waterspots atop opti-seal

[builthatch]

i have some slight waterspots atop my optiseal. the finish was perfect prior to 3 applications of opti-seal, which i applied about a month ago. the past few days we've had a heck of a lot of rain and i've been putting the car in the garage as usual. it resulted in said spotting. what can i do that won't nullify the sealant application? i washed the car as the weather finally cleared up today and after drying, i wiped it down with some optimum detailer and the spots didn't change. i feel like some light passes with a white pad and optimum polish would take care of it but it'd nullify the sealant, right?

i was sort-of under the impression that spots would not form on the sealant OR if they did, they would wash away during washing, but i guess not.

 

[ScottB]

if the spotting is indeed on top of the sealant or even in it, versus etching to topcoat of the paint, then simply prepolish or paint cleanse to remove the sealant and reapply.

 

[dublifecrisis]

poli-seal's cleaners are rather light aren't they? Maybe that would do the trick while preserving the opti-seal.

 

[robb01]

I would wash and do another coat

 

[ScottB]

washing and adding another coat would likely seal the spots into the finish. Polyseal will likely remove all or compromise some of the protection from Optiseal and thus why I suggest a complete removal and reapplication. You can then also judge if etched into surface or rather into the sealant and the original post suggests.

 

[builthatch]

i appreciate the suggestions, but if i remove it then reapply, won't it just happen again? the finish was perfect prior to application and i applied the opti-seal 3 times before this happened.

i know the opti-seal isn't a clear coat haha, but still- will anything keep these deposits from forming? That's the thing, they very well might be deposits, but washing and instant detailer hasn't removed them, and even rubbing a bit after soaking with some detailer hasn't, so maybe they are slightly etched.

anything i can try to remove deposits that won't require reapplication of the opti-seal? it's not like it's hard, but i just don't want to have to remove and reapply each time we face a few days of rain. the thing wasn't even in the sun during those days.......

 

[RaskyR1]

Are you sure it was just rain water and not water from a sprinkler? Maybe acid rain? Typically rain water will not spot the paint.

I don't think there is a wax or sealant out there though that will protect from spotting caused by hard water.

 

[builthatch]

Are you sure it was just rain water and not water from a sprinkler? Maybe acid rain? Typically rain water will not spot the paint.

I don't think there is a wax or sealant out there though that will protect from spotting caused by hard water.

100% sure no other water hit it EXCEPT i did rinse it with my normal car washing water supply one of the days. Keep in mind my water supply is a softened supply from our houseold softener, i have a hot and cold outlet from this system with an adjustable mixer for temp control.

the car did not see one ounce of sun, so the evaporation was just from being in a somewhat dry environment at night after driving (my garage)

shouldn't my softened water not spot? the spots are very slight (small and relatively light), so could it possibly be a slight salt scaling or something? i called the tech who installed my system and he said to increase the regeneration frequency and see if that helps.

i might start a new topic focused specifically on the softener q's.

 

[RaskyR1]

100% sure no other water hit it EXCEPT i did rinse it with my normal car washing water supply one of the days. Keep in mind my water supply is a softened supply from our houseold softener, i have a hot and cold outlet from this system with an adjustable mixer for temp control.

the car did not see one ounce of sun, so the evaporation was just from being in a somewhat dry environment at night after driving (my garage)

shouldn't my softened water not spot? the spots are very slight (small and relatively light), so could it possibly be a slight salt scaling or something? i called the tech who installed my system and he said to increase the regeneration frequency and see if that helps.

i might start a new topic focused specifically on the softener q's.

I would say it's probably from that. I'm sure being softened water it's less likely to spot, but I think if it's left to air dry on the car it's still possible.

Rasky

 

[builthatch]

I would say it's probably from that. I'm sure being softened water it's less likely to spot, but I think if it's left to air dry on the car it's still possible.

Rasky

thanks.

i spoke to Dave Ghoudassi at Optimum and this is what he said. makes sense to me, i guess i'll just have to assure that i use the right pad-

Opti-Seal protects the paint from water spots by trapping them. It will require using Poli-Seal or other cleaner waxes to remove these water spots. If you do use Poli-Seal, it will dissolve the layers of Opti-Seal and then lays it back on the paint. Just work in the Poli-Seal till it removes the water spots and goes clear and you should not see any loss of protection.

 

[Emile]

Even though paint sealants are called that, I believe that when the vehicle gets dirty or accumulates water spots, that dirt is in the paint and not just on the sealant.

So if you have any water spots that a car wash cannot remove, you will have to polish them out, which will also polish out the Opti-Seal.

 

[RaskyR1]

Even though paint sealants are called that, I believe that when the vehicle gets dirty or accumulates water spots, that dirt is in the paint and not just on the sealant.

So if you have any water spots that a car wash cannot remove, you will have to polish them out, which will also polish out the Opti-Seal.

I would agree.

 

[Rsurfer]

i appreciate the suggestions, but if i remove it then reapply, won't it just happen again? the finish was perfect prior to application and i applied the opti-seal 3 times before this happened.

i know the opti-seal isn't a clear coat haha, but still- will anything keep these deposits from forming? That's the thing, they very well might be deposits, but washing and instant detailer hasn't removed them, and even rubbing a bit after soaking with some detailer hasn't, so maybe they are slightly etched.

anything i can try to remove deposits that won't require reapplication of the opti-seal? it's not like it's hard, but i just don't want to have to remove and reapply each time we face a few days of rain. the thing wasn't even in the sun during those days.......

I guess that proves that OS doesn't work in your stituation. Try another sealant or possibly put a nuba over OS after it's re-done.:buffing:

 

[RaskyR1]

I guess that proves that OS doesn't work in your stituation. Try another sealant or possibly put a nuba over OS after it's re-done.:buffing:

I don't think it will make any difference which wax/sealant you use. If anyone thinks their sealant will keep hard water spots from setting in I'd love to come over and prove them wrong.

Your best bet is to hand dry the car everytime. Don't rinse and let it drip dry. :cheers:

 

[Rsurfer]

Don't rinse and let it drip dry. What does that mean?

 

[RaskyR1]

Don't rinse and let it drip dry. What does that mean?

If you use a hose to rinse the car off, don't let the water just sit on the paint to dry on it's own. The OP said he had done just that but thought he was fine since it was softened water.

 

[builthatch]

If you use a hose to rinse the car off, don't let the water just sit on the paint to dry on it's own. The OP said he had done just that but thought he was fine since it was softened water.

well, i always dry thoroughly if i wash it, but of course i don't if the car is dirty from a few days worth of wet driving and i want to rinse some of the wet gunk off. i just rinse it...i believe it might have been you in my other thread that said my soft water will spot, but just not as bad as water that isn't treated.

the downside is i'll get spots, of course- nothing will prevent that, but, as ghoudassi said- there might be spots, but it'll protect the clear, which is really the ultimate goal of sealant.

i washed the car the other day, again, dried it, then hit it with an orange pad and poli-seal. it did exactly what he said it would. one to two passes on 5 with the PC totally restored the finish and removed the spots. i'm sure i could have used a way less aggro pad but i wanted to hit some small tight areas and the least aggro 4" pad i have is orange. doesn't matter because it came out perfect. i decided to put another application of opti-seal for good measure, but atleast i have a quick remedy for water spots atop opti-seal without negating the previous opti-seal application.