Is there a way to get acid rain spots off paint, Ive tried everything Im comfortable doing. My fiance's car has them all over and it pisses me off that I can't get them off.

Should I take it to a detailer and have them buff it, or will this create swirl marks they are worse!

Any advice appreciated!

BTW every new car I own from now own will be ordered then this won't happen never buy off the lot!!!

I washed it thouroughly, then used a Porter Cable buffer with Meguiars Swirl remover 2.0. Then applied Zaino Z5, Z6.

And it worked ok, good, or great?

Well, in my case it was water spots - probably not as severe as your problem -
and this took care of it 100%.
You may need to go to a slightly more abrasive cleaner compound, but give the guys at Meguiars a call, I personally have not used any medium/heavy cut cleaners.

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_list.cfm?store=pro&line=proauto&catagory=2&subcatagory=1

Coldsteele, chk out my reply in this thread...the 'showroom' method of detailing i describe in there should do a wonderfull job in eliminating, and more importantly, protecting your cars finish for future rain exposure.

If you know your car has been exposed to acidic rain, the key into making your life/work easier is to take care of the problem sooner rather than later (this is especially true if you store your car outside, exposed to the sun and the elements). Given enough time, acid rain (or any acidic/abrasive foreign material) can eat away at your clearcoat/paint...making it more of difficult job in resolving the issue and restoring your paint finish back to its original brilliance.

Let me know if you need some clarification or further help.




P.S the staff at Meguiars are very friendly, open and knowledgeable too, if you are planning to use their products give them a call and explain the issue.

Mike... you forgot to post the link...

Mike... you forgot to post the link...


DOH!


Here it is!

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=27039








:peace:

use a clay bar

use a clay bar


Claybar is an excellent tool in eliminating and removing surface contaminants/impurities on the paint finish....however i don't want everyone to get the impresion that claybar is some kind of 'di it all' miracle product. Claybar is very specific and precise in what it does/accomplishes, and nothing more. It simpy grabs and removes particles that shouldnt be on your paint surface, and leaves it feeling glassy smooth and free of impurities. CLaybar by no means is a paint cleaner, polish or wax...so it wouldnt be unwise to goabout using it with those assumtions.


As ive mentioned before, acid rain (if not taken care of immediately) can etch/eat its way deeper into your paint/clear coat....most times deeper than a claybar can ever reach.

A claybar is basically Surface preperation, not paint restoration, please do not confuse the two.

One you have washed, dried and clayed....if those acid/water spots persist then you will have to move to a slightly abrasive cleaner, followed ideally with a premium polish...then again topped off with a quality wax. This multistep process is indeed what actualy dissolves, cleans, polishes and protects your paint after it has been bombarded and damaged by acidic rin (or any other harsh substance/condition)

Each product serves its own purpose when you are trying to correct paint problems. If the problem or condition of the vehicle isnt severe, then it will require less steps and less work to restore its factory brilliance.


However, a neglected car...orone that has been hit with continuous acidic rain, exposed to the elements and the sun for extended periods of time, will require significantly more paint preperation, followed by some intense paint restoration




I just wanted to clear any misconceptions up.

DOH!


Here it is!

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=27039








:peace:

Thanks alot guys I will give it a try BTW Its not my M it was ordered and rarely sees the rain, its my fiances Saab which she bought off the lot and Im sure it sat there in the rain and no one took care of it for a long time its not aweful but not great and I want to try and fix it if possible so all of your input is appreciated. :bow:

use a clay bar

I am well versed in the use of clay bar and I can honestly say it does not do jack crap to acid rain damage! I have tried and failed!

Thanks alot guys I will give it a try BTW Its not my M it was ordered and rarely sees the rain, its my fiances Saab which she bought off the lot and Im sure it sat there in the rain and no one took care of it for a long time its not aweful but not great and I want to try and fix it if possible so all of your input is appreciated. :bow:


Glad we could help.


Can you tickle my fancy and take/post some pictures of the Saab, im curious what kind of condition its in.


Then after you work on it, we can appreciate the 'after' pics better.



;)

coldsteele / Mike - do you find that the claybar causes streaks in the Carbon Black that need to be buffed out afterwards ? This happened to me

I have heard that clay bar is very nice, just a ***** to work with? True? Tips on using it? I mean, if I want to get some fine scratches out of my paint, Ill take it to work, run a buffer of it, then wax it to get the swirls out.. but still.. opinions on this clay bar would be nice :)

Glad we could help.


Can you tickle my fancy and take/post some pictures of the Saab, im curious what kind of condition its in.


Then after you work on it, we can appreciate the 'after' pics better.



;)

Will do! :dance: :dance: :dance:

coldsteele / Mike - do you find that the claybar causes streaks in the Carbon Black that need to be buffed out afterwards ? This happened to me

I've only clayed my M once right when I got it had no problems you just need to use lots of lubricant otherwise it will leave streaks! Like i said I rarely have my car in the bad weather/roads so it has never got that rough feeling to it that needs claying now my fiances car that thing was like sandpaper, but I fixed that!

I've only clayed my M once right when I got it had no problems you just need to use lots of lubricant otherwise it will leave streaks! Like i said I rarely have my car in the bad weather/roads so it has never got that rough feeling to it that needs claying now my fiances car that thing was like sandpaper, but I fixed that!


maybe I mixed the water/soap too thin.

I have heard that clay bar is very nice, just a ***** to work with? True? Tips on using it? I mean, if I want to get some fine scratches out of my paint, Ill take it to work, run a buffer of it, then wax it to get the swirls out.. but still.. opinions on this clay bar would be nice :)

A clay bar is to get your paint REALLLLY clean! After you wash your car run you finger across it you will probably feel some small bumps in the paint almost like sand, even though you cant see it. What that is is crap from driving it industrial pollutants, sap, etc etc which will never come off from just a washing. Then use the clay on it as directions say lots of lube and run you finger across the paint there will be no more bumps of crap on your paint you removed them with the clay.

The trick to a good clay job is
1) wash car with dawn
2) clay immediately water and spray will be lubricant (preferably do this in a garage as to avoid water drying and leaving spots.) should take 10-15 minutes just make sure to turn your clay over and get new parts from the clay. BTW if you ever drop the clay throw it away do not reuse it.
3) wash car again
4) dry with a leaf blower or however you like
5) polish car or get out any defects in paint with orbital
6) perfect finish smooth as a babies butt!
On a side note I only use Zaino I love it it works great gives a great shine and man oh man does it last!

maybe I mixed the water/soap too thin.

I just use the one you can buy from walmart for 10 bucks it comes with its own lubricant of which I use way more than they say to. Basically I will only use a clay bar once then I throw it away so I dont care. They say you can use it around 3 times but no way would i take that chance 10 bucks is not worth the risk of scratching your finish.

coldsteele / Mike - do you find that the claybar causes streaks in the Carbon Black that need to be buffed out afterwards ? This happened to me


I used to use Claymagic lubricant, and yes, on dark colored cars i had the same problem of streaking which required additional hand buffing. Frustrated, i opted out of Claymagic's crappy lube solution in search of a better product.

Since then i switched to FourStar clay lubricant, and i have noticed no streaks or imperfections once i clayed a certain section of the car. It may very well be the difference in the lubricant formula, so my recomendation is to explore some different claylube's to see which one yields the best results.
Another good lube ive seen is called Pinnacle.


Some other things to remember when claying:

1) Clay on a cool surface, preferably in the shade (this will prevent the lubricant from evaporating too quickly, causing streaks).

2) Use a quality lubricant (some people use water to save money...but i just want to say that there IS a difference between 'claylubes' and just plain water)

Another important note to remember when claying

Make sure that you spray a generous amount of lube before you begin to clay. The process of claying should remind you of hydroplaning over the paint surface, not forcefully dragging/rubbing in the clay compound over a dry surface. A well lubed surface, even if the claybar is dirty, will better help prevent re-introducing imperfections on your car's paint.

Lastly, fold and re-knead the clay once it becomes soiled (generally after each small section that you work on). This is also crucial in preventing selfmade blemishes, scratches or swirls that could be a result of a filthy claybar being dragged over the surface of the paint.


:peace:

Mike.. dude.. this is awesome info thanks ! :thumbsup:


I used to use Claymagic lubricant, and yes, on dark colored cars i had the same problem of streaking which required additional hand buffing. Frustrated, i opted out of Claymagic's crappy lube solution in search of a better product.

Since then i switched to FourStar clay lubricant, and i have noticed no streaks or imperfections once i clayed a certain section of the car. It may very well be the difference in the lubricant formula, so my recomendation is to explore some different claylube's to see which one yields the best results.
Another good lube ive seen is called Pinnacle.


Some other things to remember when claying:

1) Clay on a cool surface, preferably in the shade (this will prevent the lubricant from evaporating too quickly, causing streaks).

2) Use a quality lubricant (some people use water to save money...but i just want to say that there IS a difference between 'claylubes' and just plain water)

Another important note to remember when claying

Make sure that you spray a generous amount of lube before you begin to clay. The process of claying should remind you of hydroplaning over the paint surface, not forcefully dragging/rubbing in the clay compound over a dry surface. A well lubed surface, even if the claybar is dirty, will better help prevent re-introducing imperfections on your car's paint.

Lastly, fold and re-knead the clay once it becomes soiled (generally after each small section that you work on). This is also crucial in preventing selfmade blemishes, scratches or swirls that could be a result of a filthy claybar being dragged over the surface of the paint.


:peace: