Constant Water Spots on MB
 

So I'm beginning to feel like a failure at washing my car. I feel like I'm doing everything right, but I still end up with a bunch of water spots and they are beginning to be harder and harder to get out.
My 370z is Magnetic Black and I got it fully detailed (wash/buff/polish/wax) about a month ago. All the water spots disappeared. I wash my car on base where the water is supposedly "hard" and they have came back since.

I'll describe my washing process so you guys can state if I'm doing something wrong or something that may be causing these water spots.

First I was the car from top to bottom in straight lines and not circles. I wash the car in sections while keeping the whole car wet. I start with the roof. In-between washing each panel I hose off the sponge and spray it with high pressure to get the dirt off. Dip it in the soap again and start on the side panels on each side separately. Then I do the back of the car, the front, and the front bumper all separately. Pretty much every panel is done separately. While I am washing it I always keep the whole car wet. Then when I am completely done washing the whole car I spray it over once more to get all the excess, if any, soap off. Then I dry the horizontal surfaces first with microfiber towels in straight, smooth lines. I keep ending up with water spots no matter what.

I'm beginning to think it may be the mixture of soap to water I'm using somehow, even though I'm following the directions on the bottle.
It could also just be the water. I'm thinking about getting a filter for the hose.

Any suggestions or ideas on what could be causing these p.i.t.a spots?

Are the towels absorbing all the water?
What soap are you using?

Black paint FTW.

Pick up an in-line filter with a rechargeable canister. I've got mine mounted to the side of my house, but it sounds like you might have to take yours with you, so a little stand and a shorty hose would work.

I've just got a single stage, but here's the style I'm talking about:

Deluxe Clean Water Filter Kit, 2 step water filter system, water filter for car washing, inline hose filter

You can get them at about any home improvement store. To recharge the medium, I just store the filter in saltwater (one of those plastic spaghetti storage containers is perfect) and then just hook it up for car washing.

Wish I could find where I got mine from, but I think it was only about $50.

My 'car wash' hose also runs through my water softener, so that helps as well.

Are the water spots spread all over the car, like residue?

Or are they in certain places only?

As far as I can tell yeah, but I am just using smaller microfibers from advanced auto :shakes head:
"Meguiars Ultimate Wash and Wax" The yellow kind.

Yeah, I'd have to bring it with me because its just a little parking spot with a hose. If you could find one that you'd recommend me buying it'd definitely help. I have a Home Depot and Lowe's pretty close so I could always stop by there, but I want to know what I'm talking about before I go because I don't trust employees opinions on odd stuff like this.
You recharge it with salt water?


They're mostly on the horizontal surfaces(hood, roof, spoiler). They are usually just small dark circles, but some have a hint of white like they're trapped minerals.

Found the one I have.

Garden Hose Filters – Pure Water Products, LLC

I've got the clear + the water softener cartridge. Look slike they've gone up a bit since I bought mine 10 years ago - imagine that. But still only $59.

Just like a water softener, the medium is cleaned / recharged with salt.

Heres the problem
 

Wash (Soap) the whole car completely, not in sections. I know this goes against the grain of what we've done in the past. Drying soap will NOT cause water spots. Rinse with the nozzle off. then dry with microfiber cloths. Important. Any residue of water should be removed with Meguires Ultimate Detailer. This will take out water spots once you've moved the car and water comes out from the mirrors and other areas. Thats it. Mines black and perfect.

Nice! I'll have to order that. Thanks, I appreciate it.

I'll post some pictures of my water spots later so everyone can better help to make sure what type of spots they are.

I live in Indiana by the way too. Just stationed here in NC. I live in Laporte County.

How would leaving the soap on it help me any though? I do use the sheeting method when rinsing it off.
I just recently started using the detailer after a wash.
I need to get the current water spots off now to see if these methods work.

Cosign on the ultimate detailer. It gets any of your spots out. I also have a MB and the ultimate detailer works magic!

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I do the same thing. Wash & let it dry and then rinse it all at once. The soap acts as a surfactant suspending the water. When you rinse, it reactivates the soap. And I use a QD afterwards as well to get the last of the spots.

Yeah, Indiana water is like 50% water & 50% limestone. And it's not nearly as bad where you are as it is in Southern Indiana.

I too let the soap dry to an extent when washing. One thing that will knock 99% of this problem out or atleast it should because i dont have water sport problems on my black Z is after you use like a jet setting pressure to rinse the soap off real good go back and sheet rise the entire car. If you are sheet rising correctly there will literally be maybe a cup of water on the entires surface of your car, maybe less.

Your Microfiber towels from Autozone or whatever are junk, those were the first ones i purchased and they ended up going straight to the trash.

Normal rising your car then going straight to towels will do that on a black Z as i went through the same stage as you when i first got my car.

pending how bad they are you might need to buff that area, i wouldnt dig on it with a microfiber towel and detail spray

Well recently I've just been using the sheeting method without a nozzle the whole time. Seems like it gets most of the soap off. What are some microfiber towels I should look into?