neothegoonie
Member
I had to leave my 78 SA outside and water got under the cover, it was out there about six days....I'm trying to get the spots out w/o having to repaint it. any advice is welcomed
HELP...water spotting on car
- Thread starter neothegoonie
- Start date
96gs917
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2012
- Messages
- 116
- Location
- Long Island, NY
- Corvette
- 1996 Grand Sport 917, 1996 Polo Green LT4
Neo,
Frtom the picture it looks like it's not just a few water spots. Looks like maybe the clear was damaged from the cover
sitting on the hood wet for 6 days. I would try to use mild cleaner/polish on the effected area. You might need to have
the hood wet sanded by a professional. Re-paint would be the very last option, after you try on your own, or with a Detailer.
Good Luck.
Frtom the picture it looks like it's not just a few water spots. Looks like maybe the clear was damaged from the cover
sitting on the hood wet for 6 days. I would try to use mild cleaner/polish on the effected area. You might need to have
the hood wet sanded by a professional. Re-paint would be the very last option, after you try on your own, or with a Detailer.
Good Luck.
- Thread starter
- #3
neothegoonie
Member
thanks, I was thinking that was an option, fortunately it hasn't bubbled up, I have some of that but in a very small area, but big issue is the water formation on the hood.
hoosierdaddy
Well-known member
Welcome to Corvette Action Center
Definently not a water spotting expert for sure but you should get some good advice from a member that is for sure. But thought I would take the opertunity to WELCOME YOU TO THE GROUP anyway
and GOOD LUCK ON YOUR SPOTTING ISSUES 
Bill
Definently not a water spotting expert for sure but you should get some good advice from a member that is for sure. But thought I would take the opertunity to WELCOME YOU TO THE GROUP anyway
and GOOD LUCK ON YOUR SPOTTING ISSUES Bill
If you can feel it...that is if the surface is kinda ruff and you "know" it's only surperficial. I'd try the "Clay Bar" with lubricant. You can get the kit at most Auto Supply stores. The clay removes only surface roughness and brings the clear coat or paint surface smooth as glass and then just apply a good wax after. There are some you-tube videos on how to use the clay bar. It does work....
Good Luck...
Good Luck...
hoosierdaddy
Well-known member
If you can feel it...that is if the surface is kinda ruff and you "know" it's only surperficial. I'd try the "Clay Bar" with lubricant. You can get the kit at most Auto Supply stores. The clay removes only surface roughness and brings the clear coat or paint surface smooth as glass and then just apply a good wax after. There are some you-tube videos on how to use the clay bar. It does work....
Good Luck...
Never used this clay bar either but have had some never opened in a box that is probably 6 years old; is there a shelf life on this stuff or not? Thought when I retire maybe this year I would have the time to try it; suppose it's still alright?
Thanks,
Bill
If the clay isn't dried out it should be good. It should be plyable. You will also need the lubricant or the clay will scratch. Mine came in a stick and I only used a small piece. I used it to remove deposits from acid rain and just general "fallout" that comes from the sky.
hoosierdaddy
Well-known member
If the clay isn't dried out it should be good. It should be plyable. You will also need the lubricant or the clay will scratch. Mine came in a stick and I only used a small piece. I used it to remove deposits from acid rain and just general "fallout" that comes from the sky.
Thanks haven't looked at it for a while I will check it out, I think it is a kit and the lubricant is in it too but not sure. I will get the box out and hopefully there is instructions in the kit as well.
Thanks again,
Bill
- Moderator
- #9
Toms007
Moderator
Clay would be a good starting point. It is easy to use, basically spray the lube on the surface and then rub the area with the clay. Keep turning and folding and working the clay as you rub. If you drop the clay on the ground as you work, throw that piece away and get a new one, as it will be ruined.
We have, sort of, a resident detailer here.......Junkman2008. I'll try to get hold of him and have him check in on this thread and see if he can give you some advice.
We have, sort of, a resident detailer here.......Junkman2008. I'll try to get hold of him and have him check in on this thread and see if he can give you some advice.
Junkman2008
Well-known member
Thanks Tom for rooting me from up under my rock. 
That damage clearly looks like clear coat failure, if in fact you have clear coat on that car (it didn't become standard until the early 80's). I would need to know that first because the damage is going to be handled different on a single stage paint job as compared to clear coat/base coat. What you can do also depends on the shape of your paint to begin with. If the paint job on your car is fairly recent (say up to 6 years and well maintained), then you should be able to fix it without repainting. If it is the original paint, it is going to have to be resprayed.
Folks have chimed in with the suggestion of claying. Claying is a process that remove surface contamination from the paint. If the contamination you have is on the surface of the paint, clay will remove it. You may need to apply some pressure, unlike what you see most people do. In the videos that I make where I do some claying, you'll see that I use a lot more pressure than most because I don't want to be claying a car for the next 3 days. The 6-year old clay that you have will be worthless if it has dried up. If you can't kneed it like Clay-Dough, then toss it in the trash and buy some more. It doesn't matter who's clay you buy because all clay sold in America is made by the same company (Auto Wax), and everyone else just re-brands it. Like Tom brought up, under NO circumstances do you want to use that clay if it hits the floor. It will pick up something that will scratch your paint to hell and back if you try and use it again. Here's a short video of me using clay. There's no rocket science to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0_pFgsjlJk
If the contamination is BELOW the clear coat or into the paint, you're going to need some polishes and equipment to fix it. I would NEVER suggest that you think about wet sanding that damage given your level of experience in dealing with paint but that may be what it takes to get rid of that damage. A LESSER approach would be to use a compound followed by a polish to remove the damage, if it hasn't etched too deep into the surface. Compounds and polishes are like wet sanding with an abrasive liquid instead of sand paper. A MUCH safer alternative than using sand paper itself. In these 5 videos, I explain the whole process of polishing with a machine using a compound followed by a polish. You can't use one of those cheap, Auto Zone style buffers that use bonnets, you have to buy a real machine (cost around $116 for the basic machine itself). Considering everything you may have to buy to attempt to fix this issue, you may want to take it to a professional detailer. Although buying everything you may need to fix this issue will set you up with everything you need to address your paint's imperfections, some folks will choose to skip that expense and go to a professional detailer. Personally, I would buy everything I needed to fix and maintain my paint myself.
So as you can see, this could be an easy fix or a rather complicated one. It depends on the level of damage you're dealing with. A picture cannot tell me that so I'm addressing every possible scenario. If you decide to get what you need to fix it yourself, I can definitely assist you in getting setup. I don't sell anything or work for any detailing companies myself (I'm a computer/network consultant), but I can help you find the stuff you need (some of it locally). So holla' if you need me.
The Junkman
That damage clearly looks like clear coat failure, if in fact you have clear coat on that car (it didn't become standard until the early 80's). I would need to know that first because the damage is going to be handled different on a single stage paint job as compared to clear coat/base coat. What you can do also depends on the shape of your paint to begin with. If the paint job on your car is fairly recent (say up to 6 years and well maintained), then you should be able to fix it without repainting. If it is the original paint, it is going to have to be resprayed.
Folks have chimed in with the suggestion of claying. Claying is a process that remove surface contamination from the paint. If the contamination you have is on the surface of the paint, clay will remove it. You may need to apply some pressure, unlike what you see most people do. In the videos that I make where I do some claying, you'll see that I use a lot more pressure than most because I don't want to be claying a car for the next 3 days. The 6-year old clay that you have will be worthless if it has dried up. If you can't kneed it like Clay-Dough, then toss it in the trash and buy some more. It doesn't matter who's clay you buy because all clay sold in America is made by the same company (Auto Wax), and everyone else just re-brands it. Like Tom brought up, under NO circumstances do you want to use that clay if it hits the floor. It will pick up something that will scratch your paint to hell and back if you try and use it again. Here's a short video of me using clay. There's no rocket science to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0_pFgsjlJk
If the contamination is BELOW the clear coat or into the paint, you're going to need some polishes and equipment to fix it. I would NEVER suggest that you think about wet sanding that damage given your level of experience in dealing with paint but that may be what it takes to get rid of that damage. A LESSER approach would be to use a compound followed by a polish to remove the damage, if it hasn't etched too deep into the surface. Compounds and polishes are like wet sanding with an abrasive liquid instead of sand paper. A MUCH safer alternative than using sand paper itself. In these 5 videos, I explain the whole process of polishing with a machine using a compound followed by a polish. You can't use one of those cheap, Auto Zone style buffers that use bonnets, you have to buy a real machine (cost around $116 for the basic machine itself). Considering everything you may have to buy to attempt to fix this issue, you may want to take it to a professional detailer. Although buying everything you may need to fix this issue will set you up with everything you need to address your paint's imperfections, some folks will choose to skip that expense and go to a professional detailer. Personally, I would buy everything I needed to fix and maintain my paint myself.
So as you can see, this could be an easy fix or a rather complicated one. It depends on the level of damage you're dealing with. A picture cannot tell me that so I'm addressing every possible scenario. If you decide to get what you need to fix it yourself, I can definitely assist you in getting setup. I don't sell anything or work for any detailing companies myself (I'm a computer/network consultant), but I can help you find the stuff you need (some of it locally). So holla' if you need me.
The Junkman
- Moderator
- #11
Toms007
Moderator
Thanks, AJ. I knew if anyone could help you could do it.
hoosierdaddy
Well-known member
You da Man "Junkman2008" 
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