squonk 38,947 #1 Posted April 18, 2015 And I don't think there is a good cure for it. A little background. I got Ezra about 2 1/2 yrs. ago from the original owner. This thing was his baby. I think he took too good of care for it. This tractor had never seen rain or snow in it's life. The only time it got wet is when he washed it which i think was too often. the paint on the hood was thin. It wasn't from scratching or nothing like that, it was from being waxed all the time. Anyway last summer I had the tractor outside and went in to eat lunch. a quick rain shower moved through, nothing big. I came out and the water was beading on the hood.I wiped it off but the water bead outlines remained. I tried Finish 2000, cleaner waxes, polishing compounds ect. nothing would take away the spots. My other tractors had all gotten the same rain and did not have that problem. all of them have had their hoods repainted at some point. I wasn't happy but passed it off as a fluke. I used Ezra to plow this winter. And snow got on the hood and melted. I finally got around to start cleaning him and guess what? more spots!! You can feel them with your finger and they won't come off. Sorta feels like tree pollen when it gets heavy and wet and lays on a car for a long time. My C 160 was out in the same stuff and all the water spots and dirt came right off of it. All I can think of is something from the trees or acid rain. Repainting is not an option. It would stick out like a sore thumb against all of the rest of the original paint. I want to prevent this from happening again. I want to use Ezra for snow blower duty next winter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
papaglide 541 #2 Posted April 18, 2015 I dunno Mike, but I will be following this. I am very curious what the guys think may be causing those spots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JackC 616 #3 Posted April 18, 2015 I have had a few water spots show up on my 1989 252H hood. Below is what Meguiar recommends. I have not tried it but I have had good luck with their paint cleaner that they no longer make. Scratch X is supposed to be close to it but a little milder. http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?4891-How-To-Remove-Water-Spots Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wishin4a416 2,189 #4 Posted April 18, 2015 You sure it ain't chicken pox Mike? Anyway, good luck!! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 51,751 #5 Posted April 19, 2015 The wife used formula 409 on the hood of her car to get rid of bug residue, please never do this! The 409 wouldn't come off with anything until I used Clay Bar, half hour later it looked like new. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 14,907 #6 Posted April 19, 2015 Ezra been to Disneyland? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clip 185 #7 Posted April 19, 2015 I vote clay bar. If you can't get them off you'll need to get a gentle abrasive and take them off gently, like one of Meguiars Mirror Glaze line (I see them at Harbor Freight). Hopefully the paint isn't too thin up there yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 36,945 #8 Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) Looks like acid rain damage. http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/auto.html Edited April 19, 2015 by AMC RULES Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muz123 1,191 #9 Posted April 19, 2015 The same thing happened to me after I waxed my 212-6 last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 38,947 #10 Posted April 19, 2015 How about acid snow? You know i do have New York's largest landfill about 3 miles from me along with 2 power plants burning it's methane. I just don't know why it's just 1 tractor and not all of them. They are all enamel. I'm going to try the clay bar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,130 #11 Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) Mike, i try to never, ever, let water spots just dry on paint. The purpose of a clay bar is to remove contaminants from the surface of the paint. you may get lucky and the water spotting is just on the surface, but if there is etching from the water spots, claying won't remove it, etching is usually caused by chemicals in the water or rain being left as an outline of the water spot after the water evaporates or dries out. sprinklers in the summer time are a recipe for disaster to auto paint if the water is dirty enough. leaving those spots to dry in the sun just accelerates the damage......... the only way to remove etching in the paint is to remove some of the paint to get the surrounding paint down to the level of the lowest part of the etch. you could get lucky and find a wax or sealant that fills the etching somewhat, but the etching will still be there and if the 'filler' is ever washed out or removed, the marks will reappear. heres some good reading...... http://www.autopia.org/forums/paint-correction-and-gloss-enhancement/39198-quick-article-remove-water-spots.html Edited April 19, 2015 by Martin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites