nuraman00

I have a 2013 ES350. I got it in November 2013.

After coming back from the car wash today, the car wash person said she couldn't get these spots out of the hood of my car. It's because I parked under a tree.

I don't think there's anything I can do about that though, most parking spots in my area are under trees.

Also, I had my old car in this same parking lot for 3+ years, and didn't get paint problems like this.

Is it because my Lexus is black?

Is there anything I can do to fix this?

How bad is this? Is it just one of those things that's bound to happen, and I shouldn't worry too much about it? Or is it not that big of a deal, it's only a few spots?

Here are pics, I marked the areas in red.

http://imgur.com/a/vFuiY#2

Arty101

You need to get a good detailed job, and have the hood clayed. Also, you need to get a good sealer/wax on the new paint, and try to avoid parking under trees and poles (birds). Black does show marks and dirt much more.

jbm79

You have to get the bird poop (tree sap, bugs, etc,) off your car ASAP as those can and will eat through your clear coat and paint. A sealer or wax will only delay the damage, meaning you still need to get those off your car.

SLH

I keep a few small bottles of water and a roll of paper towels in the trunk. They don't take much space. When a bird poops on my car, I can clean it immediately, as soon as I see it. Removing the bird poop ASAP prevents most of the damage...

lesz

Depending on how far the bird droppings have penetrated the clear coat, you may be able to get the marks out yourself fairly easily with a good professional grade polishing compound, which you can buy at place that sells automotive paint supplies. The product that I'd start with would be 3M Machine Glaze, which can also be used by hand. It will get out environmental impurities that haven't penetrated too far into the clear coat. Then, I'd finish using 3M Hand Glaze, which will remove any polishing swirls and bring the shine back to the clear coat.

If you aren't confident about how aggressive you can safely be in working on the spots, the guys in any decent body shop should be able to give it a try that would only take a couple of minutes and that shouldn't cost more than a few dollars.

Keeping water and a roll of paper towels in the trunk is something I started doing years ago. You do need, however, to be careful with using the paper towels because they can cause fine scratches in the finish that will be visible especially on very dark colors. If I am using a paper towel to remove something like bird droppings, I make sure that the paper towel is thoroughly soaked before touching it to the finish of the vehicle.

I also keep a bottle of the 3M Hand Glaze and a few micro fiber cloths in the trunk, and they can be used to do a quick removal of bird droppings, sap, etc. that might be a bit more stubborn.

nuraman00

They're gone now, after the car wash.

nuraman00

Thanks, I'll do that.

nuraman00

I'll try both taking it to a body shop this weekend, and keeping paper towels in the trunk, and making sure the paper towels are soaked before using.

lesz

Let us know how it works out.

When I bought a used ES several years ago, it had some similar spots on the (black) roof. I was able to get most of them out with the 3M products that I explained about above, but there were one or two that wouldn't come out.

Good luck.

nuraman00

Went to one body shop, where I had had some collision repair work done before. He said the only way to fix it would be a new paint job on the hood.

Then went to another body shop, where I'd never been before. (Not many body shops open on Saturdays, and the ones that are, close very early, by 1pm). He suggested taking it to a car wash detail center nearby, and recommended Mike.

I went to that car wash. Mike said I needed it clay barred. He then explained what that was. That package was going to be $135.

Mike then called for his buffer specialist, Nicholas. Nicholas said that with only the clay bar, it would smooth out the surface, but that the scarring would remain. He said I needed to get it buffed too. That package (which includes clay barring) was $175.

They said this entire process would take about 3 hours.

Thoughts?

nuraman00

Arty101, your analysis was right on that one, that's what one detailer said.

lesz

If the detailer is not confident that he can get the spots out, as an alternative to spending $175 for something that might not work, I would suggest, if the spots bother you enough, considering getting the hood refinished. With the black on your vehicle, refinishing the hood should be a fairly simple job. With the black, a panel-to-panel match should give perfect results without need for worrying about matching the color. Depending on paint shop rates in your area, getting the hood refinished should cost $500 or less.

nuraman00

In terms of aesthetics, the spots don't bother me. There's a few of them on the hood, but you have to look carefully to see them IMO.

But in terms of having something that's less than a year old, already in deteriorating condition, that's what bothers me. That's why I want to get it fixed, if possible, because it's too new (just under 10 months) for this to happen.

Unless I hear any suggestions otherwise, I will go back to the detailer and ask how confident he is in being able to remove them.

When I had gone to the 2nd body shop (the one that had recommended the car wash detailer), his rough 30 second estimate (it was almost closing time) had been $1000 for a paint job on the hood.

The detailer at the car wash had also mentioned that if I just got the hood repainted, that might just be thinning the paint, rather than actually removing the dirt and such. He said they wouldn't actually remove the embedded dirt, which is the problem.

What does everyone think of the $175 package for clay barring and buffing, is that price ok?

Also, I asked this earlier, but my old car was a Toyota Corolla, gold, and it probably was exposed to tree sap and berries for even longer prolonged times. I don't think I noticed any paint problems like with this Lexus. For the Lexus, I think I removed the tree sap and berries within a few days at worst. Should there be this much of a difference?

Arty101

I think a full exterior detailing, clay bar and sealing will cost that much - the entire car, not just the hood. If you have time, you can buy the clay bar for around $20 and do it yourself. And then you'd still need to wax and seal it. This may take you an afternoon, but you'll get to know your entire car.

I still think a black or dark color is more visible to dirt, dropping and sap. It attracts more heat and will bake those contaminants into your paint. You'll need to remove the droppings or park away from trees and poles even after you get your hood fixed. Good luck.

SLH

Shiny black is the worst. It shows everything. And, once the shiny finish is damaged by bird poop or sap, the spot is permanent. Other colors are not as bad.

I think that may be the reason the "mat" finishes are becoming more popular. People think the mat finish will not show the spots. I think they are wrong, that a mat finish shows spots almost as much as a shiny finish. I think the mat finish looks dirty constantly, even right after it is actually cleaned.

My father used to buy dirt-colored cars (beige or light brown), on the theory that they didn't show the dirt. He washed them regularly, each time he changed the air filter, about once a year. It was embarrassing.

I have red, not black. It shows the dirt, too. But, I rinse off spots as soon as I see them, and we rinse and chamois the whole car every weekend, so it never gets really bad.