Will using distilled white vinegar harm paint finish?
 

I read that distilled white vinegar can be used to remove watermarks which I got from someone turning on a lawn sprinkler next to my parked C5 vert. I tried vinegar in a small area and it seemed to work with very little elbow grease. Does anyone know if this is harmful to the paint or clearcoat? Thank you.

It is fine to use. It will remove most or all of your wax, so that are will need to be redone.

:iagree:

Will vinegar also work to remove dried wax in hard to get areas? I've read on this forum that turpentine is good for that, but I don't need the half gallon of turpentine that seems to be the smallest size my local hardware and paint stores stock.

Thanks

Will not hurt anything, it will dull out the paint so you will need to rewax the area.

Revisiting an old thread..

I hand glazed and waxed my black 011 GS..(used Adams products) looks fantastic BTW..took it to the movies and it sat thru a rain shower, then in direct sun for a few hours. Needless to say I now have water spots.

I basically have a millon outlines of where the water spots were. Thought about using white vinegar since ive tried to clay bar and it didnt work. Has opinion on this changed?

If it matters I Zaino'd the car when I first got it and thought Id try Adams now a year later. I really like the shine and the look.

Thanks

Black cars suck for water spots......

Especially sun water etched.....

It's gonna need a machine polish with the right products and pads to remove them completely. White vinegar can only do so much......

Good luck.....:cheers:

Shouldn't be that hard to remove so soon after, have you washed and wiped dry the car?

Detail spray and a microfiber should take care of them seeing the car has protectant on it.


I wash my car just outside the garage and pull it back in right away to dry it, spots already forming, they wipe right off.

Nope....

Detail spray and a MF towel will not remove water spots......

Especially ones that baked in the sun......


What's underneath doesn't seem to matter with these little devils......

Wax or Zaino, doesn't seem to stop them from showing up from time to time. A good polish with the right pads will help wonders.....

Look for a good detailer in your area if you don't have the knowledge or products for the job.......:cheers:

Baked on water spots are one thing, I'm talking about the ones you get right after washing or overnight dew causes on non garaged vehicles.

Some that are etched in the paint will never come out, even after wet sanding and compounding.

This was just bad timing with pollen and the car being a bit dirty recently waxed and a heavy rain and hot sun for a few hours after.

Kinda stinks as I really do try and do a good job of taking care of it.

As the clay didnt work, Im going to try and use some white vinegar to see if that helps. Ill let you know the result. If not Ill have to get it professionally polished.

Water doesn’t leave marks or etch surfaces; it’s the minerals that it contains calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and reactivity (heat acting as a catalyst) the spots are actually traces of minerals left on the surface. Alternatively they can be caused by industrial pollution (i.e. acid rain, bird excrement or industrial fallout)

Generally surface water-spots have no raised edges and are very shallow and so cannot be felt, they are very similar to micro-fine surface marring. They cannot be removed from the surface by washing but they can usually be removed with a slightly abrasive chemical paint cleaner

Note: Vinegar is a liquid produced from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, Acetic (Ethanoic) acid, pH 2.7

There are two categories of water mark (the so-called water spots)

Stage I (Surface) Corrosion
[: defined as a surface with light to moderate corrosion damage to the paint surface]

Stage II (Sub-surface) Corrosion
[: definition when the dirt/corrosion deposits are no longer on the surface but have started to break down the molecular structure, leaving an etched or white haze on the surface( a concave circular mark ) after the stain has been removed, with moderate to serious paint damage]

some product lines like Chemical Guys now offers water spot removers. You can also find ingredients in products like ONR (Optimum No Rinse) which soften water and said to help in reducing some spots. But vinegar is often used without issue also.

Thanks guys..Im off for the rest of the week and will try the vinegar tomorrow to see how it works.

If no luck Ill take it to a detailer.

We're are you located in NY?

Im in NYC, and have a weekend place in Moriches. Keep the car out there.

I actually had it detailed at TKO Corvettes in Bayshore a month ago. They used Adams products, and I really liked the finish when it was done.

I bought Adams glaze and wax and do a section or two here and there after washing and it keeps it looking fantastic.

Didn't know Ed does detailing, ok.

I'm in Hicksville if you ever want it looked at.

Thanks..actually wont get out there until Sunday.

He called a guy in to do it while I waited..they put it up on his lift and the guy really did a nice job.

Just hate the fact that I may have to get it done again.

Ill keep you posted.

While I don't know how deep the detailer had to cut, the good thing is that Vettes have lots of clear from the factory. You should be fine