acid rain marks

Tattoogod · May 24, 2006

What do you guys use to get rid of acid rain marks.ive used the clay bar from meg's with no luck.ive used turtle wax ultra gloss,nu finish,and gold class.im outta money and ideas .i hate keep on buying wax's polishs that claim to do the job.they just go right over top of it.please help..oh yeah im doing this by hand..maybe i should just take it to a shop and have them buff it out? anyone know what shops usually charge? thanks

ALITL8 · May 25, 2006

is it acid rain or hard water spots? how long has it been on the car? either way if its been there a good while it has more than likely etched into the clear coat and possibly the paint. it could be as simple as stripping all the wax and buffing it out, could need to be color sanded or it may take a paint job depending on the overall condition of the paint. take it to a professional and have them give you some estimates. if you dont need paint, i would say $200 to $500 depending on what needs to be done.

ALSO!! you might find someone to do the work cheaper but remember "you get what you pay for"!!

Tattoogod · May 25, 2006

it may be hard water marks. I dont know the differnce i dont think. :-\ . I know my car needs a good buff ,im scared to try it.prolly make the paint come flying off lol. i was quoted 169.00 for everything.Buff,Engine detail,Trunk,and the Inside. so i guess thats a pretty sweet deal.

Eastcoast5.0 · May 25, 2006

Tattoogod said:
it may be hard water marks. I dont know the differnce i dont think. :-\ . I know my car needs a good buff ,im scared to try it.prolly make the paint come flying off lol. i was quoted 169.00 for everything.Buff,Engine detail,Trunk,and the Inside. so i guess thats a pretty sweet deal.

Thats a very low price for all that done correctly....I'd be skeptical. Go to the store and buy a claybar and see if that'll help ya out. A Porter Cable is almost foolproof. You wont damage your point and you'll be surprised how well it works with the right products.

ALITL8 · May 26, 2006

Eastcoast5.0 said:
Thats a very low price for all that done correctly....I'd be skeptical. Go to the store and buy a claybar and see if that'll help ya out. A Porter Cable is almost foolproof. You wont damage your point and you'll be surprised how well it works with the right products.

i agree thats pretty cheap... its less than i would charge or expect to pay to have the job done right. eastcoast is also right about the orbital buffer and my product of choice is 3M compounds. you could probably start with a 3M medium cut, then a 3M mild/light cut, then a quality polish and wax of your choice. if that doesnt get it you need to go more agressive but you'll know if its gone by the time you do a little rubbing with the medium cut. porter cables are great but if youre on a budget a Walmart $29 10" orbital buffer will work fine. good luck and if you have any questions just PM me

wytstang · May 26, 2006

$169 is a sure sign that they will ge using product with a crap load of fillers/oil to cover up the mess not remove it. I would expect to pay around $250+ for a all that work, look at the regional(sp?) on autopia.org and see if they have some one near you. You could also join as ask in that section for a detailer near you, sooner or later some one will resond......

Tattoogod · May 26, 2006

cool ill check it out . thanks for the heads up guys :thumb:

Matt94GT · May 26, 2006

good luck, keep us posted.

Mr. Pacific Green · Jun 1, 2006

I had bad acid/hard water stains, so I went down to Harbour Freight tools and bought an orbital sander/buffer on sale for $30. It came with the wool and foam pad. I dropped another $15 or so on Meguiars Paint Cleaner and Polish and did the job myself.
All of the water stains are gone and it cost me less than $50. I recommend having this done every 1-2 years on cars over 3 years old.
There are some good how-to's if you search the web. :thumb:

ALITL8 · Jun 1, 2006

Mr. Pacific Green said:
I recommend having this done every 1-2 years on cars over 3 years old.

i'd say at least once a year on any age car, wash "at least" once every 2 weeks and do polishes/waxes every 3 or 4 months.. why wait 3 years to start proper maintenance :dunno:

Mr. Pacific Green · Jun 2, 2006

ALITL8 said:
Mr. Pacific Green said:

I recommend having this done every 1-2 years on cars over 3 years old.

Click to expand...

i'd say at least once a year on any age car, wash "at least" once every 2 weeks and do polishes/waxes every 3 or 4 months.. why wait 3 years to start proper maintenance :dunno:

Because the vehicles I've seen don't need a thorough exterior detailing for the first 2 or 3 years after coming off the assembly line. Sure, detail it like this every week if you want. Some of us don't have the time that you do.

ALITL8 · Jun 5, 2006

Mr. Pacific Green said:
Because the vehicles I've seen don't need a thorough exterior detailing for the first 2 or 3 years after coming off the assembly line. Sure, detail it like this every week if you want. Some of us don't have the time that you do.

next time you drive by a car lot at night and see one of those wash crews cleaning cars, observe how its done. "blast" water/detergent mixture at car, rinse, "towel" dry... believe me its not pretty nor is it a good way to wash a car. in my area they pay those guys approx $.75 per car, i guess you get what you pay for :dunno: (i dont do car lots) IMO a car that comes off a lot needs a detail immediately, inside and out, and for many reasons. thats my 2 cents :thumb:

p.s. if you dont have time to do it yourself, there's bound to be other detailers that care and need love too. hire some poor bastard to do it for you!!!

as far as having time to do it to my vehicles, im in the field working alongside my 23 yr old son every time "we" have a job (father and son, owned and operated). i make time to take care of my rides, of course its like a hobby to me... i love my job :thumb: