redwhisky

About a week ago i found bird droppings on my car. Unfortunately it left marks. I heard that i may have to wetsand and buff. Is this true ? What should i do ? I have a 3GS. Please Help.

toyemp

wetsanding is only for extreme damage. I would try polishing it out first and only if that didn't work would I wetsand. I would estimate that 99% of the time, a good polishing will be sufficient.

lexusk8

Buy yourself a bottle of Meguiar's Scratch-X from Walmart, Target, or any auto parts store. It's great for removing oxidation and swirl marks, and most of the time bird dropping marks. It is nice to use when a detail spray doesn't cut it to remove hard-to-clean stuff on the car.

jfelbab

I second the ScratchX if you are to do this by hand. The product works best with a very brisk polishing technique that generates some heat. It needs to be worked until the abrasives break down and then wiped off while it's still wet. It will likely need several applications. Re wax after.

Another good idea is to carry a bottle of Quick Detailer (QD) in your car with a couple cheap microfiber towels. Use this to remove the bird dropping as soon as you see it.

Polymer sealants seem protect a little better than conventional waxes against bird crud but depending on their diet, some bird dung is very acidic and will eat through anything.

Lexucan

You haven't had your car shat on until it has been shat on by a Canada Goose!

There is a nesting pair living very close to where I work. I see them flying overhead at low altitude on a daily basis, but when I left work a couple of weeks ago, I walked out to my car and COULD NOT BELIEVE how covered it was in goose poop! One excretement alone was enough to totally cover a side window and door panel. Talk about gross! My car has been attacked by large birds like crows and gulls in the past, but this one took the cake!

Guitarman

I would suggest removing the dropping with some isopropyl alcohol & water, or a mixture of baking soda & water, to neutralize the acids. I found out the hard way that a quick detailer and/or water alone won't remove all the acids. The alcohol acts as a drying agent and the baking soda a neutralizer.

Years ago, a seagull dropping almost cost me a fender repaint on my T-Bird Supercoupe, I removed the rather large dropping with a quick detailer, but it was etched already (4 hours!) so I wetsanded it, successfully. Or so I thought. The next morning I came out to the garage and found further etching. Lucky for me I had 4 coats of clear on the car, and I could wetsand again. If it was oem paint, I would certainly have had to respray the panel.

The acids got into the paint and even wetsanding didn't stop them.

Think about battery acid on a pair of jeans...the real damage occurs after washing them, you add water and the jeans have a hole in them afterward. You must neutralize the acid to stop the damage .You can't see it happening.

Hope this helps save someone some heartache.

UAL

I've actually had a problem w/ bird dropping on my old M5's windshield.........I was never able to take it off. Any tips on that Guitarman?

HarrierAWD

Scratch X or any other polishing compound actually removes a layer of paint.

I'd try bug and tar remover first, then try clay bar. Use polishing compound only as a last resort.

Guitarman

UAL, since your glass has apparently etched from the dropping, your only option is to try a glass polish.

Eastwood sells a kit designed for it:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/s...&keyword=40030


As do others:

http://www.scratchglass.com/

Or take it to a professional glass repairman. If it's not too deep, they should be able to remove it. Best of luck.

mmarshall

Yes......that or SCRATCH-OUT. I have had excellent luck with SCRATCH-OUT.
http://www.kitwax.com/html/kitProducts.htm

It is available at some CVS stores, auto-parts shops, and dealer parts departments.

I have not used the Meguiar's formula but suspect that it is similiar to SCRATCH OUT. You may need several treatments or have to rub it in hard. If the marks are too deep into the paint, of course, neither formula will work and you will need a body shop....or in some cases you can hide the affected area with wide black tape and artificial trim stripes.

UAL

Guitarman,
Is there anyone of telling how deep it is? Have you tried the glass polish before? From a level of 1-10, how difficult is it to polish glass? Thanks!

Guitarman

Yes, I've done some glass polishing, but not with the Eastwood kit. DIY level is probably about a 5-6 with the kits , since they lead you through the process via detailed directions.


One rule of thumb: If you can feel it with your fingernail or fingertips, it's too deep to remove it via polishing.

UAL

Thank you Guitarman.

redwhisky

Thanks a lot guys. Now i know how to polish glass as well. LOL