Well...most of us went through a lot of *almost* the same situations when newbie. I'm no different (especially when internet wasn't that readily available those days ). And things don't really go as planned everytime, especially with little kids around......

You have a good friend there and he's giving you very sound advice Wished there were more those type of people around....

Most welcome....errr....mmmm....what did I do???

Very tiny little white dots? I hope they're not sand chippings from fast highway driving. If they are then there's no cure exept sending to a glass specialist cuz you'd need cerium oxide and special felt pads to polish those off. I do long distance (balik kampung) frequently and have plenty of them on my front windscreen....have to live with it until I go for replacement.

It all depends on how severe the watermark is. Sometimes vinegar would work, sometimes it wouldn't. It's worth a try as vinegar is very common. Safe? Well...that would be totally up to you. Just like using any chemicals, use WISELY. Rinse thouroughly and don't let it dry (anywhere) while using it. If you want to try, I'd suggest using DISTILLED vinegar instead of those cheap ones that come in recycled bottles. Distilled vinegar contains lesser 'harmful' substance. Best way would be to soak a portion of a cloth instead of pouring it onto the surface, then wipe a little section and see whether that would remove the watermark or not. That way you'd have more control.

I had terrible watermarks on my car when I first got it. Can't seem to remove them using any chemicals (including vinegar). But I've successfully removed 98% of it using ->Soft99 Glass Compound Z<-. It's been my favourite compound for glass for many years now and, so far, it never fails me in removing severe watermarks.

I tell you something that you could try. Use a little bit of toothpaste and do a very small test section with a cloth. Polish GENTLY like you would apply wax. Don't 'scrub' too hard...just gently for a few rounds. If that doesn't remove the 'spots', chances are even clay bar won't be able to do much, better send it to a pro to have a look. If you're able to remove those 'spots', then there's a good chance that a glass polish or normal compoound would be able to do the job.

Most QDs are designed to be use as clay lubes, shampoos are not. Which is better? Then I'd say QD. But hey....I'm a little OCD so I like to use dedicated products for their intended use. Some manufacturers even say can use water for their clay, but I'd still use a QD. My personal experience, I had one clay (by Polyglaze) been 'destroyed' when using it with a shampoo mix whereas it was fine when I used it with a QD. But, saying that, I also had other clays that are not effected when using shampoo. So, until I figure this thing out, I'm sticking with QD as clay lube.

Yeah...by all mean do try it. Glass is harder and denser than paint so using polishes/compounds made for paint is quite safe. Personally I've tried *almost* everything from heavy compounds to light polishes and they do work at one stage or another, depending on how severe the problem is. The only thing you'd need to worry is to check the applicator/cloth/etc. often for any grit/dirt picked up. These grit *might* scratch the glass and, being harder than paint, once scratched you're going to face one hell of a task in leveling it again. Imagine those very mild scratches from the wiper....*almost* impossible to remove....!!!

Oh...another thing you'd need to remember when using compounds/polishes on glass - thoroughly wipe/wash the compounds off (this goes to those glass polishes as well), especially on the front windscreen. The glass *might* have some mild scratches or pits that would hold in the compounds/polishes. If you don't wash them off thoroughly, the compound/polish *could* fill them and, once dried, they *might* be very difficult to remove and *could* leave something like what's been described as 'pinhole size whitish pittings'....

"Clay Lube" it is then...though QD is quite synonymous with clay lube....

Don't know whether what you're looking for are here but you might want to try ACE Hardware or:
http://carguys.com.my/
https://www.autopolishine.com/
I don't think they have the whole range and sometimes stock is limited, but it's worth a try to get in touch with them. Maybe they can arrange a bulk/group purchases. I know carguys does as the owner is also a detailing enthusiasts.

Still working on it. Work commitments + cuti2 balik kampung + son in ward + school starting = my life story

It's nothing serious but thanks for the concerns Quazacolt.

I don't quite understand what you mean by 'harsh'. Furthermore, Fusso Coat is one of the line in Soft99 brand and there's many products under the Fusso Coat line. Which one did you use? Can grab a picture of it from the net?

But, in general, I do find that a few Fusso Coat line do smell like they contain lots of solvent. That is a good thing actually since the solvent will help to 'chemically clean' the surface whilst leaving a layer of protection behind when you're applying it. And, in general for Soft99 brand, as long as it doesn't say 'compound' on the can then you're quite safe using it.

Plenty of the newer polishes nowadays are quite easy to apply and buff off. Before making any suggestion, I'd need to know what car you're working on and what are you looking for in term of results and what are you trying to achieve/correct.

hrrmm...let me see now.

"Power Cleaner & Fusso Coat", "For dark & metallic color", 3 months durability.....

From the brief info on the can, I can only speculate. I'd say that this would most probably be an AIO (All In One) - a mild paint cleaner with wax. I don't think it is abrasive enough to remove scratches and it would most probably do more 'filling' then 'removing'. Even if it does, it'll take a lot of efforts.

For mild swirls or scratch removal, for on-the-shelf product, I'd suggest you try Meguiars Ultimate Polish, SwirlX, or Mothers California Gold Scratch Remover, the latter two are almost identical. Ultimate Polish is a more recent product so if you're looking for easy usage & buffing off, then that should be the better option to try. Oh...you're working by hand right? Using a 'sponge' pad or cloth? Either way, hand or a machine, Ultimate Polish can be use on both. There might be other similar products in 3M, Sonax, or other brands but I haven't tried any of them before so can't comment much. Maybe somebody else can chime in on this.

An additional suggestion, if you can afford it, get the Meg's Ultimate Compound as well. It's stronger than Ultimate Polish. You can use UC for spot removal of the deeper or more severe defects and follow up with UP.

Regards.

For subborn ones, I use Soft99 Glass Compound Z

ACE hardware. Autobac Klang also got.

Clay bar can only remove embedded or bonded contaminant. It doesn't work like a polish - it cannot remove any defects. Glass polish is your best bet to remove water spots/marks. I find that the Soft99 Glass Compound Z is able to remove the light water spotting to the more severe water marks (though it's not aggressive enough to remove scratches and etchings). The compound comes together with a hand applicator. And I think it's suppose to be use by hand only (I haven't tried it with a machine).

Oh...sorry...sorry...I just glanced through your post and didn't notice you were asking about paint.

For paint you'd need to get a polish or paint cleaner for paint, both comes in thick liquid form (like liquid wax) and you can use it by hand. A couple of products that comes to mind are Duragloss #501 Marine Polish (AIO) All In One Paint Cleaner+Sealant or Meguiars SwirlX. If you're looking for cheaper options you can try Soft99 Meta Clean. There is one other product that I know of that is a spray and wipe type. I've seen it been used before at one of my friend's detailing centre but I haven't personally use it myself before. It's Duragloss 505 Water Spot Removal.

And for clay, then yes, it might be able to remove the more milder water marks.

Search for Meguiars in youtube. You can find plenty of guides/how to using their consumer products by hand. Same method can be use with most other products.

I hope you're talking about your stainless steel exhaust tips and hopefully it can be remove/re-install. Or else it's going to be a little tricky.
But basically,
- 1st: you need to clean it...I mean really clean it. If you don't have any All Purpose Cleaner or Degreaser, use dish washing liquid with a soft cloth.
- 2nd: there would be lots of caked-in carbon deposit. So you'd need something to clean that also. Use Diesel.
- 3rd: Claying time - just get yourself the cheapest clay you can find. It's going to be a use-and-throw-away thingy so it doesn't matter what clay you use.
- 4th: Find yourself a metal polish. Autosol is fine. Polish using a cotton cloth.
- 5th: At this time the exhaust would look shiny but you might see some scratch/swirls/spider-web-like finish. Change to a soft microfiber cloth and keep on polishing, but this time ever so lightly.

Depending on the level of defects, the above might take a few minutes to hours. If it's taking too long, don't worry. If you can see improvements then you're on the right track. If not....errr...it might be a good idea to get a few pictures and post it up here and let see what you're dealing with...hehehe..

Google for Duragloss malaysia. They have an online store and a couple of places in PJ area are also selling them.

My steps are always OCD...hahahah. Anyway, that only apply to *very* neglected ones (something like never-been-cleaned before for years). You might be able to skip one or two steps if you've been maintaining/cleaning it regularly.

Oh...one more thing I forgot to mention. After all the polishings and restoring 'back to new', I suggest also find a product to seal it with. Normal wax/sealant would do but it won't last for long as the exhaust would be exposed to high heat. A durable coating would be great but you'd need to get a whole bottle just to coat that *small* thing that would most probably need around one or two drops. I haven't tried any sealants for metal so can't really make any suggestion. Maybe somebody else can chime in on this.

If water just 'stick' on the screen in 'sheet', you're on the righ track. On a squeeky clean glass (without anything including protection) water would just sheet on it with minimal beadings.

Those pics looks like mine when I first got my new car. Soft99 Glass Compound Z worked for me. Can find it at ACE. M105 (or Ultimate Compound) worked also but, by hand, it's not as effective as the GCZ with the pad that came with it.

Ahhhh....nice work. Very familiar/typical beadings of UQD (I think la)....

You have a drill?