Last night as I am getting ready to leave work, I notice this white stuff on my trunk and bumper... it must have dripped down from pipes in the parking gararge under my office building. I hurried home, washed the car down, the spots are not going away.... I called security and bitched about it, they tell me that maintanance had the garage hosed down.... whatever detergent they are using on the concrete is acidic. They didn't bother telling the tenants about this! My neighbor who is a head mechanic at a honda dealership told me to buy WD40 and it will come out... has anyone tried this?

 

got pics?

could just be hard water.

try using a clay bar to get it off

 

yes, try claying or polishing. if it ends up being a layer over it, that should work. if it soaked into the clear coat then you might be out of luck.

 

+1 for claybar.
You might try buffing it out also if that doesn't work.

 

Did anyone mention claybar yet? That should do it.

 

I have a friend that brought an RX7 that was sitting in a garage for over 6 months. There are two giant white spots on the driver and passenger side door. They're the results of the acidic water that dripped on the car. I couldn't do anything to get rid of it because it already seeped into the metal itself. I would try dabbing vinegar on it. WD40 won't damage the paint if you're going to wash every last bit of it off when you're done so i would try wd40 too. If those won't work then claybar + polish.

 

Like others have said, I would try claying first. Be sure to clay the area lightly first to get the area smooth (several passes, folding in the clay until the paint underneath is perfectly smooth), and only then work it harder with the clay (after folding in to get a clean side again). Use plenty of clay lube.

If that doesn't work, it has probably etched into the clearcoat. I would try buffing it out using Meguiar's Scratch-X (don't use Scratch Doctor or others you may see in an auto store, Scratch-X is the best). Read this tutorial that shows removal of a bird etching.. your case is very similar.