Water spots etching side sills

[Viperbass]

Just wondering if anyone else had had a problem with water spots etching into their side sills due to the heat. It seems that no mater how quickly you wipe water away, if the sills are hot, you will get a faint water ring. I really don't want to remove the sills to buff. I have tried clay bar and vinegar with no results. Times like these make me wish I had a lighter colored Viper!

 

[GTSnake]

Where is the water coming from? Does it drip from your mirror? If so, swing away the mirror and blow out the water puddle inside.

 

[Viperbass]

The most recent time this happened was from getting caught in a sudden cloud burst on my way home. You can barely see them, but in the light you can make out the edges of the water drops. The heat from the sills basically dried the water within a few miles and when I got home the outlines were etched in. I don't know how to avoid this as the car had several coates of Zaino already on it when this happened.

 

[FE 065]

I used to have the same problem until I took off the cats. Some sort of fine swirl remover will usually take the spot mark out.

How about some clear protective tape in that area? Like on the front of the sills behind the tires.

 

[Silver Snake]

How about waiting until the car is cool before washing it? I never wash my car unless it is completely cool.

Mark

 

[Bo knows]

I got tired of the water dripping from the mirrors down the sides of the car and on the sills after washing so I drilled a few small holes in the bottoms of the mirrors for draining. It works great!

Bo

 

[Matt M PA]

White vinegar is also often good at removing water spots, either hard water or rain.

After washing my Viper, I blow it off with a electric leaf blower...makes dring LOTS easier.

 

[Steve-Indy]

...or, you could always get another Viper in a more forgiving color

 

[Viperbass]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I too have tried the leaf blower and routinely stuff towels in the mirrors after a wash as well as other water pooling spots. I never wash it when it is warm.
The problem is the surprise rain storm you can get caught in. In the midwest this is unfortunately common. The vinegar usually works, but with the extreme cat heat it bakes the droplets in. I may end up resorting to high flow cats. I already have a Corsa system, but stock cats.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Had HOPED that you'd "bite" on my post, Kurt...

On a serious note, I would worry about over buffing on your sills...so the cat change may indeed be the way to go.

By the way, have a good time tomorrow...and I'm SURE that your immaculate Viper will draw a lot of looks at the show.