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Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound for severe issue

8K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  08sunburst 
#1 ·
So unbeknownst to me, the water in ALbuquerque, NM is the hardest water I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Last summer, we reseeded the front yard and of course, watered like crazy. The sprinkler hit my car and now I have horrendous hard water marks. I have tried everything. I even spent 8 hours with a soft tooth brush and rubbed the whole car down with white vinegar (known to help break down calcium).

I have a black caliber and after changing the alternator last week, it's time to make her pretty.

After trying everything Napa or Auto zone told me to try, one of the guys told me to try the old turtle wax rubbing compound.

If it were just surface scratches, I'd try something else but..nothing works. So, my question is, Any tips for using it? I've never used a rubbing compound and I do plan on doing it by hand. I have all my micro fiber pads and towels. I'm using FW1 High Performance cleaning wax with carnauba afterwards. Great stuff and has taken some of the hard water stains out, but my hood is like sand paper. I'll try to take a pic to show you what I'm dealing with but could use some pointers.
 
#5 ·
I would wash and then claybar your paint surface. Then I would recommend something like Meguairs 205 or Meguairs 105 if the first doesnt take care of it. And always finish off with a lighter polish after compounding otherwise you will end up just seeing marring swirls from the compound.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Ouch!

First things first, toothbrush on paint is a no-no. You most likely got some good swirl marks from that..

Vinegar will strip the majority or surface contaminants, as will isopropyl alcohol.

It seems like the car needs a full detail after your mis-hap..

Hard water is due to minerals, and the reason why they stuck to your paint is because the paint was not well enough protected. Minerals can and will eat through wax/paint sealant.


The first thing you are going to want to do is strip your paint of any previous waxes/paint sealers. Wash the car with dawn dish soap, and that will clear the surface of the majority of previously applied waxes or sealers.

After the wash, you are going to want to claybar your car. This will aid in removing the loose dirt, fallout, and minerals on the paint. It most likely will NOT get all of the water spots off of the car, but will help.

As far as claybar goes, there are a few good over the counter kits available. Meguiars sells a kit that comes with two 50 gram claybars, Quik Detailer for lube, a microfiber towel, and a case to store the claybar in.

The Meguiars clay that comes with the kit is a pretty mild clay, and is good at getting loose contaminants off, but in your situation, i would personally go with something a bit stronger. Im not sure where you shop, but autozone sells Clay Magic in their store, and its about 8 bucks cheaper than the meguiars kit. The Claymagic kit only comes with the claybar(100 gram) and their lubricant, which is why its cheaper than the meguiars kit. Claybars are all made in the same factory(as there are only two companies that own the patents to claybars), so no matter which kit you get, it will be quality claybar. I recommend the Claymagic Kit, because it comes with the blue claybar(medium). The Meguiars kit comes with white clay(fine), and there is a mothers kit out there as well that comes with a yellow clay(ultra fine).








Blue claybar is as heavy of a clay that you can go without marring the paint. There are red claybars out there that are a heavy cleaning clay, but WILL mar the paint(mar = scratch). Red claybars are good for removing very heavy contamination, but absolutely requires polishing the paint immediately after. Also note that you CAN claybar your windows as well, and will help to remove stuck on contaminants as well, but i would HIGHLY recommend using a separate piece of the claybar for the windows, so that you are not sharing claybar with the paint. Another tip is to break the claybar into separate pieces, and clay until the piece becomes unusable, and then move onto another piece of clay. This will also help in case you drop the piece of clay on the ground. Once it hits the ground, its done, and needs to be thrown away.


Now, after you claybar, you will most likely still have some water spots left on the paint. You are going to HAVE to polish those off, no way to get around that. As far as polishes go, over the counter, meguiars makes a product called Ultimate Compound. Its basically a consumer version of their professional cutting and rubbing compound. I used the compound previously on my car with great results. It removed a lot of surface oxidation as well as some baked on water spots. Its a LOT better than anything turtle wax makes for a couple reasons. Its more abrasive, and will make polishing easier and faster, and will take less elbow grease. It has a LONG open time, meaning that you can work with it on the paint for a long time before it starts to dry out, and having to wipe off and re-apply in the same area. When you are polishing with it, i would stick with a microfiber applicator, and make sure that if the applicator begins to look dirty or stained, to flip to the clean side, and when that clean side gets dirty looking, to switch to a new, clean applicator. You dont want to be polishing dirt onto your paint, as that will just scratch and mar the paint. You can either apply in a circular or back and forth motion. As long as the paint is clean(which it should be after a claybar) and your applicator is clean, you wont scratch or mar the paint. I will warn you, that polishing by hand WILL take some time, no doubt about it. I spent over 10+ hours on polishing my car last year, and that doesnt include cleaning anything else but the paint.



At that point, all of your water spots and swirl marks should be gone. There is a SLIGHT chance that the UC(ultimate compound) can leave behind light marring/scratches because it is abrasive. It is very unlikely with the UC, but it can happen. I personally didnt have a problem using the UC and going straight to my paint sealer, but in teh odd chance that you notice some small swirls or scratches, you would then want to use meguiars Ultimate Polish. It is less abrasive than the UC, and will polish off the swirls and scratches that UC could leave behind.





Now is the time to apply your LSP(Last Step Protection).

Me personally, i don't use wax anymore. Instead of waxing, i use paint sealer.. A few things about sealer v.s. wax.. Wax, on average, will only last on your paint for 1-2 months, maybe slightly longer, depending on how clean you keep the car, and how much its exposed to the elements. Paint sealer will on average, last you anywhere from 6-8 months, and maybe longer, depending on your cleaning habits, element exposure, etc. The reason that paint sealant lasts longer is because it is made out of synthetic polymers, which bond to the paint, giving it BETTER protection than any wax can. Sealant also has a LOT better UV protection as well, which will protect your paint and clearcoat, whereas wax has little to no UV protection(even though most claim to).

All in all, paint sealer is definitely the best choice for protecting your paint. It makes keeping the car clean a LOT easier, and will resist water spot and bird dropping etching and marring. It lasts longer, so you dont have to apply it as often, which is a big plus, and you dont need to use as much so a bottle of paint sealant will last longer than a bottle of wax, and in the long run, will save you money as well.

Now, the only problem, is that most paint sealants are not available over the counter. Most consumers that are diy'ers that want to wax their car have no idea what paint sealant is, how to apply it, and just want to get a bottle of wax and slap it on there. If you want a TRUE paint sealant, you would either have to order online, or possibly be able to special order through an automotive retailer.

When i made the switch to paint sealer, i started out with meguiars #20 from their professional line. I was able to special order it at o'reilly's auto parts, and took about 3 days for them to get it.




Now, if you dont want to have to order anything online and want to purchase something over the counter, Meguiars NXT 2.0 IS a paint sealant, but it is a cross between sealant and wax. It contains both the synthetic polymers, as well as carnuba. It will give you nearly the same longevity of paint sealant, but because it does contain carnuba, will not last as long as a fully synthetic sealer.



Some tips on paint sealants(especially applies to the NXT) you NEED to give the sealant time to bond to the paint. Its not a wipe on wipe off. Let it sit on the paint for at LEAST 15 minutes before you wipe it off. Normally what i do is start applying on the roof, and work my way around the car. Once i finish the car, i start wiping off on the roof, and wipe the rest off in the order that i applied it. That will give it enough cure time on the paint. Also, its recommended that you not get the paint wet, drive in rain, etc etc for the first day or so after applying a sealant. Even after you wipe off the excess, it is still bonding to the paint, and water can disturb the process.

When you apply paint sealants, you do not need to slather it on. When i applied the Meguiars #20, i used on average, 4-6 pea sized drops on large panels(hood, roof) and 2-4 pea sized drops on smaller panels(fenders, doors, hatch). When you apply it, it should look "greasy" if you will, almost like if you took butter and lightly smear it over the surface.


Now, if you dont mind ordering things online, i can recommend some VERY good products that are better than what you can buy over the counter. Let me know if you are interested and i can post back with that information.

Here are a few shots of when i detailed my car last year:

Before:





After:











There are TONS of other tips and tricks that i could spend another hour+ typing out, but in the mean time(not trying to advertise for another forum or anything) i would definitely recommend joining(or at least visit) www.autopia.org. I've been on that site now for about a year, and i learned SO MUCH from the guys over there. Most of the regular members on there are professional detailers with YEARS and YEARS of experience. The types of guys that work on very expensive cars, and make their living from detailing. Poke around there or subscribe to the forum, and you will pick up a LOT of useful information.

If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask!

-Matt
 
#7 ·
This is fantastic! Off to the store I go. I'll buy the 2.0 for now but only because my husband is heading off for a TDY tomorrow afternoon and I'm gonna need his help! I'll order the paint sealant online. Thanks so much for this...I'll post pics when it's over!
 
#8 ·
Not a problem! If you need any help just let me know :bigthumb:
 
#9 ·
Well I printed out your post but only brought the pages I wanted to buy to the store. I went to O'Reilly's and they didn't have the clay magic but now reading again, I bought the mother's so the hubby is headed out to autozone to buy clay magic. I imagine I'll need the 'medium' instead of the fine. Oops!
 
#10 ·
Orielly's surprisingly carries a decent amount of detailing products, or at least can special order them.

The clay magic i was surprised to find at autozone.

Oh, and a few videos that might help you out.







Also, after you get your car all taken care of, make sure to maintain the finish using the two bucket wash method.



I'll give you links to a couple online retailers where you can buy some great products when you are ready for them
 
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