this may belong in another forum, so the administrator can move if need be.
as you may recall in another thread by me, I noticed the DREADED water spots on the roof of the SS, plus there was one on the hood .
Being the anal over 50 person that I am, I am committed to keeping my cars as clean and polished forever .
This is by no way an endorsement of any kind for any products that I mention, just that I found what has worked for me, and hopefully it will also help you out with water spots, if you have them. I have enough polishes and waxes, etc., to last me for 3 lifetimes , as I am a sucker for trying new things.
The top of the HHR have what I will call 5 long panels along the roof. After closer inspection all 5 panels have water spots, I have finished 2 panels and eliminated the spots. In a previous thread, I mentioned about the vinegar & distilled water mix, I mixed 4 oz of each, and tried, but did not get any results. Looking through my "polish & wax collection" I found the Zaino Fusion polish I bought last year to use on the SSR, but never did. Guess what, it works, you may have to do 2,3, or 4 times in 1 spot, but they are gone. I only use microfiber cloths, noithing else, no cotton, as that will put small fine scratches in your finish, believe me I know from previous years, remember I am anal. Work on small areas at a time, use small amount and just keep rubbing. Also the spot on the hood, which really bugged me is gone .
Well back to work, have 3 more roof panels to do, then wax the entire roof, I am a happy guy .
One other thought, your hood and roof will be the most prone for water spots, because they are somewhat flat surfaces, and the water just lays there after a rain storm. If you have a garage, make sure you wipe down the hood & roof, do not let the water lay there, even in the garage, you will get spots. Another side note, I have always opened my hood in the garage when I come home, to let the heat dissipate, and keep the hood clean, you will never have to worry about water spots in the future.
Later............................................. ........................Tom

 

just finished removing all water spots on the SS, also waxed the roof, and used detail spray on the rest of the body...looking good if I do say so myself

 

I have only heard good things about Zaino Bros. products...
Never used them myself but other guys on other car forums swear by their whole line of polishes and waxes.

 

I have used many different products, and there are alot of good ones out there, but the Fusion product is the first one that has ever removed water spots for me, and I did by hand, I can only imagine how good it would work with the Porter polsher on a vehicle that is really bad. Needless to say, a few more containers of Fusion is in order for me.
Look for pics in my other post, just have to remeber how to resize them.......

well I did get my SS in my Avatar, still working on resizing.........

 

SSRoadster, I was looking through Zaino's website today and they do not recommend micro-fiber towels, but 100% cotton instead. Here's an excerpt:

"...The quality control of these products from overseas, especially Korea, is not consistent, so you never know if they will be the same scratch-free quality. Even when using the same brand, we found the quality to be inconsistent. For now, we do not recommend using them..."

Have you found a brand that's consistently scratch free? This is my first black car since 1992, so I'm looking for the best towel to use to keep the scratches to a minimum. The 100% cotton towels that's referred to on Zaino's website are the more expensive brands from linens and things or other such retailers.

It's finally stopped raining here and am looking forward to giving my baby her first bath. Can you recommend anything? Your thoughts?

 

I can attest to that some what, you have to really check them out, most of the ones I have used have been made in China, not that it makes a difference. Here is a link to... http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ where I have purchased before for microfiber cloths, I use the "blue cloths". I have also used "yellow cloths" from Costco at very reasonable price. Although I have detailed many cars, I am by no means an "expert". IMO, I would stay away from cotton period. Years ago, I noticed that cotton towels would put very fine scratches on your finish, especially with black paint. Use to drive me Of course you don"t want to use a non-soft microfiber either.
Just remember, do NOT wash your SS in the sun...period. Also make sure your surface is not extremely hot before washin, especially with Black. Hope this helps, if you need any more info, will try to answer your concerns.

 

Autogeek.com is also a great place to get your car care products. Just did the whole claybar thing on the SS the other day. The porter cable buffer does make things easier. Been using Zaino for years. Great product. always a good experience in dealing with them.

 

I love Zaino. I've done many of my friends vehicles over the years and the stuff always proves to be amazing. It stands up to the winters we have very well. I havent tried the fusion yet.

 

We also have an '03 Vibe, decent shape, but has it's share of water spots, acid rain ect., well tonight I tried a small area by hand on the Vibe hood, (dark blue) have to tell you, the section I did, Fusion took them out. When I detail the Vibe in a few weeks, with the Porter-Cable, it should be no problem.

 

I have owned alot of black cars and fought the same problems you guys are, however I always thought the paint protectent was a rip off from the dealer, but on a black car it is wonderful! Wash and dry, no water spots, shiny, and guaranteed for five years. It was only $200 v. buying wax, clay bars, etc. and my time.