Thanks for the responses, private and public. I found a car care website
that might be of interest to the list, at
http://www2.epix.net/~tdc/pages/cartips.html
And I believe the following is my problem:
". . .The spots are caused by mineral deposits in the water. If the water is
left on the car long enough, the deposits can etch the surface of the car.
One method to solve the problem is by using an 800-, 1,200- or 2,000 grit
compound -- depending on the severity of the water spots, how long they have
been left on the finish, and the color and make of the car."
This I've done. They used 2000 grit, then buffed out the finish to a glossy
shine. I polished and waxed afterwards, but in one week the spots returned
(easily seen under strong reflected light). Yesterday, I was in a Triumph
Club drive and noticed similar problems with various cars. A couple of guys
hadn't had any luck dealing with it. Older one-step paints may be
especially prone to this type of spotting, I'd say---and you can get rid of
them any time, but they just don't *stay* gone for more than a few days,
apparently. Now, here's the other paragraph from the car care site, and I
think it has an odd recommendation---but I don't know:
"After thorough high-speed buffing, a coat of wax is applied to shine the
finish. Next a coat of one-year sealant/protectant should be applied. This
should ensure a spot free finish for one year. The final step is to follow
proper car washing procedures to avoid future problems."
I thought wax would be the *last* thing, or that one chose a
"sealant/protectant" *instead* of a traditional (Carnauba) wax. Anyone have
any experience along these lines?
Also, I called Meguiar's hotline just for the hell of it, and the guy
suggested that since the spotting was coming through so soon, the paint
might be "dead" and there was nothing I could do (made sense to me!). The
best thing, he said, was to use their best stuff, which was "Medallion"
cleaner and paint protector. These appear to be polymere-based products,
and are quite costly ($30 for both bottles).
Phil Haldeman
haldeman@accessone.com
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