How to remove white calcium strains caused due to rain and garage leak
 

I had been on vacation and parked my X5d in underground parking of the hotel, there was heavy rain one day and the parking garage leaked and looks like some of the rain water through garage ceiling flowed on to my car forming some white calcium strains on the car.

I washed the car with regular car wash liquid couple of times but unable to remove the strains. No luck as I can still see them very clearly (as its vermillion red: )

Any clue how I can remove them?

Had this problem when I owned a piece of s _ _ _ black Sebring in NYC. The garages there suck! Anyway, put your car in the sun for a while (helps to get the metal/paint warm where stain is). Use a little "lime-away" with water and immediately wash the area after. Comes right off. Just work a small area at a time to make sure you do not damage the paint or surrounding painted area. Polish/wax after clean. If your worried that this may be too extreme, just dilute the crap out of it until your comfortable its working and not doing anything else to your car.

Lime Away uses acid (I thing phosphoric) to remove the carbonates... I wild be very cautious.

Clay bar first to see if it is a surface deposit. Then maybe the lime away as advised above.

A

Ard is correct that LimeAway carbonate dissolution is based largely on its phosphoric acid content. A more benign approach would be to try white vinegar. The dilute acetic acid therein can remove many hard water deposits, at greatly reduced risk, relative to LimeAway.

I will try these options and update..
 

Thanks : GladiatorOwner , ard and Sea Doom

I will try these options and update.

Soak a sponge in vinegar, set the sponge on the spot or tape it using blue making tape (painter's tape) and then clay the car using a high quality lubricant. DO NOT USE LIME AWAY! That has the potential to destroy your clear coat and the paint beneath.

If you're not comfortable with the above, take it to a professional detailer who will charge you no more than $200.00 to clay and wax your entire car. It's worth it, as the products you'd need to do the job properly will cost you $50.00 anyway.

Something like Chemical Guys Water Spot Remover should work. A little elbow grease and work the product in and it will work.

Agree ....
 

Agree with you, need to search for a good professional detailer in Connecticut .

Clay bar.

/thread

ok, maybe lime away is abit extreme but it worked and did not damage my car. However, being we are talking about an X5, I also would try what others have suggested first............