Bird poop

[KL670]

After a thorough car wash, there’s still a dull area where the bird poop was dropped. Any suggestions? Thanks for your input.

 

[XLR82XS]

The feces ate at the clear coat. Rubbing compound then some good wax should handle it.

 

[afadeev]

After a thorough car wash, there’s still a dull area where the bird poop was dropped. Any suggestions? Thanks for your input.

I can't tell anything from looking at that picture, but generally speaking, bird poop is acidic and can damage paint if left to sit and bake for any length of time.

The extent of damage depends on the length of the exposure, and what the bird ate beforehand.
Have you tried polishing and re-waxing the spot?
If not, that would be my first step.
if that does not help, you may need to get more aggressive with claying and polishing the damaged clearcoat area. Then re-wax and re-assess.

HTH,
a

 

[KL670]

The poop was left there for about 2 days. Yes it was under the sun for about 12 hours in that period.
I left it there for 2 day because I’d previously tried to wipe off bird poop as soon as I saw it but it would almost always leave some fine scratches on the spot. That’s why I left it there until the car wash.

 

[disapr]

Always clean bird poo off asap. Even if you can't properly clean the car, get some distilled water and mix ONR into it and use that in a spray bottle to wet the area and gently dab the poo off with a microfiber towel and then spray rinse the area. The ONR will lubricate the area and reduce the scratching potential and just be gentle. Consider that leaving the poo on will almost always require more work than whatever you might do carefully removing it.

It will likely require a light polish to remove the damage.

 

[TeeEmCee]

I had some bird poop etch right through the clearcoat on a car I had, in a matter of days.

Always rinse it off asap, even if you have to pour your coffee on it. Getting the acid off the surface should be the top priority. Wiping is probably better left for later, often times there’s plenty of grit in the poop.

 

[voip-ninja]

The poop was left there for about 2 days. Yes it was under the sun for about 12 hours in that period.
I left it there for 2 day because I’d previously tried to wipe off bird poop as soon as I saw it but it would almost always leave some fine scratches on the spot. That’s why I left it there until the car wash.

For future the best option is to spritz the area with a no wash car spray mix or even just a decent amount of an auto quick detail spray... let it sit for an hour then wipe it carefully with a microfiber cloth.

If it's really bad (really bad birds or tree sap, etc.) then you can get some products just for that or even just put some mild dish detergent directly on it for a while.

If you touch the car you're going to scratch it so the worst thing you can do is vigorously scrub it.

If the clearcoat is damaged you might need to have it touched up by someone in the detail business who is comfortable doing that.

 

[joebruin77]

As others have mentioned, the bird poop likely etched the clear coat underneath. I don't know how familiar you are wth paint polishing and correction practices. But if you are not that familiar with it, try this simple, user friendly process. First try Meguiar's Ultimate Polish. Place a small amount on a clean, microfiber pad and use it on the effected area. If the etching does not come out with the polish, then you would want to use the next, more aggressive product Meguiar's Ulitmate Compound. If THAT doesn't work, then time to take it to a professional detailer.

Once you get it fixed, apply a good quality sealant to protect your paint from future bird bombs. Everyone has their favorite sealants. Mine are Opti-Seal by Optimum or, for even more protection, Hyper Seal by Opti-Coat.

I keep a spray bottle filled with ONR or a waterless wash such as McKees 37 Waterless Wash On The Go in the trunk, just in case a bird uses my M3 for target practice.

Good luck!

 

[roblab]

If you think bird poop is bad, try spilling Coke on your paint.

 

[KL670]

If you think bird poop is bad, try spilling Coke on your paint.

Just curious, what does coke do?
And thanks for everyone’s input. Unfortunately where I usually park, I get hit with bird poop or tree sap quite regularly.

 

[axhoaxho]

I used Meguiar's Quick Detailer (QD,) and it worked like a charm.

Do not wash the car yet.... First, spray QD on the bird poop and wait for a minute, the bird poop will dissolve and start to flow away from the paint. Spray more QD on it, and use a micro fiber cloth to gently wipe the bird poop away from the paint.

Repeat if necessary.

 

[tvad]

+1 on Meguire’s Quick Detailer spray. Works great on bird poop if you get to it within a few hours.

 

[Casmium]

So I have a tree over my driveway, I mostly park in the garage but will sometimes leave the car out if I know I'll be heading out again shortly. If the car is in the driveway it gets covered in bird poop, but when there is no car in the driveway why isn't there a large amount of bird poop building up on the driveway

 

[tvad]

So I have a tree over my driveway, I mostly park in the garage but will sometimes leave the car out if I know I'll be heading out again shortly. If the car is in the driveway it gets covered in bird poop, but when there is no car in the driveway why isn't there a large amount of bird poop building up on the driveway

You will find the answer with all your missing single socks.

 

[D.E.]

After a thorough car wash, there’s still a dull area where the bird poop was dropped. Any suggestions? Thanks for your input.

If you’ve removed all the bird poop and the paint is still dull, it is likely etched. Clay bars won’t help, clay bars are good for removing surface contaminants and they leave nothing but paint. Your problem is not that there’s something on the paint, the paint itself is etched.

Clay bars are minimally abrasive and the surface lubricant you use with them cause the clay to glide over the paint, contaminants stick to the clay bar so are removed. If you haven’t used a clay bar, you are in for a treat. You must keep them clean. A dropped clay bar is an immediate throw away, don’t even think of using it after you pick it up.

You need to get the surface smooth again. For that you’ll need a polish, which is a very fine abrasive, and you’ll need to polish out the etched paint. There are more aggressive abrasives, they are rubbing compounds, again some are for machine use. The polish is the finest in the abrasive line so is the gentlest for your paint. If you are unable to restore the finish with the polish, then a rubbing compound is the next step. Rubbing compounds are less abrasive than the very fine sand papers, so the rubbing compounds are used to remove very fine scratches left by the fine sandpapers. Rubbing compounds are safe when used by hand but they are still more aggressive than polishes.

You want a “polish” and not a wax product. Sometimes waxes are misnamed polish, probably because people use waxes to
“polish” cars. It isn’t a problem, just be aware of it. Get a fine polish that is made for machine application. And check the label, it should suggest applying a wax after use. With a polish you’ll be pretty much unable to damage your paint when you use it by hand. It’ll take a little while to rub out your dull spot. You must clean the area before using the polish. Any sand or grit in the surface will scratch the paint. The cloth has to be clean and free of dust or dirt as well.

You’ll just be taking off a tiny bit of the clear coat to get down to un etched paint. Once you have the smooth finish, you should apply a wax or polymer product to protect the paint.

This should get you back to where you were, a flawless finish. People use polishes with random orbit buffers to smooth clear coat and get that deep wet looking shine. Random orbit buffers are pretty safe. Professionals use rotary buffers which cut quickly but it is much safer for the hobbyist to use a random orbit buffer if one is inclined to use a machine. The rotary machines produce a lot of surface heat, they can rub though paint such as on the point of a metal crease. Random orbit buffers make this unlikely.

So steps;
1, clean the area
2. Apply polish with a damp cloth, rub out the etched part
3. If unable to get to smooth paint, get a fine rubbing compound made for machine use, use it by hand. Paint damage risk is extremely low.
4. If you cannot make the paint smooth with the rubbing compound by hand, then it’s time to seek a professional to machine polish the area. (Resist the temptation to learn to machine rub out your paint on your Tesla. Learn on someone else’s car, or an old car.)
5. After the paint is good, apply a wax or polymer

Once you master the hand use of rubbing compounds, there are all sorts of fine scratches you’ll be able to rub out. It’s well worth learning.

 

[KL670]

If you’ve removed all the bird poop and the paint is still dull, it is likely etched. Clay bars won’t help, clay bars are good for removing surface contaminants and they leave nothing but paint. Your problem is not that there’s something on the paint, the paint itself is etched.

Clay bars are minimally abrasive and the surface lubricant you use with them cause the clay to glide over the paint, contaminants stick to the clay bar so are removed. If you haven’t used a clay bar, you are in for a treat. You must keep them clean. A dropped clay bar is an immediate throw away, don’t even think of using it after you pick it up.

You need to get the surface smooth again. For that you’ll need a polish, which is a very fine abrasive, and you’ll need to polish out the etched paint. There are more aggressive abrasives, they are rubbing compounds, again some are for machine use. The polish is the finest in the abrasive line so is the gentlest for your paint. If you are unable to restore the finish with the polish, then a rubbing compound is the next step. Rubbing compounds are less abrasive than the very fine sand papers, so the rubbing compounds are used to remove very fine scratches left by the fine sandpapers. Rubbing compounds are safe when used by hand but they are still more aggressive than polishes.

You want a “polish” and not a wax product. Sometimes waxes are misnamed polish, probably because people use waxes to
“polish” cars. It isn’t a problem, just be aware of it. Get a fine polish that is made for machine application. And check the label, it should suggest applying a wax after use. With a polish you’ll be pretty much unable to damage your paint when you use it by hand. It’ll take a little while to rub out your dull spot. You must clean the area before using the polish. Any sand or grit in the surface will scratch the paint. The cloth has to be clean and free of dust or dirt as well.

You’ll just be taking off a tiny bit of the clear coat to get down to un etched paint. Once you have the smooth finish, you should apply a wax or polymer product to protect the paint.

This should get you back to where you were, a flawless finish. People use polishes with random orbit buffers to smooth clear coat and get that deep wet looking shine. Random orbit buffers are pretty safe. Professionals use rotary buffers which cut quickly but it is much safer for the hobbyist to use a random orbit buffer if one is inclined to use a machine. The rotary machines produce a lot of surface heat, they can rub though paint such as on the point of a metal crease. Random orbit buffers make this unlikely.

So steps;
1, clean the area
2. Apply polish with a damp cloth, rub out the etched part
3. If unable to get to smooth paint, get a fine rubbing compound made for machine use, use it by hand. Paint damage risk is extremely low.
4. If you cannot make the paint smooth with the rubbing compound by hand, then it’s time to seek a professional to machine polish the area. (Resist the temptation to learn to machine rub out your paint on your Tesla. Learn on someone else’s car, or an old car.)
5. After the paint is good, apply a wax or polymer

Once you master the hand use of rubbing compounds, there are all sorts of fine scratches you’ll be able to rub out. It’s well worth learning.

If you’ve removed all the bird poop and the paint is still dull, it is likely etched. Clay bars won’t help, clay bars are good for removing surface contaminants and they leave nothing but paint. Your problem is not that there’s something on the paint, the paint itself is etched.

Clay bars are minimally abrasive and the surface lubricant you use with them cause the clay to glide over the paint, contaminants stick to the clay bar so are removed. If you haven’t used a clay bar, you are in for a treat. You must keep them clean. A dropped clay bar is an immediate throw away, don’t even think of using it after you pick it up.

You need to get the surface smooth again. For that you’ll need a polish, which is a very fine abrasive, and you’ll need to polish out the etched paint. There are more aggressive abrasives, they are rubbing compounds, again some are for machine use. The polish is the finest in the abrasive line so is the gentlest for your paint. If you are unable to restore the finish with the polish, then a rubbing compound is the next step. Rubbing compounds are less abrasive than the very fine sand papers, so the rubbing compounds are used to remove very fine scratches left by the fine sandpapers. Rubbing compounds are safe when used by hand but they are still more aggressive than polishes.

You want a “polish” and not a wax product. Sometimes waxes are misnamed polish, probably because people use waxes to
“polish” cars. It isn’t a problem, just be aware of it. Get a fine polish that is made for machine application. And check the label, it should suggest applying a wax after use. With a polish you’ll be pretty much unable to damage your paint when you use it by hand. It’ll take a little while to rub out your dull spot. You must clean the area before using the polish. Any sand or grit in the surface will scratch the paint. The cloth has to be clean and free of dust or dirt as well.

You’ll just be taking off a tiny bit of the clear coat to get down to un etched paint. Once you have the smooth finish, you should apply a wax or polymer product to protect the paint.

This should get you back to where you were, a flawless finish. People use polishes with random orbit buffers to smooth clear coat and get that deep wet looking shine. Random orbit buffers are pretty safe. Professionals use rotary buffers which cut quickly but it is much safer for the hobbyist to use a random orbit buffer if one is inclined to use a machine. The rotary machines produce a lot of surface heat, they can rub though paint such as on the point of a metal crease. Random orbit buffers make this unlikely.

So steps;
1, clean the area
2. Apply polish with a damp cloth, rub out the etched part
3. If unable to get to smooth paint, get a fine rubbing compound made for machine use, use it by hand. Paint damage risk is extremely low.
4. If you cannot make the paint smooth with the rubbing compound by hand, then it’s time to seek a professional to machine polish the area. (Resist the temptation to learn to machine rub out your paint on your Tesla. Learn on someone else’s car, or an old car.)
5. After the paint is good, apply a wax or polymer

Once you master the hand use of rubbing compounds, there are all sorts of fine scratches you’ll be able to rub out. It’s well worth learning.

Man, much appreciation for taking the time for an incredible walk through. Truly grateful. Thanks.

 

[calidreamz808]

This is what pushed me over the limit to get ceramic coating. lol