[Eltee]

My 2011 Z4 black has a lot of water spots mainly on the hood that simply won't come off using traditional methods. (Vinegar, Glassweld, Chemical Guys products , clay bar etc.)
Thinking about having a paint correction done and then a ceramic coat.
Dude at detailer says BMW paint is very soft and thin which requires "special attention" and shouldn't be done by an amatuer. (I'd probably say the same thing if I was in the business)
Just curious if anyone has had a paint correction completed and what are your thoughts.

[slowpokemd]

I have had paint correction done. It should remove the water spots (but of course, best to show your experienced local detailer)

[Glen e]

I don’t find BMW paint to be overly soft. I would classify it as a medium paint, and can be corrected easily with the right set of polishes, random orbital, and medium type pads. If all this is not something you own, send it out to a detailer.

Water spots etch into the clearcoat, therefore it will probably take two different types of polish to get it clear. Also most ceramics will still water spot, don’t think that’s the end all/cure all answer.

[vt100]

just dealt with the same crap on my Z4 after applying Meguiars hybrid ceramic wax few months ago (I'll never ever do that again! at least not on that car).
Looked really scary initially - the car is sapphire black.
But turned out Meguiars scratch x 2.0 got rid of it very well and just by hand polishing. And very easy to control and remove only necessary amount of clear coat.
After that Meguiars machine glaze #3 again by hand - and the car looks fantastic again!

PS: One more thing to try before polishing / wet sanding - acid wheel cleaner like explained here https://youtu.be/rupCeQBjE6M

But it didn’t help in my case at all.

[abcmusic]

Originally Posted by Glen e

I don’t find BMW paint to be overly soft. I would classify it as a medium paint, and can be corrected easily with the right set of polishes, random orbital, and medium type pads. If all this is not something you own, send it out to a detailer.

Water spots etch into the clearcoat, therefore it will probably take two different types of polish to get it clear. Also most ceramics will still water spot, don’t think that’s the end all/cure all answer.

Agreed.
If you're getting lots of waterspots then it might be worthwhile reviewing your washing techniques. Avoid washing in sun/heat, and dry the car off ASAP.

[Eltee]

Thanks for all the input
Don’t think I trust myself with a orbital polisher.
Vt100 were you removing the ceramic wax or was there water spots too? Might try hand polishing or just bite the bullet and have it done.

[vt100]

̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶p̶o̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶_̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶d̶_̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶e̶r̶a̶m̶i̶c̶ ̶w̶a̶x̶ ̶(̶b̶e̶l̶i̶e̶v̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶)̶).
nope, that wasn't the wax causing it. It just the clear coat was damaged more than I thought. Interesting that spots would disappear if you polish it and would come back a couple of weeks later.


Initially they looked exactly like water spots but I'm absolutely sure that clear coat was very clean and spotless when I was applying the wax. And I never parked my car near sprinklers or washed it after applying the wax. These spots were getting worse and etching into clear coat after every day spent under sun. Not sure if that was UV or heat that caused it. But hood was the worst of all so likely it was heat. By the time when I decided to polish the car it looked much much worse than usual water spots. Similar to this pic


Anyway, tried all the possible chemicals (vinegar, chemical guys water spot remover, acid wheel cleaner) and none helped.

So to answer your q:

Originally Posted by Eltee

Vt100 were you removing the ceramic wax or was there water spots too?

I was actually removing a very thin layer of clear coat to get rid of etching and then polishing it with the finest Meguiar polish #3 that I have.

[Opie55]

BMW paint is softer than Mercedes paint, but I like that because it takes less work to make it look good. It's actually pretty hard to damage paint with an orbital buffer and foam pads. The big rotary buffers can damage paint quickly in unskilled hands.

As for your water spots, they will come out fairly easily. However, you need to figure out what caused them because spotting can be worse with a ceramic coat. Ceramic beads water and concentrates what is in it, including minerals. If you park where a sprinkler can hit your car you will probably get terrible spotting and have to buff it again and maybe put on new ceramic. Happened to me. Rain is fine, but hard city water is not. You can't let that stuff dry on a coated car.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Opie55

BMW paint is softer than Mercedes paint, but I like that because it takes less work to make it look good. It's actually pretty hard to damage paint with an orbital buffer and foam pads. The big rotary buffers can damage paint quickly in unskilled hands.

As for your water spots, they will come out fairly easily. However, you need to figure out what caused them because spotting can be worse with a ceramic coat. Ceramic beads water and concentrates what is in it, including minerals. If you park where a sprinkler can hit your car you will probably get terrible spotting and have to buff it again and maybe put on new ceramic. Happened to me. Rain is fine, but hard city water is not. You can't let that stuff dry on a coated car.

Those sprinklers are really hazardous to the health of your car's paint!!!

[aguywalksintoabar]

Wet sanding removes less paint than an orbital microfibre pad. The issue is if you take too much off there is no go to after that unless you have paint to spray on.