I know this has been discussed many times before and I found some good information through a search but not the detail I was looking for.

I parked by some septic tank sprinklers last week and they left some nasty hard water spots on one side of my truck. I hand washed it last night with Mequiars Gold Class and the spots are still there and actually very pretty difficult to remove even by rubbing with my finger.

Question is: I have Mequiars NXT wax already - will this be enough to take care of the spots? Or do I need something like Meguiars cleaner wax? Or maybe something more heavy duty than that? I know nothing about cleaners and have never used them so any info is appreciated. If I do need a cleaner, which one would be best? BTW, I will be doing everything by hand.

Also, where's the best place to buy detailing products online? It seems like a lot of people like autodetailingsolutions.com and their prices seem reasonable.

Thanks for any help.

 

Try some scratch-X.

 

I would try claying the truck to remove them. If you use Scatch X you might run the risk of causing more harm than good. Always use the least aggressive method first. Wal Mart and Advanced Auto as well as Napa sell either the Mothers clay or the Meguiars clay kit. If either of those dont help post pics and one of the elders here should be able to give you a fix for your problem.

 

Pretty unlikely that it'd cause more problems but, using the wrong applicator and wrong techniques, sure it could...

Hard water spots come in a few varities... some sit on top of the paint; others etch in to the paint.

Which do you have?

 

The water where I live has a lot of calcium it and if you dont get the truck dry after you wash they are a PITA. I clayed my truck and it took them all off the paint needless to say that I was amazed. My logic in my answer RP was why add more abrasive to something that is already abrasive on its own and doesnt brake down like Scratch X.

 

My water is the same way, man. I'm totally right there with you. I understand your logic but, I think it's important to first determine if they're on top or on bottom.

On top, it's easy... clay and then a cleaner wax may even be able to get off the residual...

If they're etched, it's another ballgame... that's where the ScratchX-like product may be a necessity.

I certainly didn't mean to sound like I was ripping you... I'm sorry if I did; I was just trying to get a bit more detail before we resorted to one or the other.

Again, sorry if I came off wrong...

RP

 

Was not taken that way at all. RockPick is wise and all knowing.

 

Not anywhere near it but, I just wanted to make sure I didn't offend...

Thanks for understanding...

-RP-

 

I hope you mean well water sprinklers!! septic tanks are where the poo goes.

 

You heard right, they were septic tank sprinklers. The water gets purified and then is used to water the lawn to keep the tank from overfilling. Supposedly the water is pretty clean as it gets chlorinated.

Thanks for all the great info. From the comments here I gather that the NXT wax is definitely not going to cut it. Is it possible that the cleaner wax might do the job or should I go straight to the clay bar? I kind of want to get them off quickly and don't have time to do a clay bar right now and I picked up some Meguiars cleaner wax yesterday. Is there any harm in trying the wax and then doing the clay bar if the spots are still there?

I forgot to add: The spots are definitely on the top of the paint as I can rub them off with my finger.

 

If they're on top of the paint, you're probably going to be plesantly surprised by what a quality cleaner wax will accomplish. My suggested course of action is this:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Cleaner Wax
4. Assess... is the cleaner wax removing the spot adequately? If not:
A. Go with another coat but work this one a tad more than you did the last.
B. Assess... did you get where you wanted to go with that coat? If not:
I. Come back and see us and we'll try something different.

If the cleaner wax is working:
5. Dance. I don't mean a simple Cabbage Patch or Running Man, I mean, dance like you're on 'So You Think You Can Dance'.


-RP-

 

Sounds great, thanks again for the help. I'm going to give it a try this afternoon and I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm going to use the cleaner wax on a small area after I wash it to see if it does any good. If not, I'll clay the whole thing.

Thanks again.

 

Good deal. Let us know if you need anything else!

I'll be right here in my glass house; loaded with oolitic micrite.

 

Well, I was definitely dancing last night. Washed the truck after work and used the Meguiars A-Line Cleaner Wax on the entire thing. It took a little bit of elbow grease and buffing, but the hard water spots are gone.

It probably wouldn't hurt to clay bar the whole thing but I'll have to wait until I have a free day for that. I'll try to post some pictures tonight of the results.

The only other problem I have now is the windows still have the spots on them. Any recommendations on the best glass cleaner to remove hard water deposits?

Thanks again for all the help.

 

You can use the clay on the windows as well as the paint. Most use the clay that they have used on a vehicle at least once and then throw it away after using it on the windows.