What is the most water-spot resistant LSP type?

If avoiding water spots were my main concern, which LSP would you choose? I hear that coatings actually struggle in this area. Would something like wax or spray sealants like car pro reload work best?

 

water spots from rinsing? rain? sprinklers?

i think a combination of surface hardness and low surface tension will determine the amount of remaining deposits once water evaporates. obv no LSP is going to make deposits disappear once water evaporates if the water is laden with minerals or fallout. imo the name of the game is making sure the deposits don't etch, forcing you to correct vs. just wash. that's a particular point where coatings shine for me.

people are adding things to coatings to try to lower surface tension even further to help reduce evidence of deposits. that reduction can be from the way the water collects, or that gravity will allow more water to fall/roll off and thus yield less opportunity to leave deposits...or any number of other phenomena, probably mostly revolving around hydrophobic behavior. dunno. but OPT in particular developed two new products in their coating line that are "glossier" and "slicker" than their previous coating offerings (Gloss-Coat and Opti-Coat Plus), so you have to wonder if that development was spurred by the magic combo of a slick sealant on top of a thick, hard coating (relatively speaking), a hydrophobic combo reducing appearance of water spots.

my wife's truck sits outside 24/7, has been coated since 6/14 and doesn't spot from rain in any normally visible capacity, at least in any capacity that doesn't disappear once i eventually wash. if it saw sprinklers? dunno, i'm sure it would spot like hell. if i rinsed it with my household softened water and didn't blow it off? dunno, but it would likely spot way more than rain. i'd bet in those scenarios, though, that the damage would be WAY worse with anything less than a coating was there.

i'd wager that would clean up pretty easy as i've seen personally with other situations. the best example i have is a coated Mini Cooper GP hood where the water sits and bakes. after a while, no matter where the water came from, you end up with spots that don't come off at all with cleaning. nothing more than a light pass with Poli-Seal will clean that up without issue. for all i know, maybe a pass or two with the new style synthetic clay products would take care of that without even need to hit it with the AIO.

 

Good post built hatch, i appreciate the thoughtful input.

I always wonder why rain doesn't etch like sprinklers do.

The worst is sprinklers that source their water from a well or lake. OH MY.

My main plan of attack is to wash and wax frequently. That's always been the best approach for me.

 

The reason why water spots form is because the minerals contained in the bead of water gets etched in when the water dries and evaporates. The first thing I thought is why not eliminate the chance of having water being etched is to eliminate the water, so why not try an LSP that is designed for more sheeting than beading? If there isn't any water on the paint than you shouldn't have any waterspots.

 

I'v been looking for the same thing. My wife recently purchased a 2013 Mini Cooper. I was hoping the "blue coral?" sealant that the dealership used was going to be ok for a couple months. Guess I was wrong. Rain water has some hard water spots etched into the hood. In multiple places. I could not figure out why. Reading above that the hood may not allow the water to run off makes sense. Having someone give a go at the water spot removal this weekend and I hope to prevent this from happening again.