Bird droppings & a black 4R...

[LS1JAY]

Man, what can I do? They crap on my 4R and then I'm left with a stain if you look at it in the shade just right. It's like it's etched right into the clear coat, and it can happen withing just minutes of being on there! Any tips on how to get these spots out or are they for good? In the sun they don't show up, but in the evening I can see the stains.

 

[sharp4runr]

bird poop has acid that etches your paint. clay barring helps some. you can also try a polish.

 

[LS1JAY]

I've tried scratch & swirl remover and wax. Neither really helped.

 

[TranceKrayz]

the only way to battle them is to get it off ASAP. I have a black 4runner and it has been crapped on many times, but no etching so far! i keep a quick detail bottle and towel in my car just for bird crap, tree sap, etc....

 

[064runnersport]

the only way to battle them is to get it off ASAP. I have a black 4runner and it has been crapped on many times, but no etching so far! i keep a quick detail bottle and towel in my car just for bird crap, tree sap, etc....

wow I thought I was the only one who did stuff like that!

 

[Zachary]

I bought my first black car last year, a 2005 BMW. I swore that would be the first and last black vehicle that I purchased.

When I bought my 4Runner, the dealer tried to sell me a black one. I told him to jump in a lake. I bought it in white.

 

[LS1JAY]

That's just it. I got to it within minutes of it happening and it still etched the clear coat! You can't see it unless it's in the shade and you know where to look, but I know it's there.

 

[ellsworb]

You must wash it thoroughly. . getting it off while its still wet is the key. If you can't do that, well, be prepared for the process. Wash it with your car wash soap of choice, this will get the BIG peices off, but be careful not to mar. Next, clay. Clay the SH*T out of it. I've ogne through 10 oz. of soap/water lube just on 1 bird spot before. FInally, start with a very mild polish. I like Clearkote's Vanilla Moose. Polish, and then inspect the work area. If you need to get more aggressive (which you probably will), go to a next higher polish. I step up to Optimum's Polish. That usually gets it. make sure you have hte right ammount of product and APPLICATOR. I use a Porter Cable, but you could do just fine with a regular foam applicator and elbow grease on a small spot.

So to recap:
Wash, Clay, Polish, Wax, ENJOY!

 

[Red3.slow]

We have two pecan trees in our yard. The squirrels love to bomb my fing car with pecans and pecan shells that stain the paint. So I generally put a thick of wax to help prevent staining, and then a nice pellet gun as an offensive measure.

 

[TranceKrayz]

We have two pecan trees in our yard. The squirrels love to bomb my fing car with pecans and pecan shells that stain the paint. So I generally put a thick of wax to help prevent staining, and then a nice pellet gun as an offensive measure.

i agree, make sure you have a nice coat of wax on your car. i can't believe that it still etched even though you got to it within minutes. was it really hot and sunny out? how recently did you wax your car? and what the hell did that bird eat?!?!

 

[LS1JAY]

i agree, make sure you have a nice coat of wax on your car. i can't believe that it still etched even though you got to it within minutes. was it really hot and sunny out? how recently did you wax your car? and what the hell did that bird eat?!?!

It had started to dry and it wasn't there 20 minutes earlier when I was outside, so it hadn't been their too long, but it was kinda half in the sun. I live in central Florida and it was in the 70's today. I had just waxed it last Saturday with Meguiars NXT Generation.

 

[Koz]

Car Cover!

Koz

 

[Squirreljr]

I know this will make some wonder, but on my black 00' Tacoma I had a quarter sized spot that actually made the paint crack. I ended up using a new buff pad and literally wipe the touch up paint on it and immediately wipe off the excess and clay bar/wax the area. You could look at it at all angles and see nothing, like it never happened.

 

[rook]

I'd say a detail shop can get it out with some buffing. They should have a micro-bead compound that will remove the stain without burning through. 3M has a line called "Perfect It" that is used by body shops and can remove scratches without taking the clear down too far. The system uses foam (vs. wool) rotary bufing pads and a series of compounds and glazes to produce a mirror like swirl free finish. Try having the paint buffed first, if that does not work some light sanding with 3000 grit paper followed by machine buffing should do the trick.

 

[Gromulus]

Etching

In our automotive coating development we routinely test etch resistance properties with various chemicals and solutions - including various "synthetic" acid rain solutions.

Of course we cannot easily obtain bird droppings or for that matter use it in controlled testing. We do use egg albumin and I can vouch that it is the most destructive agent we use. It does degrade the clearcoat in a short amount of time (minutes - hours, depending on temperature and humidity).

The effects of extreme acids and caustics (high pH) chemicals is not a stain but an actual "etch" or degradation of the clearcoat. As some have mentioned in this thread length of exposure time and temperature are crucial. The only way to minimize the appearance damage afterwards is to polish/buff away enough of the clearcoat provided the etch isn't too deep.

We conduct our testing on clearcoats applied over black basecoats since it is so readily visible. Yep, black looks nice but I'll take my silver metallic for it's "forgiving" qualities. I remember noticing this effect only weeks after buying my new black 1992 Camry. I spent hours trying in vain to get the etch out. (This was before my automotive coating experience).

 

[Bluto]

I have a few hard to see spots. There will be more in the future. All you can do is minimize the damage by removing early. Minimize the apperance by polishing out. Most spots can be completely removed with a Porter Cable polisher and good products.


Don't forget droppings can contain sand/gravel. I have a small area where I spot cleaned with QD and scratched the paint. Hose, bucket, and car wash is the best choice. I have washed my truck 2am in the morning after parking under a tree where birds were roosting earlier in the evening.

 

[LS1JAY]

***UPDATE***

I ended up taking it to the local detail shop and they took it out in about 5 minutes using a high speed buffer. He used 2 different ones and they were both really large De Walt's. The guy did a great job and it only cost me $5. I may end up getting a car cover now.


" Bird :happens: "