I've tried 3M rubbing compound, didn't work. Will clay bar remove water spots? If not, i guess I get to break out the vineager and smell like pickles for a month.

 

I used the Mequir's (sp) Quik Detailer on my explorer before I sold it and it worked wonders on the water spots. That may help, I'm not sure.

 

QD works for me too, doesnt matter brand really imo. Meguiers, Mothers, Ice, etc.

 

Any idea on how old they are?

Get some white vinegar and mix 50/50 with water (preferably distilled). Try that w/ a MF towel. If they are relatively recent, that should work. If not, try a little bit of full strength vinegar.

This is a very common solution to water spots. When I detail a vehicle, I also pre-wipe the windows (after washing but before glass cleaning) w/ water/vinegar. Of course, I follow this w/ a quality glass cleaner.

Yes, clay will work sometimes, but not always.

Where are the water spots? Paint or glass/plastic?

 

They're on the paint and stick out like a sore thumb on red paint.

 

Try the vinegar first, it will certainly help at the very least.

If you can feel them grabbing a MF at all, then claying will take some of it out, but more than likely not all.

The only way to really get them out is with a machine polisher such as the PC 7424 or a rotary machine.