What cause Waterspots and how do I get rid of them?

So believe it or not water spots aren't actually caused by the water itself. Sounds pretty weird right? Well, this is simply because pure water will never leave water spots. This is why most times when it rains and your car air dries, Your car tends to have little to no water spots. But if you've ever decided to wash your car in direct sunlight or your car gets attacked by a sprinkler system. You'll notice that your car has really obvious hard water spots that Just simply will not come out no matter what you do. Why is that?

Well this is because water spots are just minerals to have dried on to your paint. Regular tap water is full of minerals like calcium, sodium, potassium Etc... And when you have tap water on your vehicle and it dries, The minerals are left behind and they etch into your paint. In other words, they literally bond to your paint and are not able to removed unless you use an acidic cleaner, a water spot remover, or get a paint enhancement.

This is why it's so hard to wash a vehicle in direct sunlight because the water tends to flash dry on the paint almost immediately. This is why many detailers such as myself use deionized water or distilled water. This is water that has been filtered to have zero mineral deposits. This essentially eliminates The risk of water spotting.

Because water spots tend to be minerals. They have an almost white appearance and this is why it is so much more obvious on darker colored vehicles, because of the sheer contrast.

Minerals and water aren't a terrible thing though. They are actually what give water its flavor. When you drink purified water, that's actually just tap water that has been filtered to remove all minerals. Then at the factory they add a specific amount of minerals in order to give a unique taste. This is why you may notice that a lot of different water brands have completely different tastes even though they're just simply water. This is also why if you spray your car with purified drinking water it would still leave behind water spots.

Can I permanently prevent Waterspots? Well I wish it was that simple but unfortunately there is no way. In a perfect world, your car would be cleaned 100% of the time by deionized water. And your car would never ever get wet when it's outside. But we live in the real world. Especially here in Orlando, Florida where it rains all the time so a lot of the water on our cars gets mixed up with all the dirt and debris built up on our paint. However, you can make your vehicle much harder to water spot and also protect us with that. It's easier to remove them by getting a ceramic coating or simply getting your vehicle waxed consistently every few months. This will create a sacrificial barrier on your paint that will not necessarily make it impossible to water spot. But will make it significantly easier to clean them off without having to be aggressive and spend money on acid cleaners and polishing.

If your vehicle has heavy water spotting, feel free to contact us for a paint enhancement! Not only will our paint enhancement remove your water spots but it will also reduce swirls and scratches and any oxidation on your paint leaving behind and intense shine. Contact us here