I Have Little Spots All Over My Vehicle Surface
01/01/2022
There Are Spots on My Car’s Paint and Glass
Water spots on a car’s body paint and window glass take many different forms based on the age and condition of your vehicle. Water spotting is a result of dried mineral deposits remaining on a surface after being allowed to air dry. Water spotting generally causes dulling of auto paint gloss in spots or masses of spots. Spots are caused by dissolved salts, calcium, magnesium, and minerals remaining on the car’s painted or glass surfaces after the water evaporates. Things get worse if the water contains corrosive agents like bird excrement, tree sap, dead bugs, etc. that can etch the surface as they dissolve, creating a dip in the car’s paint finish, otherwise called a “crater.” If not cleaned off properly from the car’s paint, these craters get worse over time, as water will pool in them and continue to etch the same spot. This usually happens when hard water is used to wash the car, but can also happen in mechanically softened water. Water spotting is very common with automobiles, glass, chrome, and rims, and can cause corrosion over time. Irrigation/sprinkler systems are notorious for leaving hard water spots on vehicles.
Water spotting on car finishes and paint can cause:
- Paint discoloration
- Surface etching
- Microscopic surface imperfections
These “water spots” make the car’s paint finish vulnerable to deterioration and are best removed and naturalized as soon as possible. Water quality has a big effect on how severe water spots can be, specifically the amount and type of minerals in the water supply used to wash the car.
Different Types of Water Spots Include:
Type I water spots are merely mineral deposits on a car’s paint surface left behind after water with minerals has evaporated from the surface. These deposits can often be washed off using soap.
Type II water spots can only be removed by leveling the surrounding paint of your car’s finish by hand or machine treatment using a special abrasive compound or paint cleaner.
Type III water spots are primarily a stain and/or etching in the car’s paint which looks like fading where water pooled for an extended amount of time. If Type III water spots on your car’s paint are limited to only the upper surface of the paint, then they can be removed by abrading the paint by hand or machine with a compound or polish.
Now you know how to identify the spots blanketing the exterior surface of your vehicle. Let’s discuss the options for removal. Almost every vehicle
