Model 3 Spoiler ruined by Bird Poop

[GolanB]

Has anyone had experience with this? Overnight, or early this morning I discovered that a bird had left its business on the spoiler. I went in the house to grab something to wipe it off and found that it had etched into the carbon fiber finish. If you run your nail over it, you can feel the raised edge.

I’m assuming it has something to do with the PH and the heat of the sun.

Is there anything that can be done to correct the mark?

 

[P85_DA]

Unfortunately not ..bird poop highly acidic it will eat thru paint ..looks like it went thru the protective coating ..I’m ceramics my spoiler for this reason

 

[Skione65]

Is there a way to PPF (Xpel) the Spoiler either before or after install? Anyone done this? Pointers?

Ski

 

[KenC]

I'd use a dilute acid, and hopefully you can blend it in to make the outline fade away. That's a matte finish, right? Vinegar is a weak acid.

 

[GolanB]

Thanks for all the comments! I think I'm going to be careful about adding more acid to the spoiler The issue I have right now is that there is a white border around the etched surface so I can't cover it with PPF or an additional coating first. I'm going to try to treat it with a light solution of alcohol, and then see what other options we have. If there are any experts that have dealt with this specific issue, please chime in!

I found the following website which basically describes the exact problem I had. The carbon fiber spoiler seems to be more reactive to the droppings than the paint itself, and this may be because of its surface protection, or it may just be because the temperature got higher on the spoiler where it is darker.

Bird Droppings and Paint Damage (Etching) – Automotive Quality Solutions

 

[Skione65]

@GolanB,

Have you tried to polish it out with a good polish like Mequires and a random Orbital Polisher? I know it may not take the ridge line periphery down but may make or lessen that whiteness.

Ski

 

[jlghertner]

If that is a ridge I am seeing you have two options:
Wet sand it down smooth and if their is enough resin you will be fine. If not a thick resin layer or you have pitting, then sand down smooth without hitting the carbon fibers then apply a cost of high quality epoxy and wet sand it to a glass finish.

Second option which people don’t think of, take it to a boat repair shop: they work with these materials everyday. Having repaired boats for years and building glass airplanes it is an easy repair with experience I admit, but not really that hard. A few hrs work over a few days and it will be like new.

 

[Nguyenning]

Hmm I had similar looking spots on my regular paint (no spoiler), and used 50% distilled vinegar + 50% distilled water mixture. It wiped it all off pretty easily. Mine may have been combo of water spots and bird crap, but still did the trick. Maybe worth a shot?

 

[brkaus]

Can you train a bird to poop on the rest of it?

But in the serious side - I have a troubling poop stain on my hood I’m having a hard time polishing out. Will try a detailer next week, but a friend of mine thinks it might need to be repainted. Huge area, runny poop, sat in the shade for an hour or so then direct sun fir rest of the day.

 

[dmd2005]

Like some have recommended, try polishing it first with some Meguiars M205 polishing compound with a small random orbital polisher. If the etching is deep, you may need to wet sand with super fine grit before polishing. Make sure to tape off the edge with painters tape so polish doesn’t get between the spoiler and the trunk. You should be able to blend in the edge and put a sealant or ceramic coat on afterwards to protect it against bird bombs.

 

[Stankinaz]

Has anyone had experience with this? Overnight, or early this morning I discovered that a bird had left its business on the spoiler. I went in the house to grab something to wipe it off and found that it had etched into the carbon fiber finish. If you run your nail over it, you can feel the raised edge.

I’m assuming it has something to do with the PH and the heat of the sun.

Is there anything that can be done to correct the mark?View attachment 412587

Dont

Has anyone had experience with this? Overnight, or early this morning I discovered that a bird had left its business on the spoiler. I went in the house to grab something to wipe it off and found that it had etched into the carbon fiber finish. If you run your nail over it, you can feel the raised edge.

I’m assuming it has something to do with the PH and the heat of the sun.

Is there anything that can be done to correct the mark?View attachment 412587

Just use clay bar. You guys make me laugh. The clay bar with the solution provided will remove that stain.

 

[Stankinaz]

Just use Clay bar with the solution provided.


So many amatuers own teslas.

 

[GolanB]

Dont

Just use clay bar. You guys make me laugh. The clay bar with the solution provided will remove that stain.

I think the issue here is that the surface has been etched, not stained. The resin surface also has different properties than the paint. Some have warned (on a facebook group I am on) that unless this is treated and refinished, I may eventually exhibit peeling as water enters beneith the compromised surface coat. I'm not sure a clay-bar treatment will help there.

FYI, I had a little time this morning, and discovered the precise time the bird dropped this little gift from the sky - it was at precisely 6:05 AM on the security camera. My discovery came at 12:15 PM, which gave it a good 6 hours of etching time under increasing sunlight.

For those of you who park outside, you may want to consider an outdoor cover.

 

[N54TT]

Was you’re spoiler protected at all? Ceramic coating? I ceramic coated my spoiler the moment mobile service left lol. While not bullet proof...ceramic coating adds a protective/sacrificial layer.

 

[SunTek]

Is there a way to PPF (Xpel) the Spoiler either before or after install? Anyone done this? Pointers?

Ski

I am sure there are plenty of aftermarket options but we make a pattern that fits the factor spoiler so application is possible and would be a rather inexpensive, quick solution.

 

[GolanB]

Was you’re spoiler protected at all? Ceramic coating? I ceramic coated my spoiler the moment mobile service left lol. While not bullet proof...ceramic coating adds a protective/sacrificial layer.

It was the stock installation, no ceramic or protective coating added YET - although I do have a bottle of the stuff from Korea. I had been planning on adding protection, and as luck would have it, had the spoiler for less than a month. Those birds know how to aim!

My kids think I should just remove the spoiler, but its grown on me. I'm going to try to address the issue directly before covering it with a matching pattern. Someone also pointed me to this video:

 

[Nocturnal]

I'd also give a clay bar a try before anything else.

 

[CrazyCoconut]

I PPFed it to match all of the glossy CF items I already have.

 

[CaptainAwesome]

Is there a way to PPF (Xpel) the Spoiler either before or after install? Anyone done this? Pointers?

Ski

I had mine wrapped in XPEL Stealth. Had same shop do it that did the rest of my car. They wrapped it then mounted it for me, so you can't see any seams at all.