Don't let car get splashed with salt water!

[bedrock8x]

Try rubbing compound.
I suspect you got corrosive liquid splashed on to you car and get etching into the paint.
Sea water is not harmful to paint but may be to the metal underneath.
Try look at it in bright sunlight and see if the spot is a depression.

[Econ]

Originally Posted by cycledrum

Oh darn. My Prius got splashed all along the driver's side yesterday by some jerk who drove by on my left side. While going down a driveway to park at Sausalito harbor / boat piers, came across standing water. I was going really slow then the lone car behind me drove by full steam, splashing my car.

After sailing, Looked at car and thought ... how strange the water spots are awfully white. ... Well, yeah, because spots must be from salt water.

And after detailing next day, all day, the spots are only made harder to see, but they are still there ... in spades. All along the driver's side.

I washed, clayed the car and used Meguiar's paint cleaner which diminishes the spots, but does not eliminate them.

If you ever suspect being near standing salt water, any strange water, turn around, do a 180. You don't want that stuff on your car.

How many miles on your car? Do you keep it garaged?

[cycledrum]

Originally Posted by Econ

How many miles on your car? Do you keep it garaged?

Only 7,500 miles and it's garaged every night. The spots did happen from the splash near the boat piers.

[cycledrum]

Originally Posted by bedrock8x

Try rubbing compound.
I suspect you got corrosive liquid splashed on to you car and get etching into the paint.
Sea water is not harmful to paint but may be to the metal underneath.
Try look at it in bright sunlight and see if the spot is a depression.

It could have been water from some storage tank for all I know. There was defintely some etching going on. The spots are along entire driver's side of car, so couldn't imagine using rubbing compound for that large area.

Good thing is the spots are so faint I can only see them in low light. And must look very hard for them at certain angle - they don't show up all at once along side of car, no way.

Cannot see them in broad daylight. No depression to the spots that I can see.

[DaveinOlyWA]

well i have already documented my water spot issues. the development i live in does lawn maintenance which includes sprinklers on a timer. mine was sprayed for 3 days before i noticed it. (i dont drive it every day) and the 2010 blue really shows water spots bigtime.

now, they do come off eventually, but its not easy. i basically have to wash and clay bar the area over and over. i spent over 2 hours on just the hood. went over it 3-4 times before i could get the spots off. thankfully, i only have one side of the car to worry about.

i am really dreading winter around here.