Stubborn water spots are gone...

[ZRX61]

Used various pads & compounds/polishes etc a few days ago & they did nothing... Oh great, they're etched into the paint...

Today I tried a dab of Meguairs PlastX on a MF wrapped around a fingertip & they completely disappeared with hardly any effort. Totally impressed.

 

[ZRX61]

They reappeared...

 

[wesg79]

i noticed on mine the front 2 pillars where its black have some that just refuse to go away, water sport remover etc nothing worked on them , gave up

 

[YetiMonkey]

Meguairs Detailing Spray works wonders. I use it multiple times a week as a quick clean.

 

[wesg79]

+1 for the scratch X ont he front black plastic pillars, took the water spots off , then waxed them good, hopefully reduce they coming back

 

[bigcat1185]

If they are etched into the clear coat, a paint correction is really the only answer.

 

[JohnE]

I did paint correction and 0000 steel wool on the glass and got rid of all water spots. Drove me frigging nuts. I just bought and installed a DI water system just for the cars. Bad Ass….can air dry with zero spots!

 

[bigcat1185]

I did paint correction and 0000 steel wool on the glass and got rid of all water spots. Drove me frigging nuts. I just bought and installed a DI water system just for the cars. Bad Ass….can air dry with zero spots!

Share the details on that water system!

 

[JohnE]

Share the details on that water system!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LOJRKC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_ud_dp_HVDJJQH6R4B0WPXHMFR8

 

[UNBROKEN]

I did paint correction and 0000 steel wool on the glass and got rid of all water spots. Drove me frigging nuts. I just bought and installed a DI water system just for the cars. Bad Ass….can air dry with zero spots!

Steel wool on the glass is amazing. The next time it rains it’s like the glass is coated…the water blows off so easy you barely even need the wipers.

 

[BillBeau]

000 steel wool works great for chrome also.

 

[GearHead_1]

#000 will leave micro-marring. #0000 will not.

 

[UNBROKEN]

#000 will leave micro-marring. #0000 will not.

Absolutely…you definitely want 0000.

 

[Puhowie]

Dropping a note in this thread, hoping you guys can confirm scratchx or something similar is the right way to go here. It's the first car we've owned with this piano black-type of plastic on it. I swear they weren't there last week and just appeared this week, but who knows.

 

[GearHead_1]

These things scratch if you breathe on them. Fortunately, these usually clean up quite easily and you can't tell them from new when properly polished. Using an orbital buffer, a mild polish and gentle pad will fix what I'm seeing in the pictures. Tape them off carefully and take your time masking, you don't want polish on the rubber seals it can be difficult to remove. I find a finishing polish is all that is required on these, not much grit at all. Personally, I use Griot's Perfecting Cream or Poorboys SSR1 but there are a lot of really great polishes available.

The polisher will reverse this in a matter of a few minutes. I personally would not use Scratch-X on these. I think that product is too aggressive before it starts to break down and by the time it does the damage is done. These pillars are SOFT.

I know that not everyone has a polisher, pads and polish on hand but this situation by itself in my mind would be a good reason to have those tools/products on hand. Having said this, they will mar again. A good sealant or coating after they have been polished gives a little extra protection. A product like FK1000 might be worth considering.

At the end of the day the best way to fix for this problem is to avoid scratching them. I have my family members close the door by touching the door instead of the pillars. Use only the softest wash media and towels when hand washing and drying. A brush type car wash will wreck these, often in one pass through the carwash but they usually still clean up.

Others have opted to wrap these with some success. I believe someone on this forum (it might have been @UNBROKEN) also found some type of cover to put over these, but I can't tell you anything about that type of product.

 

[Blown F-150]

These things scratch if you breathe on them. Fortunately, these usually clean up quite easily and you can't tell them from new when properly polished. Using an orbital buffer, a mild polish and gentle pad will fix what I'm seeing in the pictures. Tape them off carefully and take your time masking, you don't want polish on the rubber seals it can be difficult to remove. I find a finishing polish is all that is required on these, not much grit at all. Personally, I use Griot's Perfecting Cream or Poorboys SSR1 but there are a lot of really great polishes available.

The polisher will reverse this in a matter of a few minutes. I personally would not use Scratch-X on these. I think that product is too aggressive before it starts to break down and by the time it does the damage is done. These pillars are SOFT.

I know that not everyone has a polisher, pads and polish on hand but this situation by itself in my mind would be a good reason to have those tools/products on hand. Having said this, they will mar again. A good sealant or coating after they have been polished gives a little extra protection. A product like FK1000 might be worth considering.

At the end of the day the best way to fix for this problem is to avoid scratching them. I have my family members close the door by touching the door instead of the pillars. Use only the softest wash media and towels when hand washing and drying. A brush type car wash will wreck these, often in one pass through the carwash but they usually still clean up.

Others have opted to wrap these with some success. I believe someone on this forum (it might have been @UNBROKEN) also found some type of cover to put over these, but I can't tell you anything about that type of product.

Polish them up and put some PPF on them. Most shops that apply PPF, can cut pieces out for you and even apply if you don't feel comfortable doing it.