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View Full Version : Does any sealant/wax protect against the acids in bird crap?



muggsy
07-28-2005, 06:14 AM
Is there any wax or sealant that offers real protection against the acids in bird crap? I put one coat of Klasse AIO and three coats of SG on my car in mid-June (which looked great, by the way, thanks for the recommendations). Monday afternoon a bird crapped on my roof. By the looks of it, it was a BIG bird. It was on there an hour or two at most before I saw it, but temps were in the mid-90s and by the time I cleaned it off (with QD and a MF towel) it had marred the clearcoat. When I saw the mark I did a search here and found a variety of possible solutions. I tried clay, I tried the rubbing alcohol/water mix, I tried AIO, but the mark is still there. I just ordered the Porter Cable orbital yesterday, so when it arrives I`ll give that a shot, but for future reference, would a top layer of carnauba or anything else offer protection against this kind of thing? Frankly, I thought the AIO/SG combo would handle it, but obviously not. Under less drastic temperature conditions it probably would have been fine, but when it`s hot I don`t want to be running outside every 10 minutes to check the car.

Setec Astronomy
07-28-2005, 06:24 AM
Sad fact of life...it`s only a microns thin layer of protectant...nothing seems to be able to give 100% protection. If you had a fresh coat of a tough carnauba (#16 or Collinite), it might have splattered more, been more diffused...but probably still would have gone through.



EDIT: Maybe molecules thin would have been a better description. Maybe if you waxed the top of the car with a nice heavy layer of Collinite and didn`t buff it off...that might protect it!

Accumulator
07-28-2005, 09:15 AM
I`ve had good results (or merely good luck?) with multiple layers of KSG. I can only think of one spot where the MPV has been etched by bird droppings, and they sometimes sit on it for quite a while until I get around to washing it. I usually have about six layers of the SG on it.

Bill D
07-28-2005, 09:43 AM
This time of year where heat plus any moisture (humidity, rain storms) is around, acids in bird crap may be more likely to etch a paint finish faster and more severely. This is especially the case with dark colors. Sadly, sometimes when the physical bird crap is removed, if the acid has not been sufficiently neutralized, the spot can re etch when re exposed to heat and moisture. The damage that can occur is also partially dependent on how fast you can get to removing the bulk of the crap,what kind of bird it was, and what it had to eat. Hopefully "light bird bombs" will be less damaging.



Sealants can help make the damage less severe and certainly a high quality sealant like SG can make a difference but AFAIK, there`s isn`t a LSP that is completely "bird bomb proof" no matter what kind of bomb it is in any environment.

jfelbab
07-28-2005, 09:51 AM
The acidity in the bird dropping is dependent on what they have been eating. Some times, it won`t etch and other times, as you found, it will etch rather quickly. No wax or sealant will protect from very acidic droppings. Your only real protection is a garage or a car cover.



Do carry a QD and some MF in your trunk and get it off ASAP.



You would think that there would be a mad scientist somewhere who could make a CC that could protect aginst bird droppings.

muggsy
07-28-2005, 11:01 AM
Thanks everybody for the replies. I guess it was just a bad combination: high heat and humidity plus a big bird with a nasty diet. I`m going to try the PC this weekend, and if that doesn`t work I`m just going to learn to live with it.

imported_animes2k
07-28-2005, 12:34 PM
I wonder about PB`s Bird Sh#t Remover...

http://www.poorboysworld.com/bird-sht-remover.htm

Perhaps it`s formulated to neutralize the acids?

Bill D
07-28-2005, 12:35 PM
Not sure, I thought I had heard it`s S&W in a higher concentration. :nixweiss.

obbop
07-28-2005, 11:28 PM
Typically 24 hours max the bird turd sat on the vehicle.



I have been impressed with the Liquid Glass and its ability to fend off the etching effect.