Bird Poop

[Masherbrum]

i did. it's still there.

Bird poop is acidic and you will have to use a wheel.   The longer it stays on, the worse it gets and will remain permanent.

[Shuffler]

effing HATE it.

 left the shop today, and it looked like the mighty pidgeon from nuclear hell dropped one on the hood of my car. the gt.  

 anyway, got a little soapy water, and a micro fiber cloth, sprayed it, let it soak, then gently wiped it all off. there's an effing stain where the poop was.  

 the car had a fresh coat of wax on her, so i didn't expect to see that. i thought i could rub it off a by using a little more pressure with the microfiber cloth. no go. now i've got a few swirl marks in addition to the nuclear bird poop from hell stain.

 as it stands right now, i'm going to bring my polishing compound home from the shop, and try to polish it out tomorrow night. i can't feel any of this stuff with my fingertips, or with my fingernails.

 will that get this crap(pun intended) off my car? i feel like i should already know this, but i don't....and there's plenty of you guys that know MUCH better than i how to maintain newness in a car. this is REALLY getting under my skin, as my gt is still perfect....except for this.

thanks doooods

If it is good wax it should not affect the clearcoat. The issue was the clearcoat you waxed over... it had imperfection that you did not notice because it is all over the factory paint. That is the way all cars are when new. Waxing over the imperfections will not create a good even wax coating.

To fix it forget buffing. All you need to do is claybar the small area where it was at. You can get a claybar kit at most auto parts stores. The box will have 2 claybars and a bottle of detail spray. Easy to do just follow directions.

Once you claybar that small area you will see how it should look. Then you will want to claybar the whole car and give it a good wax coat. You wont have the bird poop or bug problem again after that.

[morfiend]

 Cap,

  If it was my car I'd try a polishing compound and do it by hand,no buffers,just be sure to rub in straight lines and not circles unless you want swirls and like doing the whole car.

   Get a new household sponge and use that to work the compound until you cant feel the marks anymore. Then you need to hit it with a coat of wax and bob's ur uncle!


   Birdpoop can eat right through the paint,seen it many times,hopefully it's only marred to top surface of the clearcoat and it should be a relatively easy fix.

  It's too late now but if it happens again,try some baking soda to neutralize the acid then wash it off with soap and water. Pine gum is the worse,it's acidic and doesnt want to come off.I've tried freezing it to remove and that works if it's fresh but in a worse case I've had to resort to a razorblade and cut it off the paint,that takes nerve!!!


   If you cant fix it,send it to me I'll take care of it,though it might have a couple extra miles on it when I'm done,cant give the car back until it's thoroughly road tested!!!



   

[Skuzzy]

frustrating part, is that i had a GOOD coat of carnuba wax on her. it should never have gotten to the paint.

Carnuaba is not going to protect against bird poop.  If the temps have been above 90F, that carnuaba is going to burn off in 3 or 4 days.  A good poly sealer under the carnuba will help protect against bird poop better, but leave bird poop on any car finish, and it will etch the paint.  It does not matter if it is lacquer or urethane or even ceramic, it will etch if you leave it on there long enough.

Best you can do is get the shine back, but if it was on there very long, the shine will still have a 'puddled' look from where the etching went into the paint and was removed to restore the shine.

Start with Meguiars Swirl remover.  It is a soft abrasive which will help remove the etching.  This should get the shine back.

I like Wolfgangs poly sealer and finisher.  The "finisher" removes micro-swirls and restores lubricity to the paint.  The "sealer" will last about 6 months, on good paint and is easy to apply and remove.  All Wolfgangs products are water based, so they will not harm the paint like Meguiars Cleaner Wax will.

I also like to clay the surface before applying the sealer/finisher.  It gets rid of contaminants washing will leave behind.

Once you get the poly sealer on it, put a coat of a good carnuba on that and you will have done everything possible to protect the paint.

[morfiend]

Carnuaba is not going to protect against bird poop.  If the temps have been above 90F, that carnuaba is going to burn off in 3 or 4 days.  A good poly sealer under the carnuba will help protect against bird poop better, but leave bird poop on any car finish, and it will etch the paint.  It does not matter if it is lacquer or urethane or even ceramic, it will etch if you leave it on there long enough.

Best you can do is get the shine back, but if it was on there very long, the shine will still have a 'puddled' look from where the etching went into the paint and was removed to restore the shine.

Start with Meguiars Swirl remover.  It is a soft abrasive which will help remove the etching.  This should get the shine back.

I like Wolfgangs poly sealer and finisher.  The "finisher" removes micro-swirls and restores lubricity to the paint.  The "sealer" will last about 6 months, on good paint and is easy to apply and remove.  All Wolfgangs products are water based, so they will not harm the paint like Meguiars Cleaner Wax will.

I also like to clay the surface before applying the sealer/finisher.  It gets rid of contaminants washing will leave behind.

Once you get the poly sealer on it, put a coat of a good carnuba on that and you will have done everything possible to protect the paint.

 Words of wisdom!  Carnuba is good for show! but a polysealer will always do a better job of sealing and protecting the paint.

  I've never used wolfgang's products but I'll take Skuzzy's word on it.  I mostly have experience with commercial stuff made by 3M and a couple other manufactures I cant remember.....


   

[Rash]

After you do all the hard work to shine her up, don't use dish soap to wash your car, unless you want strip all your hard work off.

[Skuzzy]

After you do all the hard work to shine her up, don't use dish soap to wash your car, unless you want strip all your hard work off.

Never, never use dish soap on paint.  It will break down the polymer chains in acrylic paints causing crazing and oxidation to run rampant.  Meguiars, Mothers, and Griots make some good car washing products.  There are also some other professional brands available to the consumer as well, but they tend to cost more.

[CAP1]

all good advice guys. thanks!!  i use griots wash. i've also got their claybar, and polishing compound. i think it's #3? the reaLly fine one.

 it was on there for at least a few hours. i left work at around 7 last night. that's when i saw it. i parked the car at 815....went out around 11'ish to get my tablet out of her, and it wasn't there then.

[Babalonian]

effing HATE it.

 left the shop today, and it looked like the mighty pidgeon from nuclear hell dropped one on the hood of my car. the gt. 

 anyway, got a little soapy water, and a micro fiber cloth, sprayed it, let it soak, then gently wiped it all off. there's an effing stain where the poop was. 

 the car had a fresh coat of wax on her, so i didn't expect to see that. i thought i could rub it off a by using a little more pressure with the microfiber cloth. no go. now i've got a few swirl marks in addition to the nuclear bird poop from hell stain.

 as it stands right now, i'm going to bring my polishing compound home from the shop, and try to polish it out tomorrow night. i can't feel any of this stuff with my fingertips, or with my fingernails.

 will that get this crap(pun intended) off my car? i feel like i should already know this, but i don't....and there's plenty of you guys that know MUCH better than i how to maintain newness in a car. this is REALLY getting under my skin, as my gt is still perfect....except for this.

thanks doooods

1)   
2)  Rub on, rub off.  Repeat as necessary.
3)   

[JOACH1M]

This is why I now buy white vehicles.

[morfiend]

This is why I now buy white vehicles.

  Why?   Is there something magical about white paint besides being near impossible to match?

  Ya white doesnt show the dirt as much but it's subject to the same stuff as any other colour.



   

[Babalonian]

  Why?   Is there something magical about white paint besides being near impossible to match?

  Ya white doesnt show the dirt as much but it's subject to the same stuff as any other colour.



   

Might just be for those of us living in the southern half, but it keeps the car ~20-degrees cooler about this time of year.

[morfiend]

Might just be for those of us living in the southern half, but it keeps the car ~20-degrees cooler about this time of year.

  True as I've owned both white and black cars I know it makes a huge difference! I does get warm up here,hit 93 today and I'm glad I dont own a black car anymore. The wife used to call it the pizza cooker,throw a frozen pizza on the dash and it;s ready i half an hour....


  Jo just made it sound like there was a difference because it's white.


   

[Shuffler]

 True as I've owned both white and black cars I know it makes a huge difference! I does get warm up here,hit 93 today and I'm glad I dont own a black car anymore. The wife used to call it the pizza cooker,throw a frozen pizza on the dash and it;s ready i half an hour....


  Jo just made it sound like there was a difference because it's white.


    

Was 109 the other day in Houston


As for color... it's not the color coat that is affected. It's the clear coat. I would not touch it with anything but claybar. Then a good seal, wax.

[Dimebag]

just let it go and pm me your visa number and i'll send you over a new hood and paint...  air compressor, paint gun and paint booth too if need be