier today, as it was available locally. Still not seeing much, if any, progress. Maybe a very slight reduction... these things aren't visible from certain angles at all... you can see a few in the first photo below. Using my Porter Cable polisher with a cutting pad. Is it going to be a matter of application time and time again or am I better off seeking outside help? I've never seen anything so stubborn on any vehicle I've owner before! I'm afraid that removing blemishes is not my forte Tips appreciated.