A6 / S6 (C5 Platform) Discussion Discussion forum for the C5 Audi A6 and S6 produced from 1998-2004

Hard water marks when washing my black car in the sun....

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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 07:43 AM
  #1  
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Default Hard water marks when washing my black car in the sun....

What seems to work for this problem? I haven't bothered to install a water softener yet, and it always seems to be sunny when I wash my car. The black color means the surfaces become hotter much quicker and so the water droplets want to evaporate before I can get around to drying them....

What does everyone else use to get around this problem? Does that Mr. Clean car washing gadget work?

TIA.
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 07:54 AM
  #2  
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Default Never wash your car when the paint is too warm to leave your hand resting on it.

Wash early morning if that's all you got. Rinse car quickly with low pressure water first to wash away anything loose and soften up particles stuck on. When washing, do only a section at a time (like the roof), and then rinse off (start washing from roof and go down, but rinse whole car each time). When drying, make one fast but not very careful sweep of the whole car to get most of the water off quickly. Then with fresh towels, go back and get small stuff. If you aren't going to wax, hit it with a quicky detailer mist to give a little extra shine.

Meguiars makes a chemical paint cleaner that you use a bit like wax, but don't let dry. It gets off a lot of crap without resorting to claying which is much harder on the paint.

That's what works for me anyway.<ul><li><a href="http://www.carcareonline.com/howto.aspx">How to clean anything on your car properly.</a></li></ul>
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 08:03 AM
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Default Mr.Clean does the job

obviously washing the car in the sun or when the surface is hot you will get spots, but here in the Philly area suburbs we have hard water and no matter how well you dry the car you still get spots, especially on the windows.

I tried the MrClean auto dry and have not had 1 water spot in the 2 months I have had it. The filtered water from the final rinse does the trick. Even the water that comes out of the seals and panel joints dries on the car without spots. Just keep the car wet, be sure to only use the soap they sell (it reacts with the filtered water to sheet off better and those that have tried other soaps have not had good results) and be liberal with the final rinse of filtered water.

I bet with this you will have no spots as long as the paint is not hot and you are not in direct sun....
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 08:48 AM
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Default I only wash in the shade after the car cools off.

Otherwise one is always fighting mr water spot.
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 08:52 AM
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Default I'm going to buy one today.

Maybe it will convince me to not spend $2K on a water softener.
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 09:07 AM
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Default that's exactly what I do. My kids think I am crazy when I set the alarm on saturday morning in the

in teh summer
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 09:50 AM
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Default

Get a good microfiber towel to dry with.
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 10:21 AM
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Default This is an easy one

First, never wash your car in direct, hot sun, or on a hot day. Wait until the evening when the sun is low or down. Especially a black car, which shows everything.

Second, use Mr. Clean auto dry and keep a clean filter in it. It works exactly as advertised and leaves no spots.

Finally, get Zymol carbon black wax/polish and you won't have any spots or swirl marks in the paint. That stuff is amazing.

Archimedes
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 06:36 PM
  #9  
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Default your car is too sweet looking for water spots!!

people may say to get this towel, that soap, wash at this time or that... all good advice, but for hard water the only thing you can do is get the MrClean... nothing like washing your car early in the morning, using the best towels and getting every drop off the car, even using air compressor to get the seams.... then the first time the car moves you get all the water that were hiding and when it dries you get spots (been there many times!). I battled them in my last car that was blue and it drove me nuts.. couldn't imagine a black car. This was actually the top reason I wouldn't buy a black car, but now I won't need to worry!

by the way, I grew up in New York (in the Catskills) and up there you can wash and dry and never get spots, so not all areas need the MrClean.
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Old Aug 28, 2004 | 07:15 PM
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Default Thanks, Doc! I like yours, too; not many Jaspis 2.7Ts out there.

I picked up my Mr. Clean this afternoon; may try it out tomorrow morning if the sun's not out here in NorCal. I'll post a report after I use it for the first time.
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