best way to remove hard water spots? :(

[noobzilla]

tldr hard water spots everywhere from failed carwashing. Hard water remover works but I'm scared I might do bigger damage. Anyone experienced using stuff like this water spot remover?

I applied ceramic coating and it's been very easy to clean the car. I've mostly been spot cleaning using a handheld pump spray (like image below) with water from our drinking water filter and wiping with microfiber cloth. It's surprisingly water efficient!

Several days ago I decided to give the car it's full bath since Dec 2022. I rinsed the car with out garden hose + sprayer (no fancy drinking water this time lol), but then I couldn't detach the sprayer to put on the soap foam spray. I didn't notice the time go by. It took me 20+ mins before giving up and deciding to just skip the foam spray and do it the old fashioned way with a bucket, but by that time a good portion of the water already evaporated. Went ahead to finish my washing + airblowing + microfiber drying, but the water marks stayed! Soaping it again didnt remove the spots Theyre not noticeable on the paint, but noticeable everywhere else especially on my side mirrors and windows.

I ordered this water spot remover by Chemical Guys. I just tested it on a small spot on the back passenger window and it did remove the water spots, but it looks like it removed my ceramic coating too. I don't mind reapplying the ceramic coating eventually. I'm mostly concerned if I might do something worse by using that hard spot remover chemical. I've read reviews and didn't see any red flags, but I wanna be sure!

p.s. tried distilled vinegar.. it didn't do anything

 

[Volund]

My detailer had to buff mine out while applying new ceramic coating.

So I'm sure some cleaner and towel should work.

 

[lsbuffs]

When I had water spots on a previous car, the only thing that removed them was the Chemical Guys product. I don’t believe most detailers like their offerings, and I don’t use their other products, but their water spot remover works well. Can’t speak to what it does to ceramic coating.

 

[quantum]

I use this. Works like a charm!

XPEL Water Spot Remover - (473 mL) (16 oz) (0.47 L)

www.xpel.com

 

[Coltonw011]

Anything that is going to remove the calcium & magnesium that makes up hard water is going to be very acidic, so it will eat through the ceramic and even car paint over time. I recommend either having a water softener put in (it still leaves water spots but sodium/potassium doesn’t leave behind a crust so it cleans easier), or doing a “final rinse” using either RO water or a DI filter. You can wash the car and rinse with standard hard water, but before the car dries via air or hand drying, rinse the entire thing off with soft, RO or DI water if you can. It’s not cheap either way, but there are plenty of kits out there to keep it from happening. Depending on how frequently you wash the car, mini DI cartridges can be a decent way to go. Being that I own a water filtration company I have access to all of this easily, and I’ll still say it’s a pain in the ass. Waterless car washing stuff works well too if you don’t want to go that far.

 

[hydbob]

I soaked a rag in some diluted vinegar and let it sit on the windows for a few minutes. Worked out okay!

 

[noobzilla]

Anything that is going to remove the calcium & magnesium that makes up hard water is going to be very acidic, so it will eat through the ceramic and even car paint over time. I recommend either having a water softener put in (it still leaves water spots but sodium/potassium doesn’t leave behind a crust so it cleans easier), or doing a “final rinse” using either RO water or a DI filter. You can wash the car and rinse with standard hard water, but before the car dries via air or hand drying, rinse the entire thing off with soft, RO or DI water if you can. It’s not cheap either way, but there are plenty of kits out there to keep it from happening. Depending on how frequently you wash the car, mini DI cartridges can be a decent way to go. Being that I own a water filtration company I have access to all of this easily, and I’ll still say it’s a pain in the ass. Waterless car washing stuff works well too if you don’t want to go that far.

That's my plan next time is to final rinse with water from my drinking water filter. Takes a while to get enough water but with the hand pump spray I would need about 3 gallons for the whole car

 

[noobzilla]

I soaked a rag in some diluted vinegar and let it sit on the windows for a few minutes. Worked out okay!

I'll try that. When I tried vinegar I didn't let it soak. I hope vinegar trick would work

 

[Coltonw011]

I'll try that. When I tried vinegar I didn't let it soak. I hope vinegar trick would work

Vinegar will work given enough contact time with the spots. Vinegar is what is recommended to “descale” a coffee pot, which is just removing hard water from it.

 

[hydbob]

I'll try that. When I tried vinegar I didn't let it soak. I hope vinegar trick would work

Yea after that time I just swapped to ONR and never had to worry about it again.

 

[noobzilla]

Drove tonight for the first time after the hard water incident. Visibility was horrible with all the mini water spots all over the windshield causing the light to.. idk how to describe it but was definitely not a pleasant night driving. I went ahead and used the chemical to clean my windshield. Ceramic coating and any water repelling property was totally gone. Water actually sticks really well now that even my usual air blower trick to get rid of water didn't work. Interestingly, the windshield now creates a consistent thin film of water that I could see through. I'll wait until the next rain to test and decide if I'll bother reapplying ceramic coating

 

[Daniel2022AT]

McKeys 37 brand Detail Spray. I use the Graphene ceramic line of their products. Detail spray is much gentler at removing water spots and I highly recommend it.

 

[Volund]

McKeys 37 brand Detail Spray. I use the Graphene ceramic line of their products. Detail spray is much gentler at removing water spots and I highly recommend it.

I've used different detail sprays and sometimes it doesn't help once those minerals are caked on.