What`s the strangest thing you`ve seen...

[KnightSky]

I`m a student..took my father`s car to school. Birds hit it badly and knowing the little that I do about bird damage (I know lots now after reading the articles on here) I didn`t really wash it cause I was in the middle of exams.



And I washed it a few days ago. There are small black stops on the hood in certain places where the bird turd has been cooked on to the hook? How can I get it off without damaging the paint? I tired washing it, that didn`t work. Something tells me paint thinner probably isn`t a good idea, how about rubbing alcohol.



The car is dark green and the bird stuff is now black. It`s not really visible, so if I"m going to cause damage to the paint by removing it, it might be best to just leave the baked on turd.



help!



thanks.

[wchen]

Use claybar that will take it of without damage

[boywonder]

Since bird manure is an acidic brew, leaving it sitting on the paint allowed the acids to eat into the paint, hence the reason for the black spots. Although a clay bar will work, it may not get deep enough to get some of the damage that the bird bomb caused. What may have to happen is that the car would have to be buffed using a 3 stage process with a high speed buffer. The first stage is cleaning and you might need either a light or medium cut cleaner (dependent on the severity of the bird bomb damage to the paint). Second, you will need a swirl remover/polish. Third, you will need a wax.

[TiCoup]

Worst case is it may have eaten all the way through the clear coat and into the underlying color coat. Short of repainting, there is no cure for this.

[old_gonzo]

This is called "etching". The same thing will happen if hard water spots are allowed to remain on the paint surface.

[TiCoup]

My black Explorer I bought used has a few small "etches" on the hood from the previous owner and it just kills me everytime I see them. Someday I`ll break down and have the hood repainted.

[jr weeks]

To risk it. Go too thin and the clear will fail by turning white . I had severe seagull droppings on my T-Bird, from my wife parking it at a mall under lighting stanchions, and by the time she got it home it had already ( 2 -3 hours later ) etched the clear pretty bad. But, for me,I had painted the car myself with about 3.5 mils of clear ( oem about 2 ) so I had room to work, and indeed I was able to color sand it out.If you ever get a car painted, pay a bit more to have quality paint and a couple extra layers of clear. it`s worth it in the long run.

[Don2000g]

Totally, totally agree. I paid an extra $50 bucks for clear on a 94 car that I had two years ago. The painter put an extra two coats of clear and I was extremely happy with the results. Naturally, the shine with the extra clear was quite a site. Awesome. Laters.

[DaGonz]

Another product from Mother nature that can damage your car`s paintwork is tree sap....specifically pine sap. Pine sap is highly acidic and will etch the paintwork if it is not removed as soon as possible. Pine sap that is fresh should rinse off with soap and water if the surface has a good wax finish...once it starts to harden you will have problems removing it.



If you have hardened pine sap, it can be removed using a solvent such as DuPont Prep Sol, 3M road tar solvent or mineral spirits. You will remove the wax finish, so it is important to rewax the areas once the sap is removed to maintain the protection of the paintwork.

[boywonder]

Correct me if I am wrong, but can berries have the same effects as bird droppings? The reason I am asking this is a co-worker of mine has an Altima. This car has a lot of remains of dried berries.

[DaGonz]

If the "berries" have been through the bird...yes! Just a short time ago at the firehouse, I was getting into my truck to head home after a night tour when a large greenish purple avian fecal bomb struck the hood of my F-150...deposited by a member of a flock of crows flying overhead (damn birds! :mad: ). I drove to the rear of the station and used a hose to rinse off the mess...I already had a few coats of wax on the truck, so it literally slid off the surface when the water was applied. When I got home I did a complete washing and rewaxed the hood area.

[boywonder]

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

<em class=`bbc`>Originally posted by Gonzo0903 [/i]
<strong class=`bbc`>If the "berries" have been through the bird...yes! Just a short time ago at the firehouse, I was getting into my truck to head home after a night tour when a large greenish purple avian fecal bomb struck the hood of my F-150...deposited by a member of a flock of crows flying overhead (damn birds! :mad: ). I drove to the rear of the station and used a hose to rinse off the mess...I already had a few coats of wax on the truck, so it literally slid off the surface when the water was applied. When I got home I did a complete washing and rewaxed the hood area. [/b]</blockquote>
Nope. These were straight from the tree. Also, the owner`s paint is mildly oxidized.

[DaGonz]

Come to think of it..there are some fruits that are acidic in naturte...a berry is a fruit...so I guess that if a berry hit a vehicle, splattered on impact then baked into the finish fron the sun, it`s entirely possible!

[WonderTwin]

in/on others` vehicles while driving?

My better half and I were heading north on I75 one happy evening. The road trip was going smoothly. We were enjoing a lovely cup of coffee and some pleasant conversation when a rather attractive full size pickup passes us by -I think it was a Ram- and the first thing my eyes zero in on is a freakin` huge white bra hanging from the handle on the A-pillar. Of course, the owner of said bra had her sock feet propped up on the dash. Side note: why, with passenger side airbags equipped, would anyone ever think to put their feet up there? :scared:

[Todd@RUPES]

I`d say what I saw yesterday but I would get banned.... Use your imagination and you are probably right.