Water spots - Yellowish/brown stains that won't come off! Help

[Alan L.]

Hi everyone. Need your help bad.



I have a 2000 dark metallic blue Bmw and i'm anal about my car. Its been extremely well takened care for since day one. Its always clean and has several coats of wax on it.



I park my car in the garage all week (weekend car) and i have a oem bmw car cover over it. The back of the garage has a small leak on the roof when it rains and it must have soaked through the car cover onto my trunk. Now, when i look at the paint head on, it looks fine but once you look at it from an angle, you see all the water spots that dried on it. I tried using some 3M imperial glaze and that didn't work. Used some Meguiars paint cleaner and that didn't work. Looking at it head on and it looks super clean and shiney (smooth) but once you look at it from an angle in sun light, you still see all the water spots. Looks slightly brown/yellowish that you can't feel. Looks like its inside the paint or something. Its only on the top part of the trunk for some reason. Any ideas on how to remove this?



I've been told to try vinegar and clay bar. Do you use regular vinegar you have in your house? safe for paint? Any advice appreciated.



Thanks!



Alan

 

[White95Max]

You seem confident that they are water spots. Are you sure it isn't a stain from bird $h!t? I have 3 spots on my hood that are yellowish, and I am positive that's what they are from because I was on vacation for a week and found the piles on my hood when I got back. With enough time, that stuff will stain the paint bad.

I've never found water spots to be all that difficult to remove...I think the paint cleaner should have been plenty strong to remove water spots.

 

[Alan L.]

Definitely not bird sh1t. The car was inside the garage with a car cover over it the entire time. Plus theres alot of these yellow spots all over my trunk about the size of a quarter. There's also a metal shelf directly behind my car. The top is rather rusty and the water from the ceiling could have spashed off the rusty top, onto my car cover eventually gettting on the trunk. I must have multiple layers of NXT and Blitz wax on my car. I don't understand what happened here.



I seriously hope i don't have to get this repainted. I just had it done alittle less than a year ago because of a new spoiler.



Alan

 

[stilez]

Sounds like there are minerals or acid in the drops.



I would start by washing it, then clay barring it, spending extra time in the bad areas.



If that doens't take it out, I would go to a polish. My favorite readily available 1step polish today would be Meguiar's #80 Speed Glaze. Apply by hand or machine.



Good Luck!

 

[togwt]

~One man’s opinion / observations~



Could the cause be brake dust resulting in rust? The reason I’m suggesting this is because you said the car is covered (BMW car cover).



The remedy suggested would be the same but after the polish apply a rust neutralizer (autpoint.com) and then a sealant and/or wax of your choice.



The metallic brake dust particles (on a microscopic level) act like a conduit on the paint film surface and wax or polymer sealants will not adhere to I like it will to a smooth paint surface. But it will allow industrial contaminants and acid rain to seep into the resin (paint) causing permanent pitting and etching, over time the pollutants will penetrate the paint film system reaching the vehicles sheet metal causing corrosion, which will show on the paint surface as a brown circular marks or a rust patch



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon

 

[Alan L.]

Its def. not brake dust. I have a habit of wiping the car down before putting on the car cover in the garage.



I'm going to try using vinegar and clay bar first. The meguiars polish didn't seem to even budge the stains. What else coud i do?



Would bringing it to the body shop and have them wet sand/polish the area work?



Thanks again everyone



Alan