water spot treatment/detailing shop/sound right?

[WRXINXS]

Hi and thanks for the help with my last question.

I have a 03 midnight black pearl WRX with extensive water spots. It has gotten really bad lately and they are most likely the result of sprinklers.

I finally brought my car in for a consultation at a local detailing shop. They said that a clear coat car has several coats of clear and that each coat contains 3-5 "mils?" of coat. He said that they would use a 2 stage polish with a high speed wheel to take off the spots and that he would be working with the first mil of the top coat. He said he might not even have to go all the way through that. Does this sound right?

Does anyone know how many coats of clear coat our cars have?

Thanks in Advance,,
Andrew

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[MICTIN2]

It is easy to get rid of spots, does take a lot of physical, work but in no way should you worry that it can't be fixed with the proper techniques.The factory usually only applies one coat of clear fast and under a heat source to speed up the driing time in mass production, it is a few mils thick. If you are careful not to rub through the clear coat you can use a two step process first applying a mild rubbing compound or scratch repair and then using a buffing wax and going over the car with an electric buffer. 3M makes good care care prouducts that includes the rubbing compound, the cleaner and the buffing wax.(autozone) If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, then you can pay to have it done by a professional body shop or detailing service, shouls usually run between 200-300 dollars. The water spots usually come from washing using water with high iron content or other minerals in it. When the water droplets dry they leave behind the minerals on the service of the paint. If you wash your car at home and the water source is from a well vs city water, you want to make sure to dry the car thouroughly with a shammy after washing and befor the water has time to dry, to prevent the water deposits from adhearing to the paint. Some places do have "acid" rain and this can also leave deposits on the paint, there are a lot of good quality waxes that help prevent the buildup of spots and deposits. The spot rinse at car washes do work some, it coats the paint with a synthetic based wax that causes the water droplets to beed up and run off. Over time the deposits or minerals in the water can chemically bond with the clear coat causing very visable spotting.

[Kean]

I created a library of links a few months ago that you may find useful:
Detailing Library


Here are some specific links pulled from that thread that will help you better understand what you are facing and possible steps involved to resolve it….

Water Spot Removal by Jon Miller
(this one is more about the science behind water spots/etching)

What it means to remove swirls, scratches and water spots out of automotive clear coats by Mike Phillips
(I think this link will give you a better idea of what the detailer was trying to tell you)

How To Remove Water Spots by Mike Phillips
Removing swirls, scratches and water spots by Mike Phillips
(these links are self explanatory)

As far as the current thickness of your paint/clearcoat, there is really no way to know for sure without the using something like a PTG (paint thickness gauge) and taking/recording measurements at various points on the car. On used vehicles with an unknown history, this can be a vital piece of information especially during heavy corrections. I’m not saying that every detailer needs one to do a proper job, but I’m just letting you know that it is an assumption to for the detailer to say that your car has “X” amount. Either way, I believe it’s something to consider when choosing a product/tool/method to correct a car with an unfamiliar past. A good detailer will take this into account and choose the path appropriate for the task. ….aggressive enough to fix the problem but not so aggressive as to cause damage and/or leave the customer with a finish that is too thin to correct in the future.

[REVNU]

Way to bump a 3.5 year old thread.

Good info nonetheless.

[Kean]

Originally Posted by REVNU

Way to bump a 3.5 year old thread.

Good info nonetheless.

…ugh. I should have looked closer at who was responding before me. ….what a waste of time.

[MICTIN2]

ooops! responded to wrong posting, long night!

[shampoop]

just make sure to chamois your car dry every time you wash it after you fix the water spots, or else they'll come back