The blasted sprinklers in the office parking lot came on one morning and showered my car with crappy secondary water, which then baked on the car in 100 degree, blue sky weather all day. I attacked the spots with Klasse AIO and a Porter-Cable, which mostly removed the spots from the paint, but not from the stripes. And I don't dare buff it any more aggressively as the black color from the stripes was already coming off on my foam pad.

I also tried P21S paintwork cleanser on the stripes with no effect. Light treatment with vinegar also failed to do the job, though I didn't let the vinegar sit on the vinyl stripe very long.

Has anyone found a miracle cure for water spots on black vinyl stripes?

There are a few bathroom cleaners that do wonders on the hard water spots on my shower door, and I wouldn't try them on my MINI's paint, but perhaps it might be safe on the vinyl stripes?

 

Sorry to butt in, but Do you know if putting some vingar in the car wash will hurt anything?? I know vinager removes waters spots good! But I dont want to hurt the clear coat. thanks for any help to

 

I've got a greasy scuff on one of mine that soap and water won't remove. I'm thinking about using one of those "Goo-Off" products, but I'm not sure how it'll affect my vinyl's adhesive.

I'd like some input on this as well.

 

I'd try diluted white vinegar again for a bit longer... Give it 30 seconds and wipe off... if that doesn't work, give it a minute and wipe off...

 

Read somewhere else that a claybar will do it

 

LagunaSol,

You are going about it the right way with the Vinegar and P21S. You can try vinegar soaking a little longer as Agranger suggests and rub a bit more with the abrasive. (You can only do this a little bit as you can take off some of the black ink if you go too far...be gentle)

I have had this issue on my black stripes (and used it on other guys) and these methods have worked.

Afterwords, use a good sealant like Zaino or Klasse....or use a Carnauba "often" to keep the stripes protected.