Water Spot Removal Experts in Sacramento

If the car is washed with hard water and isn’t dried quickly enough then the minerals can enter the first stage. It is called “surface level water spotting.” At this stage the minerals appear as light-white circles on the paint. They are resting on top of the paint and can easily be wiped off with any type of car soap. Mineral deposits at this stage will not leave behind any water spot “scars” on the car paint.

If the minerals aren’t removed in a month, the second stage will take place and is called “etched water spotting.” During this stage, the minerals start to appear as a bolder white color on the car paint. They are no longer resting on top of the car paint and are starting to lightly “etch” or dig into the car paint. The minerals will no longer come off with car soap and will need to be removed with a specialized acid by an experienced detailer. Mineral deposits at this stage will leave behind a very slight layer of damage that won’t be visible to the naked eye.

If the water spots aren’t removed in 3 months, the third stage will take place and is called “scaled water spots.” As implied by the name, the minerals have now dug deep into the car paint and create a “scale” like texture on the paint.

Note: A great way to distinguish this stage from the 2nd stage is a white powder / liquid that arises from the water spots which is a byproduct of the minerals breaking down the clear coat.

Unlike the previous stages, this third stage requires a 2 step process to restore the paint. First, the minerals that caused the damage will need to be chemically removed by a specialized acid. With no minerals left, water spot scarring will no longer happen. After the chemical wash, we’ll need to follow up with a polish to remove all the damaged paint. This removes the “water spotting” that you see on the car paint.

If the water spots aren’t removed in 3 years, the last stage will take place. The minerals will dig all the way through the clear coat and will reach the base coat of your car paint. At this point, all we can do is neutralize the acid. The damage caused by the minerals will be too deep for any detailer to remove. The vehicle will need to be repainted at this stage.

Whenever we remove water spots on a car, we also include the car glass. We’ll go through the same process on the glass to neutralize the minerals and polish off the water spots. However, even with all our efforts it is important to note however that it is significantly harder to remove water spots on glass.

Glass is significantly harder than car paint. This means it is also significantly harder to remove the damaged layer on the car glass. It can take 3 to 4 times as long to remove damage on glass compared to damage on car paint.

Usually, we will polish a glass panel twice to remove a reasonable amount of water spotting. For many clients this is a satisfactory level of service. However if you are extremely detail oriented and would like your glass looking brand new, the most secure method would be to replace it.

Hard mineral deposits can be a nightmare on car paint. The best solution is prevention. We always recommend to park your car far from garden sprinklers or anywhere you know your vehicle can get wet.

If you’re washing your vehicle or your car gets wet, our suggestion is to always towel dry your vehicle. It is significantly more effective than air drying for most cars and is a sure way of preventing water spots.

Lastly, it’s important to always have your paint protected. Cars should get a fresh layer of wax every 3 months to prevent such damage. You can apply it at home or sign up for our car detailing maintenance plans for us to keep up with your vehicle.

You may also enjoy a ceramic coating. It’s a hardened layer of protection that is extremely chemical and water resistant. You can read more about it here.

You can look over our full exterior gallery here.