Learn how to stop water spots on a car and avoid having this happen to you.

Saving Your Finish: 5 Ways How To Prevent Water Spots On A Car

As we’ve explained in past articles, static water beads can dry into water spots that can permanently stain and even etch through your finish. At that point you’ll need some machine buffing to get them off, which often means you’re either shaving off precious clear coat or wearing down your coating to the point where you’ll need to re-apply. Not exactly a good position to be in. But there are ways how to prevent water spots on a car:

Get a coating that sheds beads

The simplest way to prevent a water spot is to get a coating that either sheds beads easily or sheets water outright (like Dr. Beasley’s Nano-Resin and Nano-Resin Pro, for example). After all, if there’s no beads on your finish, they won’t be able leave a mark. To be fair, no coating will ever completely stop water from resting on your finish, but ones that repel water the best will prevent static beads, and therefore water spots, to the greatest possible extent. But what if you don’t have such a coating?

Use distilled water when washing

Water spots are caused by mineral content inside the water beads left behind on your finish. So if you’re washing you car on a hot day with regular tap water, you’ll likely have water beads drying into water spots on your finish before you can dry them yourself. Either that, or you’ll inevitably miss a bead or two while drying and notice days later a stain has formed in some hard-to-reach area. Use distilled water devoid of mineral content, however, and all of this becomes a non-issue. No minerals, no residue.

Dry thoroughly

Not everyone has easy access to distilled water, of course. In that case, you’ll want to make sure you’re drying your car post-wash as thoroughly as possible. Go over every nook and cranny on your finish and ensure no one bead is left behind!

Keep away from rain & sprinklers

Water is just about everywhere on this green Earth, and much of it contains mineral content, which is what causes water spots in the first place. So how are you supposed to go about avoiding it? Well, consider two of the most common sources of water spots: overnight rain and lawn sprinklers, hitting your car while it’s parked outside. Because these happen while you’re away from your car, there’s more time for the spot to stain or etch before you can remove it.

The obvious solution, therefore, is to have your car garaged or wrapped in a car cover when not in use. Simple enough, but do make sure you inspect your garage before hand for any dropping water that may land on your finish. We’ve seen people get water spots from leaky pipes and roofs all too often. Beyond covers and garaging, paint protection film and vinyl would also keep the car from being exposed to water when not in use, but it should be noted PPF/vinyl can stain and etch, too, without a water-shedding ceramic coating like Dr. Beasley’s Film Coating or Matte Film Coating.

But what if you don’t have a garage or car cover? And what about the water you encounter while driving, or when your car is parked out in the wild while you’re out and about? In cases like those, a different strategy is called for.

ABC: Always Be Checking (for water spots)

It might sound exhausting, but if you’re serious about keeping a perfect finish, you need to be inspecting your vehicle for water spots (and other staining/etching contaminants, for that matter) as often as possible. The reasoning is simple; water spots need to be caught early on so they don’t get the chance to stain or etch. If you’re pouring over the vehicle a few times a day, you’ll be able to remove water spots pretty easily with the bottle of Dr. Beasley’s The Final Finish you’ve got in your glovebox. And like we just mentioned, keep a look out for stuff like insect remains, road tar and sap, too, since they can all stain and in some case etch.

Wrapping up

At the end of the day, water spots are an inevitability. But with the right ceramic coating, precautions and vigilance, you’ll never run into one you can’t easily remove. Remember, maintaining a healthy finish is a full-time job!

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