[autocrat]

Originally Posted by arrowaby

I have water stains not only on my wind-shield but also on the car body.
The water that comes in my building is perhaps hard-water. The guy uses the same water to wash my car. Now the roof of the car has got ridiculous amount of stains. Too many. How do I get rid of the stains on the car body?

Its annoying to see white salt spots on the paint and more on glass as it affects visibility at night.

For the paint, get the car buffed and polished. For glass, you can get it cleaned at some professional windshield repair place.

Edit: Reduce frequency of car wash, dry car completely after every wash, avoid car wash with saline water and get car waxed at least once a month. It prevents paint damage.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Somehow I have greater faith in the natural method - vinegar etc rather than these cleaning agents.
So I shall try what you suggest and we will see if I succeed!

@shankar.balan - any luck with this ?
I've failed trying to remove these stains on windshield and ORVM's with the following so far:
-Vinegar both straight and diluted with water
-WD40
-Colin
-Easy off Bang

Just left with 2 other options I found on this thread - toothpaste and harpic

[a4anurag]

Easy off Bang and Harpic are not supposed to be used on vehicles buddy.

Had applied these on mt cars rear bumper in a small patch after which I got white stains after the detergents dried.

These are harsh and corrode into the paint. So try and stay away from these.

[shankar.balan]

I havent tried at all for fear of ruining my windshield!

Originally Posted by NPV

@shankar.balan - any luck with this ?
I've failed trying to remove these stains on windshield and ORVM's with the following so far:
-Vinegar both straight and diluted with water
-WD40
-Colin
-Easy off Bang

Just left with 2 other options I found on this thread - toothpaste and harpic

[sagarpadaki]

You can try some rubbing compound like 3m finnese it . Its pretty abrasive and Will most probably remove the stains

[NPV]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Easy off Bang and Harpic are not supposed to be used on vehicles buddy.

Had applied these on mt cars rear bumper in a small patch after which I got white stains after the detergents dried.

These are harsh and corrode into the paint. So try and stay away from these.

Thanks for the advice. I did not use Easy off Bang on the body of the car, only on the glass and mirrors and I just used a cloth to apply it carefully over the area with the stains. I was planning to try something similar with harpic first on the mirrors.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I havent tried at all for fear of ruining my windshield!

Thanks. Are you considering going to 3M car care, etc ?

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

You can try some rubbing compound like 3m finnese it . Its pretty abrasive and Will most probably remove the stains

Thanks. After my last trial with toothpaste and harpic I plan to go to 3M car care/Reliance Autozone to get this.

[swiftnfurious]

I see that the basic problem with the marks on the windshield is hard water. The solution to prevent this is use "pure water" or those from acqa guard or use drinking water in the wind shield water reservoir.

Now the worst case - there is NO good water available & am reluctant to use drinking water for this purpose (lets have no arguments to counter this please!) and I end up filling hard water always!! How can I reduce the hardness of the water to acceptable levels which does NOT cause water marks on the windshield?

MA$$ usually adds a concentrate, but am NOT sure of its effectiveness. Sonax has a small bottle of some concentrate (was 100/-) which is used in one full topping up of water in the reservoir.

What other cost-effective methods are there which can REALLY bring down the bad effects of the hard water? I some how hate the foam/froth that comes on the windshield when you add certain substance (prill, soap etc).

Please do let me know the options we have.

Note:: My car has so many water marks / swirls on the windshield and almost decided to replace the windshield. I will have a last try though!

[pganapathy]

A windshield change is only going to be a temporary solution unless you actually address the root cause. Most interesting dilemna indeed.

My suggestion is to keep a bottle of regular water in the car, a cloth and a micro fiber cloth. Once you come to a halt at your destination, after having used the windshield wiper water, pour the water and wipe down with a cloth and then use the micro fiber to dry it. Will ensure no water spots. Of course, this can get a bit tedious but solves the problem

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Note:: My car has so many water marks / swirls on the windshield and almost decided to replace the windshield. I will have a last try though!

Try using clay bar to remove the stains along with appropriate lubricant. If this does not work take it to windshield experts or to sparkle car spa

[joybhowmik]

[quote=pganapathy;3043873
My suggestion is to keep a bottle of regular water in the car, a cloth and a micro fiber cloth. [/quote]

However deep-seated the stains on windsheild or the paint, buckets of regular water, a clean cloth/dhoti will help to keep the car spotless if consistent in use.
Even soaps leave their mark, so give the area a thorough rinse after you are done using soaps/car-shampoos.
Rubbing abrasive material (rubbing compound/fine emery paper etc) to get rid of the worst marks should be avoided.

For the worst spots on mirror or windsheild glass use a glass-cleaner (colin is fine, and there are many others as well) and loads of regular news-print (b & w dailies, not the weekend glossy). I have personally found news-print + colin works like a charm on glass.

For bird-goo on paint-work, wash area with plenty of regular water - making sure to make the area thoroughly wet. Wipe the area with a cloth. and repeat treatment with the water, until all of the area is cleaned.
Under no circumstances should one attempt to remove this avian offense with brute force - it will irretrievably damage the paint work. It is important to clean it up quickly , as it contains nitrates, which can corrode the paint finish if left on for a long time.

[adityasiera]

My windshield and right side glasses are covered with water mark. Tried Vim/Prill/Colin/Lemon still no go.

I am thinking of going to 3M. Does anyone know how much do they charge?

[Blue Thunder]

^^^ Did you try Colin + squeegee ? This usually removes all stains and makes the glass 'disappear'.

[kutlee]

any good glass cleaner would do. I used mothers and it was good but expensive. That bottle simply evaporated and emptied itself due to rare use. currently i wash with car wash, dry it, then use mix of water spray and meguiars quick detailer spray followed by clean wipe using chamois cloth or water absorbing cleaning cloth. windshield will be spotless. chamois cloth/water magnet cloth (xstatic brand) does wonders.
http://www.ebay.in/itm/X-STATIC-MICR...item20d2b56f01

[bblost]

I had these hard water stains form on my windscreen in 2007/8.

Did everything from lemons, toothpaste, colin, easy off bang etc.
None of them worked.

I then decided to live with it and not bother about them.
Just last week I realised that the stains are gone.

I have no clue how they went away or what happened. But I guess they fade away over time. Some consolation to those who are troubled by them.

[CrazyCar]

Hi All

I have a problem with my Car I don't have covered parking and i am forced to park my car out side on the road side. In rainy if i drive my car i face Hazy Wind shield visibility is very poor due to water marks on my Wind shield please please suggest me how to remove it. Tried Sonex and other brand Wind shield cleaner but no positive Results.

Thanks in Advance..

Kamesh