[E90076]

I purchased my e92 335i when it was about six months old and noticed that the driver's side of the car had a slightly spotted look in in the "right" light - almost like someone had washed it and it dried in the sunlight. I figured that a claybar and good wax would remove the blemishes, and it did help, but I could never get them all out. For the most part, only the panels that angle up have any spots (hood, roof, trunk and upper trim on the doors close to the bottom of the side windows). Does anyone have any ideas?

I would really appreciate any insight you may have.

Here are some pictures - look around the light in the reflection to see the spots.







Thanks,

[E nine T]

A good polish should cure it.

[L~R~G nor cal]

CG water spot remover! It works great. Just wipe on, and wipe off. You have calcium build-up. The CG water spot remover will lift it right off your paint. Call Paul and tell him Jared sent to and he will take care of you. He will even tell you how to appy the product but it is easy.

[ScheerSpeed]

menzerna 106ff and a PC with a orange CCS pad could take care of it

[E90076]

Thanks for all of the responses guys - because the spots cover such a large surface area I dont want to use anything too abrasive. Given the circumstances, what is my best bet - a good polish and sealant wax? Meguiars? Mothers?

[ScheerSpeed]

Originally Posted by E90076

Thanks for all of the responses guys - because the spots cover such a large surface area I dont want to use anything too abrasive. Given the circumstances, what is my best bet - a good polish and sealant wax? Meguiars? Mothers?

menzerna 106ff is a light polish. it's the best polish out there in my opinion.

for sealant the best on in my opinon is Chemical Guy's jetSEAL109. but for wax, nothing beats pinnacle souveran wax when it comes to shine and depth on a black car. only downside is it doesnt last long...

[E90076]

Looks like the Zaino AIO and CS might be a good fit for me too since I don't prefer to spend a great deal of time on detailing - do you all believe this would work or do I need a harder polish for removing these spots?

[RICHIEC335]

I have the same issue with my Saphire Black coupe, I would rather not use an abrasive due to the widespread water spots and fear of harming the clear coat.. I use the zaino products on a regular basis and this does not help the spots.....

[E90076]

I'm actually thinking about referring back to the good old OTC Meguiars three step process. Used to do this on my first car, 10 years old at the time, and it worked great.

Anyone use these products lately?

[turbojet3]

You will need a stronger cleaner to remove the Calcium rings. If your not going to machine polish get the cg water spot remover.

[328i]

Originally Posted by RICHIEC335

I have the same issue with my Saphire Black coupe, I would rather not use an abrasive due to the widespread water spots and fear of harming the clear coat.. I use the zaino products on a regular basis and this does not help the spots.....

They are probably etched into the clear and the only way to get them out will be through polishing, some menzerna 106ff should do the trick if they're not too deep. From my experience a carnuba will give you better protection from water spots, so after you seal it with zaino use a non cleaner carnuba. Poorboy's Natty Blue is a fairly inexpensive wax that looks great on dark cars.

[ScheerSpeed]

dont use the Meg's OTC 3-step polish. i used it about 2 years ago and wasnt happy with it.

dont be afraid of harming your clear coat by light polishing with a machine. if you are worried about wearing down you clear coat, you could polish it 2 times a year for 10 years and only notice a minimal difference in the clear coat thickness (only measurable by a gauge)

[E90076]

Well thanks again everyone - I ended up using Meguiars Gold Class #2,#9, & #26 applied by hand. Probably the biggest PITA I have ever had to do but it removed 95% of all of the spots and left my paint with a near showroom finish.

FYI -

Need to be careful with #2 as its a little abrasive but following the directions along with a follow up coat of #9 and #26 produced great results for me.

[ScheerSpeed]

Originally Posted by E90076

Well thanks again everyone - I ended up using Meguiars Gold Class #2,#9, & #26 applied by hand. Probably the biggest PITA I have ever had to do but it removed 95% of all of the spots and left my paint with a near showroom finish.

FYI -

Need to be careful with #2 as its a little abrasive but following the directions along with a follow up coat of #9 and #26 produced great results for me.

glad you fixed the problem!