I have seen this posted previously and thought see if anyone had any different ideas now.
I have tried everything to get the water spots off of my windsheild and truck.

I washed my truck yesterday and man let me tell you it looked good, I dried it and everything.
When I came back outside later on it looked a sthough i had never washed it in months and the windsheild was nasty.
I have even tried waxing those little buggers, each one separatley. HELP!!!

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1997 150 2x4 4.6 Liter V-8, XLT, Towing package, Torreador red, Ventshade ventvisors, Wraparound bug deflector, color matched single level camper shell, Lund Screen front grill covers
Ford Bedliner. No mods as of yet.(Bought the truck used)

 

Hey, you've got a 97 so you have the dark toreador red. That's the color of my truck too and I agree, water spots can be very tough. Do you use a cleaner/wax about once or twice a year??? I use Mother's but any good brand will do. This will take off the built up water spots on the paint. I use a commerical glass cleaner made by zep (or zeb??) I found this at HomeDepot Great for water spots. I've also found that having an extra supply of "elbow grease" also helps.
Oh yes, almost forgot...How often do you wax and do you use a wash w/wax in it? You also made it sound like you don't dry your truck each time you wash it??? I have to dry mine every single time and I have to keep it all wet until I'm finished washing it or it drys on one side and I've got spots. Another thought: You may need to find some of that clay other's have been talking about if those spots are really seriously bad. When you do get rid of those spots, do put on a very good coat of wax. And when you get the windshield clean, put some rain-X on it.

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97F150 XLT SC 4x4 Flairside 4.6 V8 5sp Dk Toreador Red, 3.55LS
ARE tonneau cover, p255/70rx16 tires (came w/235), Superchip
Pioneer CD w/4 Polk Speakers & Clarion APA5240amp, skid plates
bed liner, side window deflectors, reese hitch, K&N air filter
40s-2chamber Flowmaster, Bosch +4 spark plugs, rustproofing
Better Built Stainless nerf bars




[This message has been edited by Tina (edited 08-16-1999).]

 

Chris Ely, I posted that same question about 2 months ago. I had some nasty spots on my windows and I could not get them off, not with windex, scrubbing, nothing. But you know what, with time and a few more car washes and they came right off. Just make sure in the future that you dry the windows before they dry themselves. Since then I've had no problems. Hope this helps.


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1999 Lariat SuperCab Flareside, Amazon Green with Silver trim, 5.4L, 4x2, 4 wheel disc/ABS, 3.55 limited slip, towing package, sliding rear window, captains chairs, keyless entry with alarm, spray-on bed liner, and K&N. http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~bfriesen/truck.html

 

Thanx for the help guys and in reply.....
Yes i do dry the truck every time i wash it.
But two to three hours later they magically appear.
I use turtle wax emerald series gold about every month and a half.
I have not tried the ZEP window cleaner but have seen it. I will buy some this weekend and give it a try Thanx again.

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1997 150 2x4 4.6 Liter V-8, XLT, Towing package, Torreador red, Ventshade ventvisors, Wraparound bug deflector, color matched single level camper shell, Lund Screen front grill covers
Ford Bedliner. No mods as of yet.(Bought the truck used)

 

Hey Guys~
It's been hotter than you know where here in Texas lately. My truck dries before I even turn the hose off. Anyway, I've had good luck using the squeegies(<----sp??) and cleaner they provide at the gas station. I wish I knew what that stuff is . . .

Cordially,
Jason

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Oxford White 1998 F-150 STX, reg. cab, flareside, 4.2, auto, 3.55s, Prestige alarm, Bel radar detector, Pioneer CD player, 4 Polk 5x7's, Stull billet grille and bumper insert, Flowmaster exhaust, K&N airfilter, V-Tech Tailight Covers(painted to match truck) Clear Corner Lenses FUTURE MODS: I'm to indecisive to know for sure, but a Steeda Sway Bar and Superchip are in the near future.

 

One thing I've noticed with mine is that I cannot, under any circumstances, wash in daylight. Has to be in garage or under some kind of cover. (Carport, etc...) I washed once with drivers fender in sunlight - Payed for it for the couple hours. (Right arm and fingers really hurt!!)


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1997 F-150 RC Flareside, 4.6L Std, Black, ******** Hard Lid, Gibson Catback, K&N, Rockford Audio

 

EJD1,

You are absoluety right for not washing your truck in the sunlight. I learned my lesson the hard way. The water in NC is so hard you can stand on it. I was use to having crystal clear water in New York. I did not know they have hard water here. I had let the sun dry my truck once and found nothing but, hard water spots all over the paint and windshield. Boy, was I surprised to find this after I had just washed the truck. I had to use clear coat rubbing compound for the paint and a razor blade for the windows. It took me hours, now I only clean the truck when it is cloudy or when the sun does not shine. Are you using well water or city water? That makes a difference. I now use RainX on the windows and wax the truck frequently and I do not have this problem anymore.
**********************************
99SuperCab 4x4 Larait, ORP, TTP, ARE CAP,
Dura Liner, Gibson Black Cat Single Exhaust,
AirRad, Two Meter Icom Ham Radio, RF Concepts
Linear Amplifier 170 Watts.

 

What? You guys use tap water on your trucks? Well no wonder. Nothing but natural spring water for mine!

 

I use Evian for washing the truck. And those little milled oatmeal soaps one can purloin from fine hotels. For the tires I just use plain old Absopure distilled.

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______________________
Regards,
Gordon

99.5 Red Lightning,
$10,000 worth of mods on my list, and an unenthused wife who is still not convinced that we really NEED them.

 

Well everyone has mentioned water spots on the paint but i seem to remember someone complaining about water and/or wax residue on the palstic? vinyl? trim.I think someone mentioned the use of vinegar to remove the spots. The water spots are pretty stubborn. No amount of cleaning or rubbing gets it off.They appear magically after the truck is dry.

 

Bob1: Mother's Back to Black works on the wax on vinyl prob...also works good on the black stuff under the hood too.

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Red 99.5 Lightning,#0975,Born 5/6/99...Adopted 5/27/99 Chipped w/SuperChip Flipchip chip, Mobil 1

 

Baddog,

Dope slap the Wife for me. And tell her she does not know what she is talking about. You most assuredly need every one of these things. The are nessesities. In fact don't even consult her anymore. Go out and max the card one all of them. Now!

ps. no, you cannot come stay with me.

 

Hey guys try 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. This will remove all water stains and swirl marks easily, but it is not a wax. You must put a coat of wax on top of this to protect the finish. Also here is a tip for washing. Always keep the truck wet, never let it dry while you are washing it. Once you have finished washing, take the nozzle off the hose and turn hose the truck down. If you have a nice coat of wax, 75% of the water will come off, and cut your drying time in half. This only works if you keep a nice coat of wax on the finish, but it saves time and cuts down on the number of water beads left to dry and cause water marks if you miss them. The water will just sheet off.

 

One thing that annoys me is after I wash and dry the truck completely, the first trip out, water gets all over and drys from the mirrors and edge protectors. To solve this problem, I keep a bottle of Meguiers QUick Detail in the bed. After drying, I take a trip around the block and then wipe the water stains away with the Quick Detailer. Takes only 2 minutes, but keeps my Dark Torreador Red free of water stains!!!

 

For those of you that dry your truck with a chamois and hate wringing the water out keep a good coat of wax on and rather than driving around the block at 110 MPH (cops hate it) I use my leaf blower to get most of the water off. Same effect, 110 MPH wind, works great. You spend a lot less time wringing that d@mn chamois and water spots are smaller and easier to wipe off. And the Mequiers Quick Detailer does work great for editing those tough water spots.

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Red 99.5 Lightning,#0975,Born 5/6/99...Adopted 5/27/99 Chipped w/SuperChip Flipchip chip, Mobil 1


[This message has been edited by 4D THNDR (edited 09-09-1999).]