Grumpy_one Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 (edited) I’m not a detailer , nor do I pretend to be one. Truth is ( don’t cringe) I’ve been taking my car to the car wash for years! But we have had both our cars totaled over the summer and have been forced to buy new cars, well kind of. We bought my wife a new Mazda CX-9, and I purchased a 2003 Acura CL with 22k miles. Yes, that’s 22,000 miles. So now that we have nice cars, it’s time to treat them right. The reason for me coming here is that my wife’s car is dark colored, and my car has real nasty water spots. I tried water/vinegar, letting it soak and scrub like **** to no avail, water spot remover, no help and then Bar Keepers friend, which worked really well but left micro scratch’s in the test area of glass. So please point me to the correct forum room to discuss my water spots, and hello! Edited November 4, 2017 by Grumpy_one Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane@detailedreflections Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Hello and welcome. To get rid of water spots, you may have to polish them out. Especially if they’ve been there a while. You have a few options available. - make an investment and obtain the proper supplies and tools to get them out. - have a detailer remove them and then get maintenance supplies to keep your rides looking fresh. If it interests you and you have the budget, getting your own stuff and doing it yourself can be rewarding. It’ll take some time though since there’s much to learn. If you don’t want to spend the time and money, paying someone may be the way to go. The workflow for us on something like this would be: - wash car and wheels - clay - iron decontamination - polish (one, two or three steps depending on need) - sealant - glaze (for added gloss) - wax (for extra pop and protection) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy_one Posted November 5, 2017 Author Share Posted November 5, 2017 Thanks for the quick reply Shane. I've been watching a lot of video's, I'm a DIY'er, and Junkman's vid's have given me the confidence to go and attack my situation. I understand he has left your forums, which is a shame, but life goes on. I think I have an idea on what machine I'll land on, I know the importance of a good backing plate and pads are, as well as a good product. I wrench for a living and know the difference between good expensive tools, and cheap tools that will get you by in a pinch. Do you have any video's of using your product to remove heavy water spots on glass? My search hasn't found any on your site. Just glass cleaner and sealant. I think I'm beyond cleaner and sealant right now. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane@detailedreflections Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 You’re welcome. Correcting your issue is within the realm of a DIY’er like yourself. I don’t personally have any “how to” videos. We haven’t gotten into the video realm yet. We do have a capable camera coming tomorrow though, so you never know. For your needs, check out the Adam’s Polishes paint polishing videos. That’s exactly what you’ll be doing. Here is a link: There is a wealth of information there. Watch the videos. Make a list of questions, then ask here. And remember, always go least aggressive to most aggressive. Finishing polishing will probably be adequate for what you’re attempting. It’s not uncommon for us to do a single or two step polish, but find a few spots we will spot correct with heavier compounds. Try a test sample to make sure you’re getting the results you’re after. Good luck! TheWolf and Nickfire20 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Welcome! With a bit of knowledge, some advice, and some great products, you'll be calling yourself a "detailer" in no time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy_one Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 Thanks Shane and Wolf. I've seen lots of paint correction vid's, but not too many glass correction vids at least not any that will leave me with no scratches in my glass. I've seen a couple but they're boasting their own products, of course. So if I were to start here, what pads and product do you recommend to rid of the spots on my glass. And if any transfer over to paint, that would be good to know. My silver paint doesn't reveal much in the way of defects. I was able to spot some spots, but barely. Here are some photo's. This is the sun roof, you can see where I removed the spots via Bar Keepers Friend. After seeing the scratches in the mirror and rear window, I stopped. Scratches I put in the passenger side mirror, only noticeable at night with a car's headlights in the mirror. Looks good otherwise, You can barely see the spots on the left side of the paint This is the windshield, it's clear where the wipers track Scratches in the rear window. It's just in the upper corner that I can't see in the rear view mirror. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane@detailedreflections Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Adams unfortunately doesn’t offer a glass polish. That means you’ll most likely have to look elsewhere if that’s what you’re looking to do. Glass is incredibly hard and will take time for you to polish to perfection. Clay on the glass may lift them up some. It tends to work pretty well and we rarely have to go more aggressive than that. It may be a labor of love to remove them. And don’t be afraid to try different grades of clay. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy_one Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) Thanks. The water/vinegar tended to remove particles, and made the spots less noticeable, but it seems to be etched in the glass and that's what I'm looking to remove and I'm not sure that clay will get the result I'm looking for. But it is certainly something I will try. I think at this point, it's going to take a machine and some polish, hunt goes on. Thanks again. Edited November 6, 2017 by Grumpy_one grammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blcksilv08 Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 I've had good luck using a polisher with a microfiber pad and heavy correcting polish to remove spots on glass. When I polish an entire can I tend to do at least one pass on all glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy_one Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 15 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said: Adams unfortunately doesn’t offer a glass polish. That means you’ll most likely have to look elsewhere if that’s what you’re looking to do. Glass is incredibly hard and will take time for you to polish to perfection. Clay on the glass may lift them up some. It tends to work pretty well and we rarely have to go more aggressive than that. It may be a labor of love to remove them. And don’t be afraid to try different grades of clay. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I'd be happy with the condition it was in from the factory. This car has been garaged most of it's 22k miles, was driven by an old lady, and for a car that is 14 years old it's in great shape, I mean really great shape. It deserves to look it's best. So while I'm not sure what you mean by "perfection", these spots are driving me nuts! A machine and polish are in my future, blcksilv08 mentioned a microfiber pad and correction polish. Blcksilv08. I'm guessing the 5.5" mf pad and Adams correcting polish will do the job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane@detailedreflections Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 The microfiber pads are the more aggressive of the pads that are offered. By perfection, I mean so that the windshield is crystal clear with zero issues. Polishing glass by hand really isn't practical other than for fresh spot removal. Glass is an extremely hard surface and will take patience and multiple steps most likely. Have you clayed the windshield to see what that pulls off? You'll be amazed at what a good clay job can pull off for contaminants. It may even be worth the nanoskin pads on a machine. They're a bit more aggressive. We have them that we use for really contaminated jobs. Be cautious on paint, as they will most likely leave marring that will need to be polished out. On glass with proper lubrication (more is better than less), you could use them pretty aggressively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcaineer Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Welcome to the addiction, Grumpy! Hopefully, after you get your cars to tip top shape, you can change your handle to Happy_one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy_one Posted November 7, 2017 Author Share Posted November 7, 2017 56 minutes ago, falcaineer said: Welcome to the addiction, Grumpy! Hopefully, after you get your cars to tip top shape, you can change your handle to Happy_one. Not as long as I'm married with children lol falcaineer and ZMAN024 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@Adams Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Welcome to our forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexA5 Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 Haha welcome man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy_one Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 On 11/6/2017 at 9:56 AM, shane@detailedreflections said: The microfiber pads are the more aggressive of the pads that are offered. By perfection, I mean so that the windshield is crystal clear with zero issues. Polishing glass by hand really isn't practical other than for fresh spot removal. Glass is an extremely hard surface and will take patience and multiple steps most likely. Have you clayed the windshield to see what that pulls off? You'll be amazed at what a good clay job can pull off for contaminants. It may even be worth the nanoskin pads on a machine. They're a bit more aggressive. We have them that we use for really contaminated jobs. Be cautious on paint, as they will most likely leave marring that will need to be polished out. On glass with proper lubrication (more is better than less), you could use them pretty aggressively. Hey Shane. Yes, I have clayed the windows, and some came up. The photo's here are after claying. As of now, I just want to nail down a polish material and pad and give it a whirl. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liralen Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) On 1/2/2018 at 1:51 PM, Grumpy_one said: Hey Shane. Yes, I have clayed the windows, and some came up. The photo's here are after claying. As of now, I just want to nail down a polish material and pad and give it a whirl. Thanks Late Welcome! Were you ever able to get the water spots out of the glass? I would think that you could use CLR on it...being careful to not get it on the paint. Start out with a dilution. Rather than spraying, put it on a cloth and then lay the cloth on the window. Do a test area and see how that turns out. Edited February 4, 2018 by Liralen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirahnah3 Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Welcome! A bit late also, but for me the easiest way to get those water spots off has always been #0000 steel wool and either detail spray or glass cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfire20 Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Revive has done wonderful on water spots for me. With only a few swipes across the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVillalon Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Welcome to the forum Grumpy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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