acid rain??

[porsche914va]

I have a 1985 911 Targa. Guard red paint. I believe the paint is about 10 years old. It is very healthy, luster shine, easy to clean and keep shiny. Lately after rain , I get white spots on the hood....no other part of the car has the spots. dime size to quarter size. Wax will not remove it. Clay bar will not remove it..any suggestions? Is this acid rain damage?

[Zeke]

Interesting. Is the hood a repaint using a clear coat? Do you keep a lot of wax on it? And, is the water off a tree or phone lines (something that can carry a contaminate), or straight down from the clouds?

Some details will help. Welcome to the bbs.

[porsche914va]

Thanks for the welcome. The paint has no clearcoat on the hood. Its lacquer. I park on the edge of a Maple tree. But no other vehicles get this mark after rain. I keep it waxed and use Detailer on it regularly..

[Zeke]

All I can tell you is lacquer on furniture DOES get white spots. Maybe change your type of wax. I've never had this problem and have had some lacquered cars in the old days when you could get the stuff. Pretty much have always used Maguires even though it doesn't last very long. Any synthetic wax should be avoided, IMHO.

[RoninLB]

wild guess is that the rain droplets act as a magnifying glass burning the paint in the sun.

fwiw.. i have a history of owning black cars.

[porsche914va]

Iam using Mothers celaner wax, no results...just a nice shine on top of the spots. I'll look around for another wax. THANKS!

[RoninLB]

If I didn't have much experience working paint I'd turn it over to a pro and then use a car cover.

[Zeke]

You may have to color sand these out with 2000 grit, and then go thru the whole polishing deal. I'd sure like to find out what's doing this. Did you google acid rain and lacquer?

[porsche914va]

http://www.mobileworks.com/acid_rain_auto_paint_protection.html

very interest stuff. sounds exactly whats going on...bad thing is...looks like a new paint job on the hood....or have a Pro de-contaminate the paint and apply polymer. Wonder what white vinegar would do?

[juan ruiz]

What is acid rain, and how do I prevent it?

Emissions from chemical plants, industrial fallout, surface contaminants and other organic and inorganic materials are all an integral part of acid rain. When these elements are deposited on your car's surface in a dry state it will appear as dust particles, but mix it with a little dew or rain and you have a mixture of sulfuric acid on your paint finish.

[randywebb]

Originally posted by RoninLB
wild guess is that the rain droplets act as a magnifying glass burning the paint in the sun.

Nothing wild about that - it is well documented. So don't let it happen.

You can contact your local air pollution authority to find out how acidic your rain is.
- you don't say where in Va. you are located, but I'd bet some parts do have fairly acidic rain.

[porsche914va]

Burke, Va. off the beltway of greater Washington DC. Its been very humid with light rains lately..the 911 is so rounded in most areas, the water runs off the body, the hood however...even with good wax on it, the water will bead, but sit there....!

[randywebb]

winds mostly should be blowing east - you might check that...

any big power plants w/in 200-500 miles west of you?

& can you wipe the drops off after it rains?
- use a car cover?
- portable canvas garage?

[porsche914va]

We have crap all around us here. (power plants etc..) I have a Jeep liberty that has deep red paint, good clearcoat..no rain drop marks at all on the flat surfaces. The green plants however in my yard have been showing white residue on the leaves after a rain. Must be some nasty stuff in the air. If I can find a way to get the marks off the car, I'll start covering it. I have no garage...town house city here!..Just makes me mad that I keep the car washed, wax when needed, and the whole car looks fantastic.....all BUT the white spots on the hood....looks like CRAP!!

[randywebb]

that will take care of the car

now, what about your children's lungs?

[911pcars]

Consult a good detail shop. If you're lucky, it's just sitting on top of the paint. If the surface is damaged, buffing could remove just the right amount. Color sanding might be too aggressive or just about right. Do you have clear coat? That only goes so deep before getting into the color coat.

Sherwood

[Early_S_Man]

Randy,

How can sulphur emissions from a power plant xxx miles away be as bad as the acid rain coming out of every tailpipe with a catalytic converter attached to it since the USA 1975 models came out 33 years ago? This is a question I have been asking for 33 years, now!

[Rouxzy]

A plant doesn't have to be within a few miles to cause acid rain in the area. New Hampshire has to use a special blend gasoline, (and yes it sucks) due to the high content of acid in the rain which is caused from plants in the central states.
Tom

[tcar]

Try wiping it down w/ a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water. Worked on my car.

Water spots. Mine were from automatic lawn sprinklers and the water drying in the sun. The vinegar, w/ some rubbing, worked great.

[Sunroof]

My car is a textbook example here...................

The previous owner of my Sepia Brown 1973.5T wanted to keep the car as original as possible so when it underwent a bare metal
repaint he opted to NOT go with clear coating. Rather, they applied a thicker coat of Sepia Brown. Back in the early 70's clear coating was not available. It was that go old "Blue Coral" or "Simoniz" waxes that repelled the rain water.

My first rain event was horrific! I never thought I would see hundreds of deep opague white blotches embedded in the paint through the wax coat. What happened is the the rain drops did act like little magnifiers and cooked the paint underneath with the acids. Leaving the car in the sun was wrong!! When I got home I thought it was as easy as a wipe down and a touch of wax. NOT!!!! I had to use heavy compound with a buffer to get down to the impact zone, then follow up with two coats of wax. I talked to many detail shops and searched the internet looking for answers and no one could provide a cure! I did hear vinegar will neutralize the acid if applied immediately, but my car remains a victim of atmospheric acidic washout.

To remedy the problem the best I can, is I bought a NOAH full car cover and carry a few towels with me. I have found that if I can wipe off the rain before it bakes in, I can save an expensive compounding.

Thus is the achilles heel of a longhood unmolested classic. I do not plan on a repaint with a clear coat and I will continue to try and find that paste wax that will repel water better then the rest.

Bob
73.5T Sepia of Course