Water Spots

[Elmo T]

Our water here is very hard. Scale has built up all over and it took out my first water heater. We've since had a water softner installed. Things are much better in the showers and baths.

I thought that would take care of my hard water issues and washing the cars too, but no luck. I washed the cars this last weekend and there are water spots all over the glass. Last year I got that Mr. Clean Car Wash attachment for the hose - didn't really help. I've tried all sorts of glass cleaners - still no luck. A search on the inner-web finds a slew of glass cleaners, though some really look like snake oil.

So what works to kill the water spots? Something during the wash/rinse? A good glass cleaner?

[Indy]

Try a warm solution of diluted vinegar, but be careful to keep it off the sensitive areas, and rinse everything well when finished.

You can make your own or buy the Massengill kind. :D

[Insomniac]

Our water here is very hard. Scale has built up all over and it took out my first water heater. We've since had a water softner installed. Things are much better in the showers and baths.

I thought that would take care of my hard water issues and washing the cars too, but no luck. I washed the cars this last weekend and there are water spots all over the glass. Last year I got that Mr. Clean Car Wash attachment for the hose - didn't really help. I've tried all sorts of glass cleaners - still no luck. A search on the inner-web finds a slew of glass cleaners, though some really look like snake oil.

So what works to kill the water spots? Something during the wash/rinse? A good glass cleaner?

This may be a dumb question, but have you tried towel drying the car instead of letting the sun dry it out?

[Elmo T]

This may be a dumb question, but have you tried towel drying the car instead of letting the sun dry it out?


There are no dumb questions, only dumb people. ;)

I towel dry the car every time. I use "The Absorber". We've used them in the Fire Department for years.

[Andrew Longman]

I have very hard water here. Tried the Mr. Clean thingy and it stopped the spotting. Alsohave had success with the chamish wipe rag.

[emjaya]

We have no water.:eek:

I'm not allowed to wash my car at all. :gomer:

[G.]

Is you hose spigot run through the softner? I had my hoses bypass the softner, so the outside water is very hard.

Maybe next time do your final rinse with a 5 gal bucket of soft H2O.

[WickerBill]

Exactly what I was going to say -- in most homes, outside taps will NOT be run through the softener.

[cameraman]

The water is extremely hard around here and all homes should be plumbed so that only the hot water goes thru the softener. If the cold water (drinking) gets softened you will end up with far too much sodium in your diet. It is a 1:1 exchange, every Ca or Mg ion you remove you replace with a Na ion. Really hard water in = really salty water out.

[Elmo T]

The water softner is right where the water line comes into the house. All water, including the outside hose bibs, is soft water. FWIW, we use tap water for cooking, but otherwise use bottled water for drinking - at least until I relocate the water line for the refrigerator.

I am going to dust of my Mr. Clean hose sprayer and give it a try with the soft water. Maybe that will help.

I use Rain-X washer fluid - but I don't think that would make things worse. Has anyone tried any of those windshield polishes?

[G.]

The water softner is right where the water line comes into the house. All water, including the outside hose bibs, is soft water. FWIW, we use tap water for cooking, but otherwise use bottled water for drinking - at least until I relocate the water line for the refrigerator.

I am going to dust of my Mr. Clean hose sprayer and give it a try with the soft water. Maybe that will help.

I use Rain-X washer fluid - but I don't think that would make things worse. Has anyone tried any of those windshield polishes?Then you're getting salt stains, not calcium deposits. Don't think vinegar will help.

Glass polishes are basically sandpaper. Really really really fine grit pumice. I think that modern windshields have a final layer of coating on them. Polish will remove it. Then you have to polish them all the time from then on (sort of what I read about the polishes for the plastic headlamp screens).

Might be wrong on the glass polish, not certain.

[Turn7]

Scotchbrite will get waterspots off.

[B3RACER1a]

www.autopia.org

Anything and everything you want to know about car paint, detailing...etc.

If they are more than just spots and actually etching, you'll need to buff them out.

[Joelski]

Scotchbrite will get waterspots off.

Brasso works too.

[Brickman]

Scotchbrite will get waterspots off.

It will take your clear coat off the paint. Glass ok.

http://www.goestores.com/catalog.aspx?Merchant=detailking&DeptID=109866

http://www.goestores.com/home.aspx?storename=detailking

[Elmo T]

Some interesting looking filters there Brickman...

I thought I was being thorough when I washed and waxed the car. Until I started checking into this, I had NO idea how the auto detailing business has turned into such a cash cow.

Thanks for all the good suggestions... :thumbup:

I tried the Scotchbrite, the vinegar, a couple good quality auto window cleaners, water. No luck so far.

I've only had the thing for a month and a half and I've bucket washed twice. I am beginning to think they've been there all along. I washed the van and my work truck at the same time as the Subie and they are free of the spots.

I talked to the dealer today about the spots. They recommended rubbing alcohol or an application of Rain-X. I asked about the glass polish. That is, apparently, an art. The dealer said that neither their detailer or their body shop will do glass polish - they bring in someone from the outside.

The spots are more of an annoyance than a hazard - Mrs. Elmo doesn't even see them. She says :shakehead :rolleyes: :tony: .

[ChampcarShark]

try relocating to Albuquerque. The water there is very soft. No filters or anything needed.

The good side is that yu will be closer to the Unser family, :gomer: :gomer:

[Al Czervik]

The water is extremely hard around here and all homes should be plumbed so that only the hot water goes thru the softener. If the cold water (drinking) gets softened you will end up with far too much sodium in your diet. It is a 1:1 exchange, every Ca or Mg ion you remove you replace with a Na ion. Really hard water in = really salty water out.

You won't get that much sodium out of soft water

<Farkism> Here comes the science <Farkism>

Hardness is reported in equivalent units, that are usually omitted. i.e. you have water w/ 20 grains (or 340 ppm, or 340 mg/l) of hardness (this would be typical midwestern well water). You actually have water with 340 mg/l of hardness as CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate). This is actually ~135 mg/l of Ca. (note - not all hardness is calcium, but I've bored you enough already). To remove the 135 mg of calcium in the liter of water, you'd need ~70 mg of sodium. How much is that? The 20 oz Tropicana Fruit Punch I'm now drinking contains 125 mg of sodium.

Bottom line: Unless you're on a severely sodium restricted diet, you don't have much to worry about drinking softened water.

OC - Fun AND Educational

[Indy]

Dude, I was just kidding about the vinegar and water douche. :rofl:

[Elmo T]

Dude, I was just kidding about the vinegar and water douche. :rofl:

If that was for me, I actually saw vinegar recommended elsewhere on the web. Dealer also recommended a vinegar solution with ammonia, but not for the tinted windows.