I've seen numerous threads regarding waterspots on windows and trim but what about paint? Is vinegar or alcohol w/ water mixtures safe to use on paint too? Is there a "off the shelf" product perfect for this I'm not aware of?

The water in Hawaii is extremely hard and just a little splash of a sprinkler will create problems.

I've seen numerous threads regarding waterspots on windows and trim but what about paint? Is vinegar or alcohol w/ water mixtures safe to use on paint too? Is there a "off the shelf" product perfect for this I'm not aware of?

The water in Hawaii is extremely hard and just a little splash of a sprinkler will create problems.

You can try giving it a vinegar bath, but if the water is as hard as you say and if the waterspots have been left awhile most likely you will have to polish them out, but the vinegar is a good place to start. It's cheap and readily available. :) Good luck.

I'll second what Jen said and try the vinegar and water method first. I let it dwell for mabe a minute or two before removing on tough stains. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts at this it may be time to break out the buffer. I've also used Iso alc and water on water stains as well.

there are two types of water stains..

1) above surface water stains
2) below surface water stains

If you're lucky, all you have is #1. If you leave #1 around for too long, the salts/minerals in your hard water may etch into the clearcoat and you end up with #2.

Start w/ the assumption you have #1. This is what I do:

1) spray some soapy water and see if I can rub it off with a clean microfiber cloth. you can use a car shampoo/wash, i use baby shampoo that i find for 39 cents a bottle at Big Lots. if that doesn't get rid of it, continue to step 2.
2) at this point, people may try all sorts of other "cleaners" and what not, but for me, I just like to skip to the most effective way to remove above surface water stains, that is the clay bar. lubricate the water stain with soapy water and use a mild clay bar over the waterspot. you may have to glide the clay over the same spot for several minutes. this will eventually work if the waterspot is only above the surface. i like this method because it is also completely safe to your paint. the cases of stubborn water stains i've seen in Southern California have been removed by this method about 90% of the time.

ok, if you've tried this, and you still can't get the water spot out, and especially if what remains of the waterspot is sort of a "ring" around where the water was, then it's likely etched into the clearcoat. you have the dreaded #2 water stain.

to get rid of #2 water stains, this is what i do:

1) using 2000grit sand paper, i wet the spot and gently sand once or twice. then, wipe it dry and see if the water stain is still there. if so, gently wet sand once more. most #2 water stains will come out in 1-2 gentle strokes of 2000 grit wet sanding. if this isn't working for you, you may have more serious damage, requiring some other treatment that might require more sanding, but you really have to assess how deep the etching is... that goes beyond what i'm going to write here...

2) now, the water stain is gone, but you have a 2000grit haze from the sanding. use a scratch/swirl remover and buff the spot with 1 or 2 tear drops of the compound. if you're having a hard time removing the haze, try using rubbing compound instead. there are a variety of good scratch/swirl removers and rubbing compounds; try some and see what you like. If you want my opinion, I prefer the 3M products, but I've been happy with Meguiar's and Mother's as well.

if the waterspots you're getting are of the #2 variety, and that is common in your area, then you need to be waxing more often. wax will help protect the minerals in your hard water from etching into the clearcoat. don't leave water stains sitting too long as #1 will eventually become #2. it only take a few days in some situations.

By the way, i've used the same technique above for bird crap stains which should be removed ASAP as they can go from #1 to #2 within hours.