Hard water Limescale Car Removal, Do you Use Vinegar ?

[bangkokairportlink]

Hello,

 

When spraying the car but not drying it, I get some limescale that usual car wash, even expensive ones, are not able to clean.

 

It seems that white vinegar with water is enough, have you tried it ?

 

Do you think it can remove the glass coating that has been applied on top of the painting ?

 

Any other solution ?

 

Thank you.

[rickb]

I use white vinegar and dish washing soap (half and half) with a sponge and it takes the calcium/magnesium scum off very easily.  I use it in my shower and bathroom sinks frequently without any problems.  I don't see why it wouldn't work on a car.

 

[BuaBS]

It's very hard to get them out without damaging the paint. The sun burns the dirt onto the glass windows of the car too. No vinegar is going to get them out. ( I've tried it too) When your car is wet after the rain (or just washing it in the full sun) , and the sun comes out again , it burns the polluted water in the paint & glass. Now I have bad paint ( isuzu ! ) ... but even in the glass !

[csabo]

Vinegar is safe. Ive used it. I prefer a clay bar. Google it.

Edited July 5, 2017 by csabo

[Rimmer]

Moved to Motoring Forum

[bangkokairportlink]

2 hours ago, BuaBS said:

It's very hard to get them out without damaging the paint. The sun burns the dirt onto the glass windows of the car too. No vinegar is going to get them out. ( I've tried it too) When your car is wet after the rain (or just washing it in the full sun) , and the sun comes out again , it burns the polluted water in the paint & glass. Now I have bad paint ( isuzu ! ) ... but even in the glass !

 

Everywhere online it is written that vinegar is even used by pro car detailing.

So I am sorry but I do not believe your story.

 

 

[bangkokairportlink]

54 minutes ago, csabo said:

Vinegar is safe. Ive used it. I prefer a clay bar. Google it.

 

Nobody in Thailand seems to know how to use a clay bar. And they dare to call themselves car detailing centers...

 

 

[petermik]

8 hours ago, bangkokairportlink said:

 

Nobody in Thailand seems to know how to use a clay bar. And they dare to call themselves car detailing centers...

 

 

They are...........just look at the certificates and awards they proudly display...........     

[Mattd]

2 hours ago, bangkokairportlink said:

 

Everywhere online it is written that vinegar is even used by pro car detailing.

So I am sorry but I do not believe your story.

 

 

If it is written online then it must be true...............

I can 100% guarantee that the vinegar solutions do not remove these hard spots from auto glass once they are ingrained in to the glass, I spent hours upon hours trying to remove some extremely annoying and stubborn ones from all of the glass on my car, not a hope, I had blisters from trying!

I even tried ceramic hob cleaner, as that can remove some spots on glass.

Ended up buying some special stuff from Lazada, was imported from Malaysia, sorry, not sure of the exact name as not home at the moment.

This stuff came in a small plastic bottle with a sponge, when applied it did remove the spots relatively easily, there are no ingredients written on the bottle, but I suspect that it may be a very weak solution of hydrochloric acid, as it has that distinctive smell to it. I tested it carefully prior to using it, including on paint, seemed to be no issues.

I reckon it depends on how long you leave the spots for before trying to remove them as to how easily they come off.

 

Oh, tried the clay bar route, no expert on these, but as the glass has some very small pits in places, then that did not work out well at all!

Edited July 5, 2017 by Mattd

[bazza73]

It depends on what the limescale is. If it is primarily calcium carbonate, vinegar

( 20% acetic acid ) will remove it very nicely. If it's calcium sulphate, neither vinegar or hydrochloric acid will be effective.

EDTA ( a complexant ) will remove calcium sulphate scale.

IMHO hydrochloric acid is a bad idea. It won't attack paint in dilute form; however, if it gets into any crevice in a vehicle it will sit there creating a corrosion cell.

Pitting of glass may possibly occur if the lime scale contains calcium hydroxide.

At elevated temperatures, being alkaline, it MAY dull the glass surface by reacting with silica.

[Mattd]

2 minutes ago, bazza73 said:

IMHO hydrochloric acid is a bad idea

TBH I really do not know if it was hydrochloric acid or what it was, it just smelt a bit like this, whatever it is it did work.

The water I use in my house is from a deep bore and is not really nice to glass, I had two additional bedrooms with ensuite built a couple of years back, the showers are glass enclosures, they are almost impossible to keep clean.

By EDTA then do you mean Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid? Can this be purchased in Thailand?

[Madgee]

I live in a mains supplied hard water area. Whenever I wash the car I make sure it's in the shade and always chamois it as not to leave streaks and water marks.

If it rains and the car gets dry in the sun, I just use dampened old newspapers on the glass and bodywork to remove the marks left by the rain when I want it to look 'clean' again. I think I read somewhere that the print or paper contains a very mild acid.

 

I've tried many different car washing products (expensive ones as well) and the best so far is Tesco Wash & Wax! Very little wiping to do on the bodywork after a wash and seems to dry virtually streak free. It also removes previous water marks from rain.

 

Sorry for this but if your car is glass coated  you shouldn't have a problem. 

 

 

 

[bazza73]

13 minutes ago, Mattd said:

TBH I really do not know if it was hydrochloric acid or what it was, it just smelt a bit like this, whatever it is it did work.

The water I use in my house is from a deep bore and is not really nice to glass, I had two additional bedrooms with ensuite built a couple of years back, the showers are glass enclosures, they are almost impossible to keep clean.

By EDTA then do you mean Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid? Can this be purchased in Thailand?

Yes, I meant Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, although being lazy I omitted to specify it's the disodium salt.

Chemical supply houses in Thailand should carry it, it's used in laboratory analysis and water treatment.

In Chiang Mai, there is a chemical supply shop opposite Nimmanheimen Road in Suthep Road.

Bear in mind your shower glass is filming up because the calcium/magnesium in the water is reacting with the fatty acids in the soap you are using. If you put the bore water through a water softener which exchanges calcium/magnesium for sodium, your problem should go away.

[JAS21]

1 hour ago, bazza73 said:

Yes, I meant Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, although being lazy I omitted to specify it's the disodium salt.

Chemical supply houses in Thailand should carry it, it's used in laboratory analysis and water treatment.

In Chiang Mai, there is a chemical supply shop opposite Nimmanheimen Road in Suthep Road.

Bear in mind your shower glass is filming up because the calcium/magnesium in the water is reacting with the fatty acids in the soap you are using. If you put the bore water through a water softener which exchanges calcium/magnesium for sodium, your problem should go away.

The above and your #10 comments answer a question .... 

 

This topic has just reminded me that I had forgotten to do the second half of the glass roof on the Everest. I did the first half about nine months ago now.  

 

Previously, I had initially tried HG Professional Lime Scale Remover, but it didn’t have any effect at all ... now I understand why ...  so I purchased some GETF1 Water Mark Remover from a seller  on Thai Washer Car Club and that remover the water marks.

 

So, fearing the worst, I went out and used the GETF1 on the second half of the glass roof and it only took about ten minutes to remove all, including washing the glass roof and wiping over with APC.   I was concerned that it might have etched a bit.

 

The first half is still looking okay … just … I put some Si-700 on it and then Autoglym HD wax on top and since then have done nothing ... I see that all my windows need attacking.....

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by JAS21

[Anythingleft?]

I tried all sorts of potions and powders to remove the limescale from my car windows, in the end I used a razor blade in a handle attachment that you would use for paint work. Everything that I tried failed, vinegar, cleaning compounds and dedicated limescale remover. Bitch of a time consuming job but did manage to get rid of it in the end. All the write ups about vinegar and suchlike they had no effect on my cars windows....

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[bangkokairportlink]

6 hours ago, JAS21 said:

The above and your #10 comments answer a question .... 

 

This topic has just reminded me that I had forgotten to do the second half of the glass roof on the Everest. I did the first half about nine months ago now.  

 

Previously, I had initially tried HG Professional Lime Scale Remover, but it didn’t have any effect at all ... now I understand why ...  so I purchased some GETF1 Water Mark Remover from a seller  on Thai Washer Car Club and that remover the water marks.

 

So, fearing the worst, I went out and used the GETF1 on the second half of the glass roof and it only took about ten minutes to remove all, including washing the glass roof and wiping over with APC.   I was concerned that it might have etched a bit.

 

The first half is still looking okay … just … I put some Si-700 on it and then Autoglym HD wax on top and since then have done nothing ... I see that all my windows need attacking.....

 

 

 

Thank you.

 

350 thb on lazada, did you get it cheaper (in case I need many bottles...)

 

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=geh1+water+mark+remover

 

 

[csabo]

16 hours ago, Madgee said:

I live in a mains supplied hard water area. Whenever I wash the car I make sure it's in the shade and always chamois it as not to leave streaks and water marks.

If it rains and the car gets dry in the sun, I just use dampened old newspapers on the glass and bodywork to remove the marks left by the rain when I want it to look 'clean' again. I think I read somewhere that the print or paper contains a very mild acid.

 

I've tried many different car washing products (expensive ones as well) and the best so far is Tesco Wash & Wax! Very little wiping to do on the bodywork after a wash and seems to dry virtually streak free. It also removes previous water marks from rain.

 

Sorry for this but if your car is glass coated  you shouldn't have a problem. 

 

 

 

The newspaper trick was once true but printing and paper has changed and it is no longer of any value to use newspaper for cleaning.

[JAS21]

If you rub your paintwork with newspaper, even wet newspaper,  I suggest that you may be disappointed if you give your paintwork a close look later. Glass coating will not stop water marks ... the longer you leave them the worse will be the damage.  Tesco  Wash and Wax, we should all try it ...

 

 

 

 

[Big Guns]

Maybe salty and vinegar as if it doesn't work at least its tasty

[petermik]

10 hours ago, csabo said:

The newspaper trick was once true but printing and paper has changed and it is no longer of any value to use newspaper for cleaning.

Still excellent for cleaning glass................

[transam]

You may laugh....Hmmmm, but Sonax solvent oil gets ride of near everything...Use it to get rid of stuff then use soap to get rid of the Sonax oil...It will not hurt paintwork...

[JAS21]

1 hour ago, transam said:

You may laugh....Hmmmm, but Sonax solvent oil gets ride of near everything...Use it to get rid of stuff then use soap to get rid of the Sonax oil...It will not hurt paintwork...

Trans ... yes I had forgot about Sonax/WD40 ...will give it a try ...if it doesn't work at least the windows will open easily ☺☺☺

[csabo]

2 hours ago, petermik said:

Still excellent for cleaning glass................

The point you missed was it was once better. It's no better than a paper towel or rag now.

[csabo]

On 7/5/2017 at 10:28 AM, bangkokairportlink said:

 

Nobody in Thailand seems to know how to use a clay bar. And they dare to call themselves car detailing centers...

 

 

Cars are like kids. No one will ever take care of your car's finish better than you. I have seen bars sold locally but I buy from aliexpress.

[JAS21]

6 hours ago, csabo said:

Cars are like kids. No one will ever take care of your car's finish better than you. I have seen bars sold locally but I buy from aliexpress.

Yes...more expensive locally and in the UK...I have also bought from aliexpress. I  wasn't too impressed with them ...in my opinion they were not what they were advertised as ...suppose should have known better at that price ...

[JAS21]

On Thursday, July 06, 2017 at 1:04 AM, bangkokairportlink said:

 

 

Thank you.

 

350 thb on lazada, did you get it cheaper (in case I need many bottles...)

 

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=geh1+water+mark+remover

 

 

http://m-youstore.weloveshopping.com/258375/product/category/1893813

 

Sorry for delay ..was waiting for a friend to give me the link ...

 

I don't use the included sponge except for corners .. I use a small pad that I bought to use with 'a polish' for removing glass coating... works quicker ..

Edited July 7, 2017 by JAS21

[bberrythailand]

On 7/5/2017 at 8:04 AM, BuaBS said:

It's very hard to get them out without damaging the paint. The sun burns the dirt onto the glass windows of the car too. No vinegar is going to get them out. ( I've tried it too) When your car is wet after the rain (or just washing it in the full sun) , and the sun comes out again , it burns the polluted water in the paint & glass. Now I have bad paint ( isuzu ! ) ... but even in the glass !

 

Yes it's true, vinegar does not work ! It's a legend !

 

Have you tried any chemical ?

 

 

[bberrythailand]

On 7/6/2017 at 2:57 PM, JAS21 said:

Trans ... yes I had forgot about Sonax/WD40 ...will give it a try ...if it doesn't work at least the windows will open easily ☺☺☺

 

Are we sure that WD40 cannot be bad for car paint ? Have you tried ? Thanks.

[JAS21]

15 minutes ago, bberrythailand said:

 

Are we sure that WD40 cannot be bad for car paint ? Have you tried ? Thanks.

I use wd40 to remove 'tar' etc from the paintwork on our cars ...haven't tried it on watermarks.

[transam]

33 minutes ago, bberrythailand said:

 

Are we sure that WD40 cannot be bad for car paint ? Have you tried ? Thanks.

No ploblem...