how do I avoid water spots?

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Now I remember why I hate washing my vehicles :-( Afterwards, I am rewarded with the car full of water spots. I do not like to towel dry the vehicle because however hard I try, the wiping motion removes the LSP. Not wiping means the car now has tiny water spots all over and the only thing I can do is to redo wet paint glaze and/or quick detailer to remove them.

I hosed the cars down with the carwash soap (DuraGloss 901) on a wand and then rinsed it. Essentially a no-touch home car wash! Yes, not all of the dirty might have been lifted off the car but certainly better than not doing it. I actually have better luck when the car gets a "natural" car wash. When the rainwater dries on the car, it does not leave any spots but with the town water it is spot city.

I firmly believe in the doctrine of never touching the finish unless I am really forced as my experience had been that once I touch it for either wash or dry, I am forced to redo the whole process again. I could have used leaf blower to minimize the water spots but that still does not leave it spot free.

What is the effective way to dry when the water quality is not the best? I think I need to invest in the waterless chemicals but I get sucked in the allure of hosed down quick wash. It is like anything else in the life, anything which feels good and is quick is never really good for you aka junk food of car detailing :-(
 
It all depends on the wax/polish/sealant used. Some trap water with tiny beads, some don't. Some love the beads, I hate them. You can shammy the car at wash, but the next rainstorm or shower you have the same issue. Keep changing brands till you find one with sheeting action.
 
We have really good water in my area of the country and I still can't avoid water spotting if the water is left to dry on the paint & glass.
 
Originally Posted By: loyd
Buy a high-quality chamois and learn how to use it.

Please elaborate! Teach me!!

I had purchased a real high-quality aka natural chamois way back but I hated it very much. It felt like real leather and it never ever removed all the water from the surface. The big yellow plush microfiber I purchased from Chemical Guys is way better but even then it still leaves the finish wet.
 
As a final rinse, take the sprayer off the end of the hose and let the water gently sheet off of the car. Then use a chamois and dry. I usually have t make 2 passes with the chamois, wringing it out in between.
 
I will suggest my method to try as it has worked great for me. Buy a microfiber wash mit.....the one that looks like it has spagetti noodles hanging all over it and a microfiber drying towel. Hand wash the car gently...I dont use a lot of pressure. After rinsing.....try using a "wax as u dry" product from Eagle one or Turtle Wax. Just spray a couple of sprays per panel and wipe her down with the microfiber drying towel. I have been doing this for almost 2 years on my new car. To this day I see no scratches or swirls and water marks are never an issue. Nothing touches finish unless its microfiber. This has worked well for me. Im not suggesting my method is superior to others......its just worked flawless for me and think its worth a try.
 
Wipe it down with Duragloss Aquawax after washing be it wet or dry. No spots, slick finish, and a brilliant shine. When I detailed for a living many jobs were just wash & vac. I never had shade and south Texas temps & sun mean water spotting no matter what. Aquawax fixes it immediately using a quality microfiber towel. It is actually a sealant rather than a wax in spite of the name. Use it once and you'll be ordering the gallon.
 
Bite the bullet and get a waffle weave towel. Your car's finish is not such a frail flower that it can't withstand the once over lightly, especially if you give it a thorough wash with a microfiber mitt instead of rinsing it off with car shampoo.

I don't know what to say about the Last Step Product, except they seem almost more trouble than its worth, even when you are giving the car the full treatment. Besides, how do you know if its really there or not? My car has a sealant which is plenty shiny in itself, followed by a LSP. Since I've washed it since giving it the works, it now has a coat or two of Duragloss Aquawax on it. (Fine product, although I was unaware of its qualities with respect to water spots). It shines and beads all the way through. Is the LSP still there, or is it merely Aquawax on top of the sealant? I guess it matters, but not much.
 
Use a water blade, but make sure it is clean, else it can cause scratches. It will remove most of the water and then you can use your CG microfiber towel to dry. Works well for me.
 
Never get it from car washing. I wash, rinse, use the leaf blower to remove most all of the water from the surface, then wipe down with a waffle microfiber towel.

I use Zaino, so then I follow up with z-cs, which takes five minutes and is fully protected.
 
It can depend upon what your LSP is and its characteristics.
Some tend to bead well but don't sheet all that good.

Obviously one shouldn't wash in the open and preferably in the early morning or late afternoon.

When rinsing off, i don't spray the vehicle down but rather use a flooding action to flood the soapy water away.
When you have the fittings removed from the end of the hose and a moderate flow of water out of the end of the hose, it will rinse and drag the water away in a sheeting action and leave very little water to mop up afterward.
I also use a water blade only on the glass, as this speeds up the drying process there.
Depending on the size of the vehicle, 1 or 2 large microfiber waffle weave drying towels will finish off nicely as they won't remove LSP esspecially when used in a blotting action on the paint as opposed to a wiping action.
The blotting action also helps to minimise accidental swirling or micro maring.
They tend to work best when they start to get slightly damp.
After that what little water is left on the surface will literaly flash off.

Regards
 
Try black magic car wash. It claims to help prevent water spots.. Also dry with chamois or absorber. Get chamois real wet than squeeze it out and carefully dry car and squeeze out as needed.
 
I used to get water spots when using Armor All car wash. Then switched to Duragloss #901 and didn't get any more water spots. Great sheeting action when using the free flow water on the car at the end. Then use the leaf blower followed by a plush MF towel and DG AW.
 
Originally Posted By: HyundaiGuy
As a final rinse, take the sprayer off the end of the hose and let the water gently sheet off of the car.

+1 Pretty cool how it does that.

I'd suggest to make sure and wash & dry the car in the shade (or at night) while it's cool.
 
Hard water will leave spots all over your car,that's why you're getting all those spots with city water. Washing your car at night will prevent that for the most part.

I always wash at night,then use a water blade to get all the water off,then finally I spray Eagle One Nano Wax on each panel,and wipe it off with a microfiber mitt.
 
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