Help with Bird Dropping on Brand new paint!

H

hawanphoto

New member
My paint is jet black. Brand new car, put Klasse AIO, followed by SG, then P21S Wax. I was driving my other car for about a month, came back to find bird droppings on one of the panels. Thought washing the car would take care of it, as the Sealant Glaze and AIO should provide protection, right? But after washing, the stains from the droppings remained, etched in the paint. Why did not the SG and AIO protect?



I then proceeded to do the following on the panel all by hand: one coat of 3M rubbing compund, then Meguiar's Sratch X, then P21S paintwork cleansing lotion, then Meguiars #7 show car glaze, then Klasse AIO again then Klasse SG, then P21S.



Followed the article on here by David for removing bird droppings damage by polishing. But still, the stains, though less prominent now, have not gone away! Please help! What should I do? Or is the damage permanent now and only repaint will work? ANd why did not the SG in the first place protect?



Thanks,
 
If you are working by hand only, I would definitely try some Meguiar's #105. This gives me the best results when working by hand. If that doesn't work, I would move up to a DA polisher and that should take care of your problem.
 
Thanks! What is a DA Polisher? And why didnt the Klasse AIO, Klasse Sealant Glaze, and P21S Wax combo protect in the first place from the Bird dropping getting into the paint?
 
hawanphoto said:
Thanks! What is a DA Polisher? And why didnt the Klasse AIO, Klasse Sealant Glaze, and P21S Wax combo protect in the first place from the Bird dropping getting into the paint?
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Nothing can protect you indefinitely. It's debatable whether sealants/waxes offer any protection against bird droppings; none of them are going to make the car impervious to poop.
 
hawanphoto said:
.........why didnt the Klasse AIO, Klasse Sealant Glaze, and P21S Wax combo protect in the first place from the Bird dropping getting into the paint?
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It depends on the bird and what the bird ate on how acidic the dropping is going to be and how bad/fast it will etch. I have seen some droppings etch a well protected (waxed) surface in about 4 hours while others have sat on beaters for weeks w/o any damage and they had no LSP (wax or sealant) at all. You say you were driving another car for about a month so it's possible the bird bomb sat there for 3 - 4 weeks etching through the P21S, then the SG, and then the paint.



The best thing you can do is get them off ASAP by washing or with a QD and keeping a healthy coat of heavy wax (Collinite 476) on the paint or on top of your sealant. P21S isn't known for durability and standing up to things like bird bombs, but rest assured if you didn't have the SG and P21S on there the damage could have been worse.



I would try ScratchX again (with a lot of passion) or use some #105 by hand as someone else mentioned. Below are some threads for more info:



How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online



M105 by hand vs 2500 grit wetsanding marks - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online



By hand-- - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online



A DA is a Dual Action polisher such as the PC7424, Flex 3401, etc:



Car Polisher, Auto Buffer - The Ultimate Detailing Machine by Porter Cable



Porter Cable 7424 Car Buffer, 7424 Polisher



Flex Tool XC 3401 VR (Orbital)
 
hawanphoto said:
ANd why did not the SG in the first place protect?



Thanks,
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Waxes and sealants are sacrificial barriers and will give way over time. If the bird dropping was strong and acidic enough to etch into paint that is designed to last for years and years, a product that will last for months cannot stop it. However, sealants do buy you some time but sooner or later if the dropping is allowed to bake into the finish, it will degrade the sealant protection.



It's very possible that the stain may be removed completely or at least the appearance of the etching reduced dramatically. I have been able to erase bird etchings with the Flex Polisher, orange LC pad and Menzerna SIP followed by Micro Polish.
 
hawanphoto- Welcome to Autopia!



The etching is permanent in the sense that it's eaten into the paint and the only way to fix it is through more abrasion. Better think twice about that and consider living with it as thinning the clear too much is a bad idea.



OTOH, by-hand application of many rubbing compounds ends up being pretty gentle...hmm... :think: I'd be careful, but I *think* you can get more aggressive without overthinning the clear. But you'd need a paint thickness gauge to know for certain.



I get decent bird-bomb protection with KSG but only when I layer it, at least four layers, six seems optimal. For adequate protection with fewer applications, I do better with Collinite's paste wax. With these approaches I sometimes get away with leaving the bird-bomb on there for days...not that I'd recommend anybody do that.



But if the birb-bomb is especially nasty (just depends on the bird and what it's been eating), then *nothing* will prevent damage except prompt removal.



Oh, and IMO you're making this harder on yourself than necessary. The KAIO will clean off anything the Meg's #7 leaves behind, so IMO you might as well skip that step.
 
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