Near the latter part of last summer, some nasty old pigeon's left my '98 hood a token of their approval while I was at work. When I left work that day I removed the birdy-doo with some water being careful not to scratch the paint, but there were five stains left behind all the size a little bigger than a silver dollar.

I thought that with 5 layers of various Zaino products on the car from earlier in the summer, that the stain would be on the surface of the wax - wrong !!

Tried some quick detailer and wiping with a soft cloth - nothing.
Tried other cleaners and polishers with light hand action - nothing.

By this time I'm ticked and tried some rubbing compound on a wet cheesecloth while spraying th surface with mix of water and car soap to keep the surface moist. All this did was dull the surface and leave some swirls while removing the stains a little bit. Tried using some Meguiar's Scratch X by hand to remove the markings. It helped a bit but the stains are still there and now I have a dulled finish with lines. I have lousy detailing skills.

I have just bought a Porter Cable Orbital Polisher with the six inch hook and loop pad and was next going to try some foam pads and Meguiars Swirl Remover Polish. Before I do this, has anybody had any experience with bird stains and swirl marks with any advice to pass on before I shoot myself in the foot yet again. My last step is professional detailing but I really want to do this myself if possible because there is always something showing up on the car that needs touch up.

Here is a picture the car (purple pearl metallic) and a close-up shot where one can see one of the stains and some surrounding marks I have left in the paint trying to fix the original problem. The white spot in the center is the reflection of the overhead garage light. I've already kicked myself in the rear end many times over this whole thing so a few more shots can't hurt.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Try some 2000 grit sandpaper on a soft block - wet, then use some rubbing compound by hand to remove those scratches.

 

Bird poop is acidic... it probably ate into your paint.

 

Clay Bar should do the trick.

 

To be honest, about 75% of the time it comes out with wet sanding. Then about 60% of the time, then stains come back. Bird **** sucks bigtime.

 

Sorry to say but I don't think so.

 

Did you try FUSION from Zaino? Call SAL at Zaino he is very helpful.

 

Try the Car Care section. Those guys over there will definitely have an answer for you

 

I agree with Roscoe, post in car care...
I think you will find that you have etched the clear coat and will need an aggressive polish/pad combination to cut into the clearcoat to get to the base of the stain and then use progressively less abrasive polishes to get rid of the swirls...

 

Ok, this need to go into car care, but I'll give you the quick and dirty.

Bird poop is highly acidic, it actually etches into the clearcoat. Nothing short of polishing will remove these marks. I ran into this last year on my car.

I used a Porter Cable buffer with an orange light cutting pad and Menzerna Intensive Polish to finally get them out. I always try the least abraisive method first and the Meguairs Swirl Remover by hand wan't enough to get the marks out. The clear coat on a Vette is VERY hard so I beleive the only way to get at the etchings is with a PC. You may be able to get them out with a PC, a whihc finishing pad and something like Zaino Fusion or Menzerna Finishing Polish. It all depends on how long the poop was allowed to sit on the clear coat. The best defense is to carry a little spray bottle of water and parper towels to remove the bird poop as soon as you notice it.

 

After reasearch on the web, this is pretty much the next step I concluded also but was seeking some validation.

Tried the Zaino clay bar before the rubbing compund and it had zero effect. I'm very nervous about wet sanding, so I'll try the polishing first when the PC polisher arrives with the accessories and pads (hopefully this weekend) before considering wet sanding.

Thanks for all the replies.

Sorry folks - I tend to gravitate to the C5 and C3 General forums and didn't notice the Car Care Section at the bottom of the queue. I'll go there next time.

 

AHHHH if youve never wet sanded a car please do not start on your vette, the bird poo ate you clear coat the only thing to remove the stain is to remove some clear coat, My reco would be a very light polishing compound followed with a few polishes and leave the marks.. because it will look alot worse befor u make it any better

 

Hate to say it but I agree. Had this happen on my '01. Tried and tried lots of stuff, but wouldn't let myself wet-sand.

Risk ain't worth the reward if you ask me. If you show and place highly typically and that little bit will affect you, go for it. But if you don't, and it's just a matter of knowing that the mark is there bothering you... let it go. Go for a few WOT runs and forget about it.

Bird crap stinks. Here in Texas if you get it in Summer your doomed. It cooks the instant it lands and bakes on in 2.7 minutes...

Good luck whatever you try, just be careful. The PC will take out the swirls and you'll be back to 99.9% new if you ask me.

 

Yeah, not to rag on the clay bar method, but the clay is just for above surface defects. The bird matter is acidic as many have said, so you actually need to start digging into the clear coat to get it out. What I would suggest is #83 Paint Cleaner from Meguiar's (its their professional line so its actually called Mirror Glaze). It is pretty aggressive but pretty dummy proof as well. You would really have to think to screw up your paints finish. I bought a Porter Cable dual action polisher last year and immediately jumped into the #83 without any problems, just don't let it dry. If you let it dry it is really hard to remove. Most polishes should not be allowed to dry. Since they aren't waxes, they are not offering any protection, just a better finish for a wax. The #9 Swirl remover from Meguiars won't touch most of the swirls out there, just because it isnt very aggressive.

If all else fails, get a rotory and spend a couple years learning how to use it and getting the maximum out of your paint. Thats what I am doing right now. Rotories will screw up your paint if your not careful, hence practicing on the wifes car.

Good luck.

 

Here's my 2 cents worth. Had the exact same happen to me. I have cut the visibility of about 5 such bird signatures to about 25% of what they were initially by using Scratch X and Poor Boys SSR1 but using them multiple (maybe 25 at this point) times. It only takes a couple of minutes to do each iteration and it's easy. Best thing is that this stuff is so mild there is no way you will do other damage. I have to really look to see the places now. Eventually they will be completely gone, I believe.

For me, being completely inexperienced with buffers and wet sanding and the like, if I were going that route, I'd be taking it to a pro. The little bit he will charge you will seem like money you wish you'd spent if you damage the finish thru inexperience.

Final tip. Keep a coat of paint sealer on the car and future bird droppings will clean right up.

 

You really want to see damage, take a pack of bologne & lay them in a nice polk-a-dot pattern over an enemies car.....[Cheating girlfriend, X-wife, some punk *** that owes you money & keeps dodging you, etc.....] Let them sit over night; this is devastating to 99% of paint jobs.
Or hurl a dozen eggs over their car, in the morning, they'll realize that it usually ruins the paint after dried. Leaves small cracks where the eggs dry out....

Hell, we were all teenagers @ one time.......careful, use this in only extreme cases, & always remember the rule, "You aren't in trouble unless you get caught!"



Like most proud Corvette owners, if I caught somebody doing that to my vette, well; they better be able to outrun 10 hollow points.

 

When and if you use the PC and polish do not let the polish dry when buffing. Spritz it with water or detail spray but do not buff dry. My experiance and 2 cents.

 

 

if your new to polishing like i am, go for
http://www.topoftheline.com/tolae/cyclo-polisher.html



exe, but e*ay prices are better at 190 or so , two random orbit , counteract any rotations and prevent you from harming...

they are the same design since the beginning, so upgrading (fixing) them is a internal parts swap and your golden
(not to mention they are Industrial Grade, for 40 hour weeks...)
if you cut the clear back, try www.touchup123.com it has a sealant in the stuff they supply that while not clear, is about as good as you can get before going pro..

my paintguy buddy sais 'get 2500' grit, wet sand, with a block (or your finger pressure will make you cry when you lift your hand) - a couple passes at a time until its 'not shiny' rinse and inspect every couple passes, then cutting compound / polisher to bring the shine back

after your done, i like the Mequires NTX speeddetailer spray , just throw it in the back comparment for just these types of pains in the bottoms!

good luck - Go Purple Pearl!

actually there is a nice chap, Richard, on CF that sold me a spare cyclo (he runs a detailing business for aircraft) has a teflon based sealant for corvettes that lasts for 70,000 airmiles (lol) or whatever aka a heck of long time (1 yr?) ->
something that hard could be what you need to seal the area instead and try and protect that area from the 70% of the time it comes out but 60% of of the time the stain re-appears as the UV rays hit the car notes...

i can try and get his details if you like... Ive not been confident enough in my abilities to use the stuff yet, but i have a spare practice panel i want to practice on now so should be able to take some pics soon


Some good comments about detailing at : http://www.topoftheline.com/tolae/auto-detail-clay.html
(altho i couldnt see any text until i 'highlighted the patches of black (lol, i guess their web master is using black on black font & bg hehe) : here is an excerpt:



In 1990, Tadao Kadate of Japan invented clay resin. It was the first product to safely, instantly and cheaply remove airborne contaminants from delicate automotive paint. It was an instant success and proclaimed a "miracle product". To this day, Detailing Clay is the only product that takes off stubborn over spray with a single, swipe of the hand.

Clay bars are used in the detailing, automotive reconditioning and auto body shop professions to remove paint over spray, tree sap and industrial fallout from the cars painted surfaces. It also works on glass, plastics and many metals.

Automotive clay is a pliable, petroleum resin product (polybutene), containing mild abrasives. These abrasives are extremely small and mixed in with a powdered synthetic detergent. To this mixture abrasives are also added, such as, silica sand, calcium carbonate, alumina, ceramics and also Green Carborundum.

Many claim that clay bars are not abrasive but that is incorrect. They are all abrasive to a degree, some add more abrasives than others and these are usually identified as being “hot” bars. I actually removed the clear from a cars lower panel once using a “hot” bar, so be cautious!

Does the clay bar actually remove contaminates or does it just shave off the top, making the specks flush with the paint? The answer is yes and no. It depends on the contaminate. The clay bar may not totally remove rail dust, but it will shave off the protruding particles. It will, however, easily remove tree sap or paint over spray.

Working with clay is simple. There is little to no risk of you doing any damage to your vehicle using a clay bar.

Tools:


4oz or 8oz clay bar
Clay Lubricant or shampoo/water mixture
Several towels (preferably microfiber)
Plastic sandwich bag

The lubricant is the “slip” solution you need to properly work the clay bar. Without some sort of slip agent, the clay will stick to the car's surface instead of sliding over it. My slip mixture is about 30oz of water with a few drops of car shampoo. Many manufacturers offer clay "lubricants" to be used in conjunction with their clay bars which always provide the proper lubrication.

The sandwich bag is used to increase the sensitivity of your touch, as you inspect the surface before and after the claying process. Your paint may feel very slick to your naked fingers, but with a plastic bag over your hand, it's a different story!

The plastic enhances your sense of touch. Suddenly that glossy, smooth paint feels coarse and is covered with specks. After the clay, you will feel nothing but glass-smooth paint.

Application:

Thoroughly wash and dry your vehicle. (To save time, many professionals clay the paint after the final rinse, while it's still wet).

Cut your clay bar into halves or thirds, so if you accidentally drop the bar (it will happen) you'll only lose a small portion. If a clay bar is dropped on the ground, it is contaminated and must be thrown away.

Always work on the vehicle in the shade, and out of the wind to save on lubricant. Spray the lubricant over a 2' x 2' area. Tuck the clay bar tucked into the palm of your hand and glide it across the lubricant.

I prefer back and forth movements to keep track of finished areas. If you are claying the entire vehicle, start from the top and work your way down to the lower sections. Use one side of the clay until it stops picking up the contaminants, and then turn it over to the fresh side.

When the second side is full of contaminants, you can knead the clay to produce two fresh surfaces. The average clay bar should clean 5 to 10 cars, depending on the amount of contamination.

Continue around the car until all painted surfaces have been clayed. You can also clay your glass, chrome, metal pieces and coated wheels. Your car should now be smooth and ready to be polished and waxed.

Common Questions:

Will claying remove my wax?

Yes, it will. Since a clay bar contains cleaning properties/abrasives and it will remove waxes, including sealants.

My clay seems to smear on the car. What am I doing wrong?

Most likely you need to use more lubrication. If not properly lubricated, clay will stick to the surface, leaving residue. The clay may have also picked up a greasy substance, which it is smearing across the surface.

Can I clay too much? Will it damage the paint?

Not if you use clays that are "non-abrasive". Do not use a clay that contains abrasives you can feel. These clays will scratch the surface.

I have been asked many times if the clay at the local hobby store will work the same. The answer is “No, it will not”. Those types of clay, even the poly clays, will crumble under pressure and contain no cleaning properties.

Happy Detailing,
Anthony Orosco
Ultimate Reflections Auto Detail

 

Thanks for all the comments and ideas.

I'm waiting for the Porter Cable polisher to show up (coincidence - I bought it from Top of the Line).

From all reading I've done on this unit, if only very light pressure is applied and it is not held in one spot, using the Meguiars #9 or #83 without letting the polish dry, should ensure I will not cause any further degradation and I hope to start to see at least some improvement.

I've seen this unit mentioned in several of the posts. I expect it to arrive on Thursday or early next week so when I get a chance to try it, I'll post the results. I hope it's a smile and not a frown. If it does not work, I'll take that advice to take it to a professional.