Dealing with hard water

[K-Span]

This GTI is the first car I've owned that I feel like I really to take care of it as best I can. That probably means avoiding the ol' Soapy Joe's car wash, despite its convenience and value. The problem with washing my car by hand at home, however, is that my water is very hard and leaves spots all over. Any tips and tricks for dealing with hard water? I've been considering getting a ceramic coat as well, and I've read some conflicting information about how well it plays with hard water. Thoughts?

 

[Diggs24]

Dry it off with a microfiber? We have hard water too. Just don't let it dry. Mist it with Turtle Wax Seal & Shine as you dry it.

 

[Jeffapotamus]

I have really hard well water. I just go to a hand car wash that has municipal water. My daughter let a sprinkler hit her MINI once. It was not fun buffing the hard water spots out.

 

[K-Span]

Dry it off with a microfiber?

Well yes, obviously.

Just don't let it dry.

That's the hard part, of course. Maybe just wash the car around sunrise/sunset

Mist it with Turtle Wax Seal & Shine as you dry it.

I'll look into that.

I have really hard well water. I just go to a hand car wash that has municipal water.

I'm on city water, but it's pretty awful. My wife has been bugging me about getting a whole house water softener for a while now. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and eat the cost of that

 

[Phur]

Try ONR (Optimum No Rinse). The stuff is pretty awesome and in addition to being, hands down, the best car wash that I have used, the polymers in it bind with the minerals in the water as well. It essentially softens the water. Wash a panel, dry a panel.

 

[Chogokin]

Can you remove the hard water with a clay bar? I have problems with it too. Sometimes when I wash...the water will dry before I get a chance to wipe the car down. Summer months I wash the car at night.

 

[RMinNJ]

I can recommend the seal and shine or TW graphene flex spray wax resisting water spots. Wash in the shade and keep the whole car constantly wet or dry each panel as soon as it's done.

 

[Acadia18]

t's the hard part, of course. Maybe just wash the car around sunrise/sunset

Never wash a car in direct sunlight. Morning, evening, or in the shade. If it's in direct sunlight during the day, the panels get too hot to really do a good job.

Try ONR (Optimum No Rinse). The stuff is pretty awesome and in addition to being, hands down, the best car wash that I have used, the polymers in it bind with the minerals in the water as well. It essentially softens the water. Wash a panel, dry a panel.

Love ONR. Don't use it much during the warmer months, but in the winter when it's cold, my car gets ONR sponge baths in the garage once a week.

A dilution makes a good quick touch up spray as well.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Well yes, obviously.


That's the hard part, of course. Maybe just wash the car around sunrise/sunset


I'll look into that.


I'm on city water, but it's pretty awful. My wife has been bugging me about getting a whole house water softener for a while now. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and eat the cost of that

Once you have a water softener you won't want to live anywhere that doesn't have one. And your water pipes, sinks and faucets will thank you.

 

[sterkrazzy]

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-M180232-Extreme-Marine-Detailer/dp/B06X19JG2Q

The other day I used this stuff on a boat that had water spots all over it from salt water and they wiped right off. It was so much easier than anything else I've ever used. I've been wondering how well it would work on a car with hard water spots.

 

[MonkeyMD]

I use this every few weeks. Works great and super quick. Even use it on plastic trim and windows. Essentially the whole car.

https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/products/meguiars-ultimate-quik-wax-g17516-152-oz-spray

 

[Keehs360]

When it comes to well water. Consider an inline filter. The ppm of your water is high due to mineral content

Your only cheap solution would be an inline filter for your hose. It will get you around the 100-300ppm mark and you're gonna have to swap to a new one about every 8-10 car washes.

 

[KevinC]

I dealt with a bad hard water situation for years when I was still washing cars, and my el-cheapo solution was to use a California Water Blade (essentially a fancy handheld squeegee) to get the rinse water off the car immediately before finishing with microfiber. Absolutely did the job. One knock on the CWB is that dirt/grit can theoretically get caught in the "blade" and be dragged across your paint. In theory, true, but in practice, I never had a problem with it.

 

[OryxRob]

As others have said, either dry with a damp microfibre towel or get a blower & don’t do it on warm sunny days. Some like them but personally I wouldn’t let a water blade within 50ft of mine as it’ll drag debris across your paint. All the swirl marks you see on paint are scratches from poor cleaning.

 

[Ghost GTI]

I dealt with a bad hard water situation for years when I was still washing cars, and my el-cheapo solution was to use a California Water Blade (essentially a fancy handheld squeegee) to get the rinse water off the car immediately before finishing with microfiber. Absolutely did the job. One knock on the CWB is that dirt/grit can theoretically get caught in the "blade" and be dragged across your paint. In theory, true, but in practice, I never had a problem with it.

Except you're marrying the paint with a blade. Nothing hard like that should be touching your paint ever.