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General => Detailing => Topic started by: candywhite12 on 06 April 2026, 12:02
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noticed the spots after i gave the car a nice wash but made a mistake when i washed it on windy day, probably dried that part up before i had the chance to dry with my towel. Applied ceramic a month ago, spots happened after that which is weird, and have been unable to remove them. Used compound by hand and waxed the area again, they seemed to disappear on the day but today under different lightning there they were those little f***ers. It's only in a small area, i'm talking 10 spots in total but i'd like to get rid off. I'm not in favor of trying out too many restoring products in fear of messing my paint.
Any pro ideas would be most welcome
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If your ‘water spots’ return after a few days, then I suspect the spots may not actually be water spots. I see from your signatures that your car’s is a mk8.5 so I’m assuming it’s new / relatively new. If so, then the spots may be the result of your car’s paintwork ‘outgassing’. Below is the AI explanation from an internet search I did;
A brand new car's paintwork that is "gassing" (or outgassing) can produce residues or surface imperfections that closely resemble the appearance of hard water spots or watermarks. While they look similar to the naked eye, the cause is the release of solvents/VOCs from the curing paint, rather than mineral deposits from water.
How Outgassing Causes "Water Spot" Appearance;- The Process: New paint, particularly if a car was painted recently and covered or driven soon after, continues to release solvent vapours as it cures (outgassing).
- The Appearance: If these vapours are trapped (e.g., under a car cover, in a shipping container, or simply by cooling down overnight), the chemicals can condense back onto the surface, leaving hazy, circular, or spotty residue marks that look like mineral rings.
- Surface Texture: Sometimes, the paint itself can "bubble" or "pimple" at a microscopic level while the solvents force their way out, creating a spotted, rough texture that mimics acid rain or severe water etching.
Sorry, I don’t know how you would address correcting / removing these spots permanently so they don’t return.
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Although what SRGTD has said is correct, it's also not really a thing anymore due to paintwork being baked to harden, rather than to just dry and so it's unlikely to be the root cause unless repaired by a bodyshop without baking equipment.
There's plenty of folk getting PPF put on their cars immediately after a repair being carried out, further depending on the ceramic coating, the majority are gas permeable so can continue to let gasses out, although still advisable to let it sit for a week or so before working on the paintwork.
You mention rewaxxing the area, so I'm going to assume that you used a ceramic infused wax instead of a ceramic coating.
They're likely just hard bits of waterspots (limescale), and hand polishing may not have been aggressive enough (Some of them are hard enough to remove even with a machine polisher!), let me know what products / pad you used to hand polish to help further.
Koch Chemie FSE is a quick detailer with waterspot remover in it as well, it can help and leave a lovely finish. But if you provide us more information we can help better before saying to throw money at the issue.
Koch Chemie FSE
https://www.mycarcleaning.co.uk/products/koch-chemie-finish-spray-exterior-fse?variant=38097831166145&country=GB¤cy=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20041076128&gbraid=0AAAAAC7OoaGrOMQcPGyQ2QHrMdU9pTXXC&gclid=Cj0KCQjws83OBhD4ARIsACblj197tW_8UNN63dRmF7k2Gjr-nzTg2GqILcHUseqeqvWEeCvj3SAEdKUaAie3EALw_wcB (https://www.mycarcleaning.co.uk/products/koch-chemie-finish-spray-exterior-fse?variant=38097831166145&country=GB¤cy=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20041076128&gbraid=0AAAAAC7OoaGrOMQcPGyQ2QHrMdU9pTXXC&gclid=Cj0KCQjws83OBhD4ARIsACblj197tW_8UNN63dRmF7k2Gjr-nzTg2GqILcHUseqeqvWEeCvj3SAEdKUaAie3EALw_wcB)