How Leaving Hard Water to Dry Can Damage your paint and Kill Your ceramic Coating
Leaving water to air dry on your car can be a problem. Even after applying a ceramic coating they might look cool & exciting to see. But if these pretty little water beads aren’t removed off your car, they can not only make your car look bad but it can cause damage to the ceramic coating all the way down through to the paint. Fixing it can be expensive. But why are these beads of water so bad for your car? They can make stains and marks on your car's paint. The water itself isn’t even the problem - rather its the minerals that are dissolved in it. If the water spots are left for too long they can become permanent through a process that’s called paint etching. We'll explain it more in detail.
From Beads to Spots
When water dries on a car because of the minerals in it will leave what is commonly known as water spots behind. These minerals stay on the car when the water evaporates. At first, if addressed quickly it's not too hard to clean these marks a standard wash. But if you wait too long, the sun can bake them into the paint and make these marks really tough to remove, and you'll need a specific process with a more aggressive cleaner and a lot of elbow grease to get rid of them.
If the water spots are left for too long they can become permanent through a process that’s called paint etching.
Hard Water + Time = Etching
When dealing with water spots you need to know that there are generally two basic types. The first type is basically just mineral deposits left behind on the surface of the paint after the water has evaporated. This type of spot can usually be removed easily with the use of a clay bar and/or a light cleaner polish.
The second type of water spot is the kind that has etched below the surface of the vehicle’s paint. In the Illustration below you can get a better idea of what these spots look like. When we polish our vehicle’s finish we are basically removing small amounts of paint or clear coat. Since this type of water spot has etched its way into your vehicles finish, you will have to remove enough paint to get to the lowest point of the spot. This usually requires some form of machine polishing and an aggressive pad/compound combination. Keep in mind that when doing any form of detailing we always want to use the least aggressive method needed to achieve our goal. In some cases the spots may have actually etched so deep that wet sanding is required, or they may even be too deep to be safely and fully removed. When its that far gone then its time to consider repainting.
Protect Your Ride
Your car’s paint can be one of the most expensive parts of your car to get repaired. Not just in the service of painting itself but if its not taken care of it will tank your resale value. One of the best ways to mitigate the potential for paint damage is applying some form of paint protection - a wax, ceramic sealant, ceramic coating or paint protection film (PPF). Which option you decide to go with is up to you, your time and budget. None of these options are “bullet proof” they will all require maintenance to keep them performing at their best. This is no different than anything else we own - AC units need the air filters changed and the lines flushed, cars also need oil, brake and tire changes, even your toaster needs to be cleaned out.
If you want to figure out what is the best paint protection option for you to go with give us a call or text us here at Milord Detailing and we’ll be happy to answer any question you have -call 407-900-1378
