Hard water might be the death of me!

[WickedJester12]

Hey fellow Adams enthusiasts, I'm hoping y'all can help me out. I have hard well water unfortunately, I know it sucks! It seems no matter what I try and do while washing my truck, I end up with water spots that detail spray wouldn't clear up. I use an Adams foam gun before washing as well. Its frustrating to the point I skipped taking my truck to a local show because of it this past Saturday. Any tips and guidance would be great as i got some shows coming up in a couple weeks! Pictures for attention!

 

Thanks!!

[Chonke]

Have you tried drying with H2O guard n gloss? Itll make drying a lot easier and give you extra shine and protection. Or try washing it when its not too hot outside. Last week was over 120* so I didnt even bother washing my truck or car. I knew i was going to get water spots no matter how fast I dried.

[WickedJester12]

I haven't tried the H2O guard and gloss, might have to give that a go, Saturday morning in PA was in the mid or upper 70's, not too hot, just one side had the sun facing it and the other did not.

[Mariner]

Invest in a water deionizer.

[2012srt8]

I get water spots no matter what I try.wasjed last night it was 60s and cloudy and still got water spots everywhere using blue car shampoo

[1911A1]

Guard and gloss is your best friend here.

Something else that helped me lately is brilliant glaze.After washing I had dried soap film and water spots all over my truck that detail spray or dilluted rinseless would not touch.The brilliant glaze cleaned it right up with no effort at all.

Edited June 26, 2017 by 1911A1

[falcaineer]

Don't apply any water to the car until absolutely necessary. Here's a basic outline of the process I'd recommend:

 

1) Clean wheels, tires, wheel wells and exhaust tips first, spraying only those areas

2) Foam Gun/Canon the entire car with Adam's (pH neutral) Car Shampoo or Wash & Wax. If it dries on the car, no worries. The soap will NOT harm your car.

3) Wash car with Adam's sponge/pad/mitt, only using the soap and water that's in the cleaning tool

4) Now, hose rinse the car, and start the clock to get it dry

5) Dry with Detail Spray as a drying aid, using either of the drying towels; as others said above, H2O Guard & Gloss is another awesome option to dry, seal up and add shine!

[mc2hill]

Use a pooling rinse for starters.  Otherwise I would trying a panel wash instead doing the entire truck at once - wet, wash, rinse, sprintz with DS, and dry each panel - roof, doors on one side, rear quarter one side, rear quater other side, doors other sides, half hood & front quarter, other half hood and quarter.  This may take longer, but it will keep the water from drying.

[Nathan]

Use a drying aid brother, and don’t dry in the sun!

 

1. Wash your car on a day where there is not a lot of sun, or wash early in the morning or wash in the evening.

2. After your final rinse mist the car with detail spray and start drying.

[falcaineer]

Use a pooling rinse for starters. Otherwise I would trying a panel wash instead doing the entire truck at once - wet, wash, rinse, sprintz with DS, and dry each panel - roof, doors on one side, rear quarter one side, rear quater other side, doors other sides, half hood & front quarter, other half hood and quarter. This may take longer, but it will keep the water from drying.

Good point on the pool (sheet) rinse, Michael.

 

Also, have you picked up one of the new plush drying towels? Will help significantly in the amount of time (read: shorten) it takes to dry, helping even more with reducing the chance for water spots.

Edited June 27, 2017 by falcaineer

[LT1xL82]

I would have the water tested. Might cost $30+/-. 

 

Then you can determine what needs to be done to treat the water. (Depending on how hard your water, you may want some form of "whole house" system...hard water is tough on water heaters and appliances, bathing, clothes washing...) 

 

Our well water is treated with a whole house system consisting of sediment filter, typical whole house "softener", charcoal filter, and a UV system (bacteria). Water for car washing bypasses the carbon filter and UV. 

[Beemer]

I also have very bad water.  Best thing I've found is to start washing before sunrise and finish before the sun is high enough to hit the car direct.  Anything else and I get spots.  You HAVE to get ALL the water off the paint before it is hit by direct sunlight.

[ocdrifter]

Get your self a TDI water meter tester, doesn't matter which one you get as long as you get a reading. You can find one at this link

 

https://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY

 

That way you can find out how hard your water is and then you can decided what kind of water softener you need to buy.

 

Depending on your financial situation you may have to invest in a culigan water filtration system or a corewatersystems.com water filtration system, there are others that are cheaper but the costs of resin will kill you in the long run.

 

I wash my car late at night to avoid all these types of issues.