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Water Spots No Matter What in Texas Summer?


edlosee

Question

I'm pretty new to detailing and I've done what I feel is more than enough to do basic washes.

I've got everything down to almost a science and after meticulous inspection from the previous washes, I've found that my techniques seem to be preventing micro scratches and swirls.

The only problem is, I cannot for the life of me dry the car fast enough to prevent some water spots from happening.

 

I'll work as fast as I possibly can to the point of running out of breath to apply H2O Guard & Gloss, but I cannot reach other parts of the car fast enough to prevent water spots...

Is that just unavoidable in the Texas summer? I'm obviously washing and drying in the shade when the sun starts setting, but still dries way too fast.

Are you supposed to spray the entire car down with H2O Guard & Gloss or Detail Spray (I use H2O G&G once every 3-4 washes, DS the rest of the washes) and THEN go around either working in H2O G&G / taking off DS? I've been going panel by panel, but I'm wondering if spraying down the entire wet car down first and then going around and removing with microfiber will be the right way to go about it... any negative effects of leaving either H2O G&G or DS on the entire car the whole time while wiping down other parts of the car?

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I feel ya, brother.  The Texas summers are brutal.

 

It's still about 95 at sunset here.

 

I've had much better luck getting up at sunrise for a full wash.  I know it's not doable for everyone but if you can swing it it's a lot cooler.

 

I always do a "pool rinse" and then pull my car into the garage.  I then cover the entire car with detail spray and use a great white towel to dry.

 

When I use H2O GG I work a section at a time - sprits of distilled water followed by a sprits of H2O GG.  Rub it in with a wet towel and remove with a dry towel.

 

Another tip --  put it off until Fall!

 

Good luck.

Edited by Beemer
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I feel sorry for you Texans, in South Carolina, we've dropped down to 89 already and it is only 8:10 PM.  The heat index is still at 96, which means you are sweating before you can even get to the vehicle, let alone start working on it.  I know the Fort Worth area is supposed to drop under 80 tonight and in SC, we're supposed to get to the mid-70's by 4:00 AM.  I have one vehicle for Saturday and should be able to get it washed and in the garage by 8:30 AM to start the polishing and know that by 1:00 PM, the garage will be unbearable.  

 

I have good fans in the garage and a climate controlled room where I keep all my chemicals and tools, so I can and do take regular pauses to get out of the heat and cool down.  Another 6 weeks of heat and then we get 3 months of beautiful weather with the exception of a hurricane or two.  I also keep a bottle of water on my detail cart, a little mist of purified water with almost any product that starts to dry to fast will help prevent streaks, spot or excessive work - plus a spray in the face every once in a while helps.

 

 

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I washed the wife's daily yesterday on the driveway, in direct sun with the temp right at 90, with little to no water spotting. Oldest daughter gets married this afternoon, car needs to look its best! The shade on the driveway in the pictures wasn't there until I was done. I pulled it there to Boost the wheels and plastic trim, apply Tire Armor to the tires, and polish the exhaust tips.

 

Rinse the car down

Foam with Foam Cannon. or Foam Gun - leave the foam on the vehicle

Two bucket wash with your choice of Adam's PH neutral Car Shampoos - do not rinse until completely done washing, let the soap dry on the paint

Rinse entire vehicle

I then rinse with Reverse Osmosis filtered water. The RO filtered water has almost no minerals left in it and if it dries on its own, drys almost completely clear with no spotting.

Dry with an Air Cannon

Wipe down any remaining soap residue with Waterless wash, or apply H2O Guard & Gloss using the Dry Method

 

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Edited by BRZN
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13 hours ago, Chris@Adams said:

Not sure if this has been mentioned or not, if washing outside I always wash the wheels & under fenders first before even wetting the car down.

Once wheels are done I dump the water and get fresh mitt & water then proceed washing the car.

I follow the same process with one exception, I have a separate short bucket for the wheels and tires and the wheel mitt & woolies.  I've found that keeping the wheel and exhaust components completely separate from body products prevents me from doing things that would be considered less than intelligent a 3rd time...  

 

My cart is set up where the bottom shelf is only for the wheels, tires and exhaust areas.  Even the hose sliders for the tires stay on the bottom shelf.  It also makes it easier to grab the items as I roll around the vehicle on my seat.

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31 minutes ago, RayS said:

I follow the same process with one exception, I have a separate short bucket for the wheels and tires and the wheel mitt & woolies.  I've found that keeping the wheel and exhaust components completely separate from body products prevents me from doing things that would be considered less than intelligent a 3rd time...  

 

My cart is set up where the bottom shelf is only for the wheels, tires and exhaust areas.  Even the hose sliders for the tires stay on the bottom shelf.  It also makes it easier to grab the items as I roll around the vehicle on my seat.

You can never be too careful.

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Living in Florida and having a red crew cab Silverado, water spots are a big concern for me.  Nothing worse than spending all the effort to wash my car and then still not have look good.  The one thing I didn't see mentioned above that is big factor is the car's temperature.  Moving a hot car into the shade to wash it isn't enough.  If the car has been sitting outside in the sun it is going to be too hot to avoid water spots.  Put it in the shade at least an hour before you wash it and don't drive it. 

 

Washing early in the morning has worked best for me.  I haven't taken the financial leap to buy an RO water filter.  Adams large grey drying towel is awesome at helping dry my truck quickly.  I have the Adams Sidekick which is also useful for the mirrors, grill and tires/wheels.

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@edlosee Have you tried Rinseless Wash?  With that you clean panel by panel, so you wash & dry only a small area at a time.  You can also do a regular 2 bucket wash this way, but it is more difficult. 

I do Rinseless washes about 95% of the time, and apply H2O G&G as part of this process - wash panel (one door, half the roof, etc), spray with G&G, spread with damp towel, and dry with a Waterless Wash towel.  The small area allows everything to stay damp, so no water spots.

 

I was working on 2 customer cars in February, with the temps in the low 80's, but the cars had been in the sun for a few hours while I did the interiors.  When I started the Rinseless wash on the roof of the dark blue car, the wash solution on the back of the roof had evaporated by the time I got to the front of the roof - about 5 seconds.  I had to work a smaller area, the 1/3 of the passenger side roof - wash, G&G, + dry, then worked the rest of the horizontal surfaces the same way.  

 

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