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      02-22-2011, 01:01 AM   #1
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135 bad for water spotting on hood?

Has anyone else had bad luck with water spotting on the 135i specifically?

I bought an executive demo, 2010 135i with 8k miles, and had the worst water spotting I've seen (not surprised--figured PO didn't care for paint). 16 hours with Zaino Z-PC by hand and they were gone, followed by Z-AIO and three layers of Z-5 w/Z-FX.

Then they came back on the hood, just above the engine, about a week later after one or two drives in the rain (no sprinklers, not left from the wash).

Another few hours with Z-PC and got rid of them again, but this time had the entire hood covered in VentureShield.

Two 1-hour drives in the rain later, and there are water spots etched in the VentureShield!

I'm wondering if the heat of the turbos (N54) bake the water on the hood? I've done a lot of searching and haven't seen anyone else mention anything unusual with water spotting on the 135.

Has anyone else had unusual trouble with water spotting on the hood of their 135?
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      02-22-2011, 01:21 AM   #2
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Here's a pic of the VentureShield, right after washing.
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      02-22-2011, 07:08 AM   #3
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Can you tell if the spots are underneath the ventureshield? They look like they're on top from the picture. If they are etched into the paint, then to properly remove them you will need some sort of machine correction.
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      02-22-2011, 12:41 PM   #4
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I'm 99% sure the etching is on the film itself. Reflections on the surface are diffused a bit where the water spots are.

I prepped the paint surface with Z-PC prior to installing the VentureShield a week ago, and it looked glassy smooth when the film was applied.
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      02-22-2011, 02:26 PM   #5
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Myself and some others have been disappointed as to how soft the clearcoat is on these cars, particularly non-metallic paints. Can't tell if yours is Crimson or Sedona.

Add this together with Zaino, which is known for being rather prone to etching from hard water and bird excrement, and you're going to be chasing down water spots- I know I was. When I first got my '09 Jet Black I must have polished it like 4 times in the first 6 months dealing with etching, spotting, and swirls.

As far as the spotting going on top of the ventureshield, I really don't have an answer to that one. Do they come off when you polish the shield?
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      02-22-2011, 03:13 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackjackMulligan View Post
Myself and some others have been disappointed as to how soft the clearcoat is on these cars, particularly non-metallic paints. Can't tell if yours is Crimson or Sedona.

Add this together with Zaino, which is known for being rather prone to etching from hard water and bird excrement, and you're going to be chasing down water spots- I know I was. When I first got my '09 Jet Black I must have polished it like 4 times in the first 6 months dealing with etching, spotting, and swirls.

As far as the spotting going on top of the ventureshield, I really don't have an answer to that one. Do they come off when you polish the shield?
Thanks for the thoughts. What product(s) do you use now?

The paint is Sedona.

As for the film--I spoke with the installer today and he thinks it might be bad film. He's in the process of getting clearance to replace it. I'm skeptical, but it'd be covered under warranty, so we could try round 2.

Last edited by MTribe; 02-22-2011 at 03:18 PM..
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      02-22-2011, 06:17 PM   #7
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It does look a bit odd. I have a N55 with Jet Black does not seem to have this much of an etching issue. I just picked it up used (7,000 miles) but the paint looks OK so far. I am looking forward to the better weather to see how the clear coat holds up and how much correction is necessary to keep it acceptable.
Strange that the clear-bra would have the same problem? Was the engine running hot at all? Any increase in driving style?
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      02-22-2011, 09:06 PM   #8
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I suppose this is a can of worms, but are there any waxes/sealants out there that have a reputation for being especially *good* at preventing water spotting?

The relative lack of "me too!" on this thread makes me think a) the water spotting on the paint was bad because the previous owner didn't care for it, and b) the venture shield I have is defective. Seems unlikely, but possible.

Oh--I don't think any 135s came with under-hood heat insulation, did they? Any idea if that's available somewhere?
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      02-22-2011, 09:08 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by psalm40 View Post
Strange that the clear-bra would have the same problem? Was the engine running hot at all? Any increase in driving style?
RE being hot, not that I"m aware of, but that could certainly contribute to the problem. Driving style very mellow freeway driving in both cases.
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      04-11-2011, 07:43 AM   #10
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Looks like you suffer from some bad acid rain and contamination more than bad paint. It'd be one thing to have an etch-prone clear-coat, but if you're paint protection film is getting hammered as well, it speaks volumes about the type of damage you're up against.

I'd recommend you start using a carnauba wax over your Zaino. Sealants are great, but they don't seem to resist etching damage as well as wax IME. The problem is the wax is truly a sacrificial barrier and will need to be kept up much more vigorously. Reapplying a thin layer every month or 90 days is preferred.
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      04-13-2011, 12:48 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MuttGrunt View Post
Looks like you suffer from some bad acid rain and contamination more than bad paint. It'd be one thing to have an etch-prone clear-coat, but if you're paint protection film is getting hammered as well, it speaks volumes about the type of damage you're up against.

I'd recommend you start using a carnauba wax over your Zaino. Sealants are great, but they don't seem to resist etching damage as well as wax IME. The problem is the wax is truly a sacrificial barrier and will need to be kept up much more vigorously. Reapplying a thin layer every month or 90 days is preferred.
Excellent--thanks for the tips. I actually got the factory heat shield and installed it to keep the heat down, but haven't driven the car yet so not sure how much it'll help.

I also put Meguire's NXT wax on, as per VentureShield's recommendation (they have a short list of approved waxes to be used). Do you know if the NXT would provide wax-like protection on the paint protection film?
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      04-13-2011, 10:47 AM   #12
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No. NXT2.0 is sealant that's simply labeled as "high tech wax." Not only is it not a wax, but that product's shortfall is its durability. You're better off sticking with your Zaino than switching to that particular product in the case of your specific needs. I like NXT2.0 as I think it's a solid over-the-counter solution for many people, but it will not give you what you're looking for in this case.

You need to use an actual carnauba wax. While normally I'd be one of the first to point out how bogus and irrelevant certain claims are when it comes to wax and how they're marketed, I would actually recommend you use something with a higher carnauba content. Carnauba is the hardest natural wax, and therefore has been used for its protective properties for a long time in different industries.
My personal recommendation would be Dodo Juice Banana Armor or Dodo Juice Orange Crush. All the Dodo Juice waxes (minus the new "Pro" versions which are wax/sealant hybrids) pack A LOT of carnauba protection. You could also give a shot at a well received product like P21S 100% Carnauba.

Regardless of what you decide you need to do in your situation, good luck!
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      04-13-2011, 03:06 PM   #13
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I feel your paid MTribe... i've never experienced waterspot etching like I do w/ my 135. Very frustrating... i have to break out my PC once every cpls months to deal with it, but they invariably show up when it rains or the car gets wet. Any luck w. the heatshield...what is that anyway?
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      04-13-2011, 03:21 PM   #14
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Alpine White here with N55, in Texas. The only care my 1 ever gets is a laser wash (no brushes). I've seen no spots, but AW is really hard to look at. I do, however, have spider webs like crazy. My 1 has no insulation in the hood.
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      04-14-2011, 01:18 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MuttGrunt View Post
No. NXT2.0 is sealant that's simply labeled as "high tech wax." Not only is it not a wax, but that product's shortfall is its durability. You're better off sticking with your Zaino than switching to that particular product in the case of your specific needs. I like NXT2.0 as I think it's a solid over-the-counter solution for many people, but it will not give you what you're looking for in this case.

You need to use an actual carnauba wax. While normally I'd be one of the first to point out how bogus and irrelevant certain claims are when it comes to wax and how they're marketed, I would actually recommend you use something with a higher carnauba content. Carnauba is the hardest natural wax, and therefore has been used for its protective properties for a long time in different industries.
My personal recommendation would be Dodo Juice Banana Armor or Dodo Juice Orange Crush. All the Dodo Juice waxes (minus the new "Pro" versions which are wax/sealant hybrids) pack A LOT of carnauba protection. You could also give a shot at a well received product like P21S 100% Carnauba.
!
I know VentureShield is picky about what waxes/sealants to use with it. NXT is one of them. Do you know if carnauba is OK? Or the wax/sealant hybrids?
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      04-14-2011, 01:21 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosaymaan View Post
I feel your paid MTribe... i've never experienced waterspot etching like I do w/ my 135. Very frustrating... i have to break out my PC once every cpls months to deal with it, but they invariably show up when it rains or the car gets wet. Any luck w. the heatshield...what is that anyway?
The heatshield is a black insulative material from the factory on the underside of the hood. But they stopped including it from the factory around mid-08 as I recall. You can buy it from the dealer... something like $100 if I recall correctly. I haven't driven the car yet with it but will report back when I do. It has got to lower the temp on the surface of the hood, which can't be a bad thing for water spotting.
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      04-14-2011, 05:41 AM   #17
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Sacrificial Protection

sac•ri•fi•cial [:designed to be used up or destroyed]

Wax coatings act as a sacrificial buffer between a paint surface and the elements; these coatings are gradually used up (hence sacrificial) and reach a point where they can no longer protect; when they reach this point they must be renewed.

What provides the best protection against environmental damage to paint, which comes in a varied range of threats; acid rain, road salt, tree sap, hydrazine an extremely active acid that is found in jet fuel, industrial fallout, ultra violet radiation (UV-A and B) and other airborne contaminants are very detrimental to a vehicles paint film surface.

They are all forms of environmental contamination and given the right catalyst; reactivity (heat) plus moisture, they will become acidic. During this process the metal absorbs oxygen from the water and forms iron oxide (rust). Given the porosity of paint they permeate the paint matrix down to body metal.

The latest nanotechnology coating or PPG CeramiClear™ Clear Coat although they are highly resistant to chemicals, detergents, scratches and ultra violet radiation (UV) will only offer limited resistance to acid etching from environmental contaminates. A product like Collinite 845 Insulator Wax is probably the most durable inorganic wax product, and but this will only provide enough of a barrier to enable it to be removed quickly before causing too much (etching) damage to the paint film surface.

No wax, polymer sealant or nanotechnology coating on its own, can provide a permanent shield against acidic attack from bird excrement, acid rain etc as they are all incompatible with strong acids.
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