I washed my truck for the first time yesterday (Finally no rain) and I washed it in direct sunlight. No option for covered washing. I used Megs wash and rinsed it very well. It was about 90 degrees outside and by the time I got to drying it, it was covered in spots. I dried it anyway and most of the spots came off but not without a lot of effort. I NEVER EVER want to have to do that part again. It was hard enough on my fat a** washing this big *** truck (used to a small car). I did a search and found some older posts about water filters and clay options but the posts seem outdated. I was just wondering what you guys do to date to prevent/remove water spots?

 

Preventing water spots is crucial. What color is your vehicle? I own black vehicles so it's VERY crucial, as is other dark colors. I only wash in the shade, a lot of it, or at dusk. If I have to wash during the day, I use a 10x10 sun shade and let the car sit partially in my garage. Also make sure the paint surface is cool before you wash. Pick up some Meguiars #34 or some other QD, do that after you wash and dry the truck. It'll remove any minor water spots and prevent any others.

Water spots are very dangerous because they can etch the paint. If you get that far than you're going to need some aggressive polishing and even some times wet sanding. It's something you want to avoid at all costs.

 

The truck is Dark Blue Pearl. It was hot to touch to the point that it burned my hand if I touched it for too long. I will get some QD.

 

Well preventing and removing water spots are 2 different obstacles.

As for preventing, there's a few things you can do. First is try to wash your truck during cooler parts of the day, and always do it in the shade. I usually try to do it just as the sun is going down. Then I pull it into the garage to finish it up. Also, once you get a nice coat (or two) of wax on your truck, you can "dry" it by sheeting the water. Basically, use a gentle flow of water (no nozzle) and the water should just sheet off, leaving very little water that actually needs to be dried.

To remove the water spots, either a mild clay or a finishing polish should easily take care of them. Especially since they were just induced recently. If they had been there for a long time, then it would be a different story. But be sure not to "scrub" them off during your wash cycle. That may take them off, but it will also induce ugly swirl marks.

 

You DEFINATELY do NOT want to wash your vehicle under these circumstances. The surface needs to be cool to the touch.

 

I like the no heat method. I will have to keep that in mind. Early evenings should not be a problem. Next weekend is a "modding weekend" for me and I plan on detailing it again afterwards so I will get some new products this week for the detailing. I used some older products I had and honeesty, I was not equipped for the degree of spotting I got, not to mention the heat.

 

I will add this. If you "have" to wash a vehicle in the sun. 1st wet it down really good. Letting water flow over the entire vehicle will cool it down some. 2nd, wash small areas and keep spraying it down with water. Spray the whole thing when you rinse a small panel. 3rd, keep it as wet as possible until you are finished and then use the flow method over the whole car/truck again. Dry as quick as you can.

Tic

 

De- ionized water filtration system from CR Spotless. Problem solved.

 

You could try spraying with QD as you dry.