So Waldo has a water spot on him and I cannot get it buffed out. Tried Slick and microfiber, no luck. Wait a minute, I say to myself, I've got Meguiar's Clay. So I get a small piece, squirt a generous amount of Slick on the water spot, and pull it across, and nothing happens. Give it another pass...still no luck. At that point, (in retrospect being REALLY stupid...but oblivious at the time), I start scrubbing on the water spot with the clay...STILL doesn't come off...so I scrub some more!

Yes, you guessed it...not only do I STILL have a water spot on Waldo, I ALSO have scratches all around it!

I'm about to throw up.

Tried putting some Epic on it, but it's not hiding it (didn't really think it would but I have no Amigo).

Don't own a buffer (and given my performance with an innocent hunk of clay, I don't trust myself with a power tool!)

Any other suggestions?

 

ScratchX on foam pad and some elbow grease.

 

and for the water spot you can remove with the scratchx or white vinegar
soaked in a towel and laying it over your stain will desolve it in about 5-10min.

 

agreed with the scratch x..or try some swirl remover then rewax

 

ScratchX is pretty fool proof from what I hear.

In any event, a water spot is going to require the same fix as swirling, polishing. And because clay just remove contaminants it will not work on the etching created by dried water.

 

Thanks for the quick replies, kenchan and andrew!

I'm almost afraid to try the Scratch-X for fear of making it worse. Guess I can give it a go behind the rear license plate. Suggestions on how to use it? Should I go 90 degrees to the current scratches? Polish along the same direction as the scratches? Or circular motions over the scratches? (the tube doesn't say).

Also, wonder what shelf life Scratch-X has? I've got a tube I've had for the last several years (from my Miata that I sold three years ago!)

 

you can just do a circular motion. actually it's best not to rub in a
straight back/forth motion because how you apply pressure you
could potentially build too much heat.

minimum app usually 3-4, so dont be afraid to do 5-6 apps with
decent pressure.

shelf life depends on the temperature it's stored in, i think. ive
had mine for 3-4yrs and it hasn't separated yet. i'd just
keep it in a cool place away from the sun.

 

It WORKED! I tried it first on the area behind the license plate. I can still see it...but it takes a LOT of searching and just the right angle of light to find it...so it's good enough for me!

Thanks SO MUCH for the advice!

 

glad it worked, blackjackmark.