A little side-project before I start on my own car...

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Porkibear

New member
So here it is:

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My girlfriend's 2008 328i coupe. She garages this car, but doesn't really keep up with washing or removing bird droppings unless I do it for her. *no comment*... Anyway, since I am going to begin my detailing/paint restoration project on my car, I decided to practice on hers first. I'll keep you guys updated with photos on the forum along the way.

I decided to start with one panel first...the trunk lid. It seems to have a lot of pits and bird dropping stains, so it's a good practice panel. I started with washing the car, then claybarred the trunk lid. That removed a bunch of the surface contaminants I could physically feel with my fingertips. What was left was a really bad bird dropping stain, and multiple spot defects. Here are two photos of the stain:

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The surface of this stain is by mo means smooth. My finger gets caught as I run my fingertips along it's path.

My first run-through I used a hi-gloss PAC orange compounding pad with Menzerna Intensive Polish. I went over the trunk lid with three applications of the Menzerna. Stain is unfortunately still there. (BTW, I'm using a PC7424.)

I thought it might be interesting to use a 45X magnifying lens to zero in on the paint defect. What I saw is that the acid from the bird droppings actually made the clearcoat surface look like a cracked barren desert. Not sure if you can see this as clearly as I can, because I'm taking these photos with an iPhone... Here it is:

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This was a close up of only a side-stain of the main stain. I put a pen there to give a size perspective. The stain I zoomed in on is located where the flourescent lighting is reflecting off the surface.

I'll keep updating this thread as I go. So far, I'm pretty sure this stain won't come out without a heavier cutting pad and a rotary polisher... :(
 
That picture (the second one) looks like 'crow's feet' and is actually the clear coat failing. It cannot be fixed, but by keeping up with the car better, you can often keep it from spreading.

The only way to fix it is too repaint it.
 
Mercy - good luck with it!! I always knew that bird crap was bad, but until I started reading up on detailing, I had no idea HOW bad. I keep some Speed Shine and microfibers in each of our cars just in case of an aerial attack.
 
Slik560 said:
Mercy - good luck with it!! I always knew that bird crap was bad, but until I started reading up on detailing, I had no idea HOW bad. I keep some Speed Shine and microfibers in each of our cars just in case of an aerial attack.
Click to expand...

Various clear coats react differently to it as well. I know the clear on my two Volvos, if a bird craps on it, you better get it off and get it off fast, or you are going to be in for a heavy polish-job, if not worse. But, other cars I've had, like my GMC Pickup (black), I could leave it on for a week and it'd just wash right off with no trace. Either way, you are right, keep a microfiber and some speedshine in the trunk, just in case.
 
Day 2--STILL on the trunk lid...

After much "massaging" of the trunk lid, I've finally and regretably can say that the bird dropping stain is NOT coming out. I don't think I have the right tools, or there's just too much damage to the clearcoat layer. All I can do is make it look less apparent.

After several applications of Menzerna IP, and even two additional applications of 3M Swirlmark Remover, I finished with Klasse AIO and one coat of Klasse Sealant Glaze. I have yet to apply any carnauba wax, since I currently don't own any Blackfire or P21S. Nevertheless, I'm pretty satisfied on the finish--aside from not being able to remove the stain. There were two other stains on the trunk that weren't as bad, and I was able to polish them out to a nearly indistinguishable level. Here are the final shots of the trunk lid:

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As you can see in the last picture, the stain is essentially still there, but can only be seen in different angles and lighting. Oh well...it's a leased car anyway.

At this point, I'm probably going to just finish the rest of the car with Menzerna Final polish II and both Klasse AIO and Sealant. If anyone would be willing to donate some P21S or Blackfire for the sake of "research", I'll gladly accept. :). Right now I'm a full-time student getting prepped for state board exams in California, so this is my way of winding down from studying... *sigh*. Speaking of which...back to studying I go.
 
Update on my side-project

So here's a quick update... I picked up on this project again this weekend. My girlfriend was asking for her car back, so I had to finish up one side. I had initially only claybarred one side of the car.

I decided that the rest of the car didn't have as much damage as I thought. It's relatively new, so no major swirl marks to remove. I decided on just applying Menzerna FP2, Klasse AIO and Klasse SG. The side of the car came out perfectly. Looks and feels brand new.

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One thing I noticed that I haven't noticed before is that after I apply the Klasse SG (this is after applying the AIO), the paint surface doesn't feel as "silky smooth" as right after the AIO is applied. Not sure if you guys have experienced the same. I also felt like the Klasse Sealant Glaze was really difficult to buff out with a microfiber. The only thing I could do to remove trace residue was to spritz with a water bottle and wipe again. :/

Anyway...I used my old pads for this side project while waiting for my Lake Country pads to show up. They finally did, so I'm excited to get started on my own car...

I'll post final pics of this project once it's completely done. I have yet to tackle the bumpers and sideskirts.
 
Looks shiny! :D Great job. Unfortunately sometimes it is just better to live with the defect and avoid ruining the paint then chance perfection.

Looks great :D
 
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