It happens to everyone. You come out to you car in the morning to find the sprinklers have peppered the car with water. Water spots are every where! Most of the time we simply drive off and the water spots are forgotten. It is when the car is left in the sun all day that the damage occurs. The sprinkler water contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium and other minerals that when left to dry in the sun it leaves mineral deposits we call Hard Water Spots.

In most cases, a good hand wash will remove the calcium deposits left on the surface. When this does not work, it is time to use a liquid acid cleaner. You are thinking to yourself as read, "an acid cleaner, on my paint - are you nuts?"

No, we are not nuts but yes, this simple procedure will remove the mineral deposits easily and effectively with very little effort. Some opinions are that it is necessary for the hard water spots to be polished out. While this may work, it is not necessary. It will simply cost more than what is required to remove them in the proper fashion. In fact, you can do this on your own in one Saturday morning.

A simple liquid acid wash, followed with a good hand wax is all that is needed to remove to spots. We recommend waxing the paint after this procedure - the acid will remove any organic or synthetic wax that was on the car prior to the acid wash.

Step by Step Instructions

Items Needed:

• Wash Mitt
• Car Wash Soap
• Chamois
• Clean Hand Towel
• Splash - Liquid Acid Cleaner
• Dish Wash Gloves

1. To begin, wash the vehicle as outlined in previous articles.

2. Rinse the vehicle of all the soap and dry as normal

3. Put on the dish wash gloves and fold the small hand towel into fourths

4. Spray a good amount of Splash onto the towel you just folded and wipe on to all painted and glass surfaces that have the water spots. DO NOT WIPE THIS PRODUCT on to moldings or other plastic parts - only the paint or glass.

5. Rinse vehicle

6. Apply coat of hand wax

Total Investment:

• Time - 60 Minutes.
• Cost - Under $20

Resources

The product's name discussed in this article is Splash and is manufactured by MarkV detailing products in Corona, CA.