Ok.. so my car got hit with some sprinklers while I was out of town... pretty much the whole driver side door area has a orange rust tint to it... Ive heard CLR, but hadnt seen anyone who had actually used it...
Any advice?
Thanks in adance

 

I've had some iron oxide deposits on cars over the years from working at a Steel company. The safest and easiest way I remedied them is using a clay bar and detail spray. Not sure about CLR on the paint work but I have used it on the glass and plastic bumper trim on my Explorer with no ill effects so far. Good luck!

 

Clay bar and Detail spray is a very good start. I wouldnt use CLR or any related products on automotive paint under ANY circumstances-much too caustic.
If the clay bar doesn't do the job, a cleaner wax or paint polish should be the next step.

CLR is recommended only to remove rust from house paint.

 

back in the day of acid rain fall out!!! the dealers would use a special cleaning soap/detergant that removes acid rain although I do not remember the name of the product, but may be worth checking in to????

 

Picked up the Turtle Wax Ice clay bar kit today... Going to apply tonight when the sun goes down. hopefully it will get the job done.

 

I used the Turtle Wax before it is not as good as other clay bar kits.

You may also try white vinegar and water mix apply with clean cloth and rub in a bit. Rinse with clear water. This helps with some water spots.

Jake80

 

WOW! went out and applied step 1... the liquid clay... problem solved.
came off effortlessly with just the liquid!

 

Good to hear this worked for you.

Jake80

 

Water spots can be a total pain in the **** because they can actually etch down into the paint. In some cases a vinegar/water wash will do a great job, and sometimes a clay bar will be sufficient. But the clay bar only works on above surface contaminants, like the mineral deposits left behind. But if they are actually etched into the paint, a clay bar won't do a darn thing and you'll need a paint cleaner instead. The fact that the TW Ice Liquid Clay Bar helped doesn't suprise me - this product is terrible as a clay bar substitute and is nothing more than a mild paint cleaner, but that means it can have its uses. Had the spots deeply etched, however, I'm sure it would have been ineffectual. Hell, I've seen water spots so badly etched that even a rotary buffer with a wool pad and a moderate compound didn't get them completely out. Wet sanding was the only recourse. Yes, that's an extremely rare case, but it goes to show just how far this problem can go.

 

In 1965 I parked a brand new car in Sudbury Ontario for three days, when I got back to it I found that the acid rain caused by the Inco nickel smelters had etched the whole car with acid rain drops, paint and chrome was affected. It went to the wreckers still bearing the scars of its Sudbury trip.
I found out later that Inco had a special fund for repairs due to this pollution, but it was too late for me.
The area around Sudbury at that time looked like a waste land, gradually going from bare blackened rock to struggling trees that got bigger and healthier the farther you got from the city. Thankfully it is much better now.

 

Sudbury-isn't that where all of the nickel is mined for the Prius? and all of the other "Green" cars?