coolbrazz

Wondering if anyone has had any issues with the Clear Coat finish.
My wife has a 2016 RX-350 that's garaged 90% of the time since she work from home.
The car is 4 months old with 3200 miles. She drove it out of town on a 2 day trip a few weeks ago. When I saw the car the day after her return in the garage it had bird poop on the hatch.
I gave it a hand wash that day with soap & water, but the bird poop stained the clear coat finish. Now, the warranty manual isn't clear about if this is covered or not, but out of all of the new cars I've owned through the years. I never experience bird poop staining a car finish on a 2 day trip on a 4 month old new car. The car has only been washed by Lexus and by hand from me.

Any thoughts....

Thanks,

CB

dchar

What you experienced is not an issue with the clearcoat, so you won't be able to make a case for a warranty claim. Leaving bird poop on the car for a few hours, especially under the hot sun, will cause staining. If your wife got it on the first day, it had several hours to bake and burn through the clearcoat. Some bird poop is more acidic than others, depending what they eat too. Also, staining is more obvious depending on what color your car is, so you might not have noticed it on your other cars.
Maybe try a compound and polish on that spot to see if you can make it less obvious.

The best thing to save your paint from staining due to bird poop is to have an emergency bottle of quick detailer and a microfiber cloth in your car. When you see the spot, immediately drown it with quick detailer and let it sit for a few seconds. Then use the cloth to blot it out, do not wipe because there may be rocks which may scratch the paint.

integroid

I wonder if this is due to the self healing paint? I know I worked on a 2 week old IS 350 that had water stains on the trunk lid. I used Liquid Glass (wax/cleaner) with just a microfiber pad to get it off. It took some elbow grease but turned out fine. I went back and clayed the car and used Menzema PowerLock Sealant and they havent had problems since.

coolbrazz

Thank you for your suggestions. The dealer told me that they can probably buff it out and you're right it's not covered under warranty. I leave a micro cloth & a spray bottle with water in my car. I will do the same for my wife's car. Oh, the color is that new brown color which the stain can be seen but since it's on the hatch don't think my wife seen it yet. I'll probably just get lexus to get it out.

thanks,

CB

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

All clear coat is susceptible to damage from environmental contaminants... some forms of contamination can cause permanent damage in a very short period of time.

Common things to avoid are: bird droppings, bug splatter, hard water/acid rain, and tree sap. These should all be removed from the surface of your vehicle immediately.

All of these begin as above surface contamination (stuff on top of the paint) but will transition to below surface defects with time. Bird droppings and bug guts, for instance, are typically quite acidic. The acid will begin to eat into the clear coat creating an etching or stain that can not be wiped away as it is now embedded into the clear coat. If it is left to sit, it can be permanent and require body work/paint work to repair.

For reference, the following photo shows a bird dropping etching that has eaten through the clear coat, through the color coat, and into the primer.

2URGSE

It really depends on what the bird ate and how long the poop was sitting on the paint. I've had this happened with my car when I first got it and I was able to buff off most of the stains, although a few remained, although they are almost not visible unless you view them under some intense light.

I do carry a bottle of this in the trunk along with a few microfiber towels.

http://www.autogeek.net/bird-dropping-remover.html

I also advise people to use a good synthetic sealant on their paint once they get the car washed and clayed. These products provide better paint protection against UV and bird poop and last a lot longer than wax. They will not provide 100% protection from bird poop, but much better protection than wax.

Here is my favorite sealant:

http://www.autogeek.net/rejex-16oz.html

Lastly, don't park under trees if possible.

coolbrazz

I decided to call my sales guy at Lexus, and he told me to bring it in for a wash, and I'll have the detail guys to get it out for you.
Well, they did just that. Totally removed the bird stain in the clear coat. Extremely satisfied with my Lexus dealer in Raleigh, NC.
I have learned a good lesson on clear coat, and appreciate you guys in this forum for giving some good advise.

Thanks