Water spots gone and then back again

[ouhockeyplayer]

So every time I wash my 2016 World Rally Blue STI I notice that my rear bumper (flat portion right by where the trunk closes) develops water spots, but I can only notice them when the sun reflects off the bumper.  I first hit them with detail spray thinking it was water that just dried on the car faster than I could dry off with my waffle weave drying towel.  The detail spray did nothing to help so I got out the clay (previous gen blue bar).   The clay did nothing so I then proceeded to use my porter cable with white pad and finishing polish.  This seemed to do the trick and all was right with the world again so I applied super sealant after an IPA wipe down to make sure the paint was free of any polishing oils.  To my dismay next weeks wash revealed water spotting again and I had to go through the entire process all over.  All was good again until the next wash revealed the same problem.  I am at a loss for what to do to prevent these spots from constantly forming on my bumper, and I don't want to have to keep polishing every time I wash to remove them.  Its spring in Michigan so it rains every week, so I feel like I am fighting a losing battle here.  I've even layered buttery wax over the sealant on my last attempt and this did nothing.  It would seem to me that the sealant should protect the paint from this happening.  Any ideas?

[sahls01gmc]

It's caused by the water pooling in that area.  Might be hard to correct every time since it rains so often.  Maybe keep a towel or 2 in the car so that you can wipe off any water as soon as you see it.  Does the trunk seem to retain a bit of water?  I'm sure it does, every car has hiding places somewhere.  Maybe make sure to spend extra time drying out the trunk so the water doesn't collect.

[Dan@Adams]

Hi Brian,

 

The rain water or hard water from the hose could still be causing water spots to embed into the layer of Paint Sealant as the water beads and sits on there. What part of the country are you in? It could even be something like slight acid rain that is causing the water spots to etch into the sealant and Buttery Wax. When you wash your STI, are you making sure to wash the whole vehicle before rinsing off any of our Car Shampoo? Adam's Car Shampoo is pH neutral and will not stain or strip wax if it is let to sit and dry on the surface as you wash, so it is better to let the Car Shampoo dry onto the surface rather than rinse the vehicle after each panel and let the hard water sit there while you wash the rest of the vehicle.

 

You mentioned super sealant, do you mean our Machine Super Sealant? If so, that product would be several years old now and might be reaching the end of its shelf life at being effective, especially if it has not been kept in a relatively temperature controlled environment for the past few years. That particular version of the sealant required for it to haze up between 30-60 minutes before buffing off the residue with a microfiber towel, and then you could not layer anything else on top of it for up to 24 hours, including the use of Detail Spray. Our Liquid Paint Sealant (now simply just Adam's Paint Sealant) is an updated version of the Machine Super Sealant that you have and is much easier to work with.  

[TheWolf]

Good info here so far.

 

It could be that these spots are from sneaky drips after the washing. Hose water from the wash that is hiding out in gaps or the trunk jamb, drips out ater the wash/dry and sits on the bumper creating spots.

 

If it were rain water, then you would see spots on other flat areas of the car, not just the bumper.

 

After your next wash, check this area a couple times over the next couple hours. Every vehicle has places that the water hides out. I get drips from the mirrors and door cavities hours after washing, even after a blow down with the Master Blaster.

 

If you do find that this issue is from sneaky drips, then look into forced air drying to get most of the water out of the problem areas. Also towel dry the trunk jamb. If this still does not take care of it, then lay a clean MF towel on the area to catch the drips. This is what I do with my running boards, since I get drips out of the door cavities, not the jambs, which leave blotches on the Line-X'd running boards.

 

Good luck, report back on what you find.

[Dan@Adams]

Good info here so far.

 

It could be that these spots are from sneaky drips after the washing. Hose water from the wash that is hiding out in gaps or the trunk jamb, drips out ater the wash/dry and sits on the bumper creating spots.

 

If it were rain water, then you would see spots on other flat areas of the car, not just the bumper.

 

After your next wash, check this area a couple times over the next couple hours. Every vehicle has places that the water hides out. I get drips from the mirrors and door cavities hours after washing, even after a blow down with the Master Blaster.

 

If you do find that this issue is from sneaky drips, then look into forced air drying to get most of the water out of the problem areas. Also towel dry the trunk jamb. If this still does not take care of it, then lay a clean MF towel on the area to catch the drips. This is what I do with my running boards, since I get drips out of the door cavities, not the jambs, which leave blotches on the Line-X'd running boards.

 

Good luck, report back on what you find.

 

No matter what I did with my first S10 with the "dumbo ear" mirrors as everyone calls them, they would keep water pooled in them (this was back when I was in high school and had never even heard of Adam's or a Blaster Sidekick yet). Since I bought the truck off of my dad and it was his work truck for many, many years, it wasn't in the best of shape, so I took a cordless drill and put one small drain hole through the bottom of each mirror...it wasn't the best looking solution and I would never recommend it for a vehicle that you care about the appearance at all, but it worked and it has made me wonder to this day why manufacturers don't incorporate some type of drain channel for side mirrors.

 

Now I just hit every annoying water area with the Sidekick and I'm good to go. Sorry, back on topic now

[ouhockeyplayer]

Thanks everyone for the tips. Dan, I actually am using the liquid paint sealant. Sorry for the misinformation. Also I always do wash the entire vehicle with Adams car shampoo before rinsing to avoid water spots. For extra insurance I do mist the car with detail spray before drying as well. It's very strange because no other flat service on the vehicle gets spots like these. I might try laying a towel down as mentioned while I finish cleaning the rest of the car. I thing I'm doing a good job of drying all the door jams out and blowing water out of places but who knows where some other droplets may be lurking. Paint on these STIs is a real bear to deal with as it is so this little water spot issue just adds to the challenge. Dont even get me started on how easy it is to get a paint chip or scratch just from looking at it wrong

[Chris@Adams]

If your water spots are from mineral deposits (hard water) you may have to use a mix of one part white vinegar and 2 parts distilled water, apply this solution to the paint and let it set for a little while, then rub gently over the effected area with a Single or Double soft MF towel. I would recommend doing a test area first. Then when done apply some protection like PS or wax. This is just another option to try, usually I get rid of my water spots by polishing with orange pad and CP, but I have heard of water spot that keep coming back and a old body man told me about this method. Hope this helps!

[mc2hill]

I am wondering if some clear bra film would help on this area?