alextv

Water spots I have had in the past I thought came from my well water but I found out later I think they came from the washing solution. The next car I used dish washing liquid with no water spots at all but I hear that will take the wax off. Researching in the past I found little in the correct solution to get rid of the water spots. Wheel acid was used by some but if you use it on the windshield it will leave a milky look where the wipers have wiped because the acid etches the glass where the scratches are. Another option was a powder substance that was an abrasive but not enough to scratch glass. Their premise was that all glass comes with a protective film and that is what the water spots are on and the film can be removed with this mild abrasive. The used LS430 I have just purchased seems to have some of the water spots on the glass and I would like to remove them in the best way.

Please respond with experiences or suggestions on how to remove these water spots and also the best way to avoid them. I also think the manufacturer of the vehicle has something to do with the ease of water spots being on your car. The first car I had the trouble with was a Camry and the second which I had no trouble with was an Acura. Now that I am back in the Toyota family I am seeing them again. On the Acura if I saw a spot I could just wet my finger and rub and it would go away but on the Lexus it does nothing. Thanks again for any suggestions on removal.

Guitarman

http://www.autoint.com/ford_glass_spotting.htm

This link explains what is involved in removing them, if they can in fact be removed. This site (Automotive International) specializes in oem TSB's and in-field fixes for dealership concerns on customer's cars. They basically "troubleshoot" for the auto manufacturers in regards to paint/glass/interior material issues and wear & tear problems. This article involves Ford Glass, but it's applicable to other makes as well. (Ford actually makes glass for a number of manufacturers).

If it's etched badly enough, only window replacement will suffice.

I had one such customer with a WS6 Ram Air Firebird that was told by the dealer that her's would have to be replaced, after I tried removing them via abrasives as in this article. Too far gone.

It's not really something the average car owner can do, unless they have those kind of abrasives and tools, and skills to use them.

As far as prevention; Some type of polymer application (Rain X, Aquapel etc.) would help, and avoiding water with heavy mineral content such as sprinklers/ground water. Leaving water sit on the car and then being sun baked is the cause.

Vinegar and water mix will remove initial spotting on windows in good shape, but once glass becomes etched , only abrasives will have a chance, because you have to level the surrounding glass surface to the bottom of the pitting/etching, in order to visually remove it.

VVT-i

Alextv, I will move this thread to Detailing, because you may have more respones overthere.

alextv

Thank you for your respose. I am sure a lot of people are plagued with the problem of hard water spots and not really sure what is the best way to get rid of them. It has been several years since I really have searched about this problem since I have only recently encountered it again. Now on the internet their is quite a bit of information on what to do with the hard spots. The concensus seems to be a mild abrasive in a paste form that will not scratch the glass. Their are quite a few manufactures with products to take care of the problem.