Water spots
 

Black IS 350 F Sport. Anyone know the best product(s) to remove water spots? Haven't found a good one yet. Tried several.

Is this on your paint? I seem to just wash away the ones on paint but the ones on my moon roof is hard to take out.

If you want to check this out:

Some water spots need to be polished out. One of the best products to use is Meguiar's ScratchX 2.0. It's available in most auto parts stores and you don't need to be an experienced detailer to use it with good results. Just follow the instructions on the bottle. Make sure the area around the spots is clean so that you aren't inducing scratches when applying or removing the Scratch X.

Scratch X is way too gritty for just water marks. Just use the meguiars ultimate polish in the black bottle. After that, apply some spray wax to recoat the coating you just polished off. If you still have marks, look for a filler glaze.

My buddy uses a touch of vinegar and water, then does a complete wash....don't know if that is bad for the paint? It works without barely any elbow grease, and removes the all the water spots.

I own a black IS350 F-Sport as well and decided to get Opti-Coat applied to the entire car. It's obviously a more costly avenue, but it helps greatly reduce water spots. However, if that's not an option for you, I would suggest looking into Chemical Guys Water Spot Remover. Also, stay away from Scratch-X for water spot removal. It's too abrasive, especially for the soft clear coat used by Toyota/Lexus, and will undoubtedly scratch it. Trust me - I've used it and it marred the clear coat. Lastly, if you're looking for a filler, try Prima Banana Gloss.

If you are in south Florida I would help you. Best thing to do is clay it first. Claying will take out 90% of the water spots. After use a dual action polisher and m105 to get the etched water spots. After get something like gtech to protect it.

Listen this this guy. Hes on the right path. Personally, I am partial to Wolfgang products. I start with a wash with ONR ( optimum no rinse wash ), then I clay, then wash again. Now the fun....

With a dual action polisher
Start with wolfgang TSR ( total swirl remover ) - orange pad
Then hit with Wolfgang Glaze - white pad
After I seal it with Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant - blue pad
Lastly I hit it with some good carnuba. Currently, I use Menzerna Color Lock then topped with Chemical Guys 50/50 wax. - red pad
After all that is said an done, I use Wolfgang Detail Mist for any residue as a clean up

Above is a full detail and a little over kill. I tend to do this about every 3 months. I have a black 350 F Sport but can honestly say, the car looks clean when its dirty.

For a wipe down, I use DuraGloss Marine Spray Detial followed by DuraGloss 945 Spray Wax.
The spray wax is actually a sealant and makes the car look like a mirror.

Owning a black car is a full time job to keep clean. I have been detailing for over a decade as a hobby and have mastered it for my car. My suggestion would be to read Autogeek dot net or many of the other detailing sites to gain familiarity with how to take care of paint. Personally, I dont get water spots due to many reasons above. What ever you do, dont use anything from an AutoZone or Wallmart etc. Use the right tool for the job, and you'll be very happy with the result. Good Luck

So true! Black cars = 2 full time jobs to clean and maintain. I've owned 3 and I'm not looking for a 3rd one :D

I would try a clay bar or polisher. Then, apply a spray wax or something to fill in the clear coat removed.

As a (non-professional) detailer with over 30 years experience I respectfully disagree with both of the above. I have personally used Scratch-X on my own black IS 350 to get rid of water spots on the top corners of my rear bumper. I used it by hand applying it with a Griot's Garage orange foam pad and removing immediately with a micro fiber cloth (no need to wait for polishes to dry). There was no damage to the clear coat as I applied it very lightly. The IS is my 4th black car, the other three were a '85 Mazda RX-7, a '94 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) and a '10 Porsche 911S. I've also used Scratch-X with great success on the Porsche. Scratch-X didn't exist when I owned the Mazda's so back then I was using 3M light compound. Another polish that I really like is Griot's Garage Machine Polish #3. In spite of it's name it can be applied by hand however it's extremely gentle when applied by hand and requires quite a bit of time and effort which is why I recommended using Scratch-X.

The OP started this thread looking for a way to remove water spots. Some of the posts above suggesting that he purchase professional detailing equipment such as a DA polisher and advanced top coats is completely over-the-top for his purposes. I personally own both straight drive and DA machines and yes, they are an excellent way to maintain a black car but complete overkill for someone simply looking to remove water spots. Not everyone enjoys or has the time and/or funds to invest in this kind of equipment and obtain the needed skills to use it properly. :)

agreed. i would have absolutely no idea what i'd be doing if i were to buy the equipment and materials suggested. it would be best for me (and a whole lot of others) to use a professional detailer or use simpler means, e.g., meguiar's scratchx, to obtain favourable results.

Red wine vinegar!

Getting a coating will make keeping your car clean easier. I have a black 3IS and Opti-coat seems to be a lot more resistant to staining either from water spots or bugs. A downside is that because the coating is so hydrophobic standing water beads very tightly which leaves behind water spots as its dries. For the most part a simple wash will get rid of the spots, but for the more stubborn ones i've been using CarPro Spotless Water Spot Remover which has worked well.

http://www.detailedimage.com/CarPro-...912/500-ml-S1/

Make sure you completely dry your car after washing and avoid sprinklers at all cost. Rain doesn't have the types of minerals found in ground water that are the culprits behind water spots, but will still leave behind some dirt.

Well said. And for the record, I am also a "non-professional detailer" who's been doing this for 10+ yrs :D