I had my car parked outside today in the heat and found some bird droppings. I used turtle wax's tar/bug remover to wet the droppings and gentley rubbed the spots to remove it. However, stains still remain. What can I use to remove those stains? I do not have a buffer.

Thanks.

 

Take your time and be careful with its removal, these acids should be removed and/or neutralized as quickly as possible. Using an IPA (isopropyl alcohol) no ammonia based (ammonia acts as an acid accelerant) glass cleaner or a gel alcohol hand cleaner (Purell®) place a small amount on to a first aid gauze pad and apply to effected area this will help it stay in place during the necessary dwell time. The alcohol content, acts as a drying agent, which will extract the acid, then thoroughly flush with water to rinse away any grit or sand, etc or use detailers clay to encapsulate it, re-spray the area let it dwell for 2-3 minutes and wipe dry.

Avoid using a QD spray to flush residue, as they contain either carnauba wax or polymer sealants, which will seal the acid and not allow it to dissipate. Using an alkaline rinse of baking soda and water (to neutralize the acid) as soon as is practical is highly recommended, if the affected paintwork is not neutralized any remaining acid residue will be reactivated .If the paint or glass surface has been etched the surface can be levelled with a suitable polish (Zaino PC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleanser and then apply a paint protection).

 

I have used "Speed Shine" from Gariot's Garage and it works fine.

 

That's some very good advice right there

Just as an FYI to the original poster, I've tried MANY different car waxes and sealants over the years and still haven't found one that is bird bomb proof. That acid eats through everything.

 

Thank you all for your input. I will try your recommendations. I got some of it off but still needs more work.

 

if you've tried just soaking it for a few minutes with water, then wiping gently off, I'm sure you've removed the original bomb. If there is a grey or hazed- area left over, you have damaged the clearcoat, and you'll have to use an abrasive polish to remove the mark.

Try Menzerna Intensive Polish, or 3M 39002 by hand with a terry cloth towel -- I use machines, but have had great experience with the 3M product by hand - takes some muscle, but you should be able to polish out any residual mark leftover.

Keep a spray bottle of water , quick detail spray, or whatever your preference, with some 100% cotton towels, in your trunk, so that the next time you are aware of a bomb, you can remove it right away. I just use Z6 and cotton towel and it's worked quite well to remove them if very fresh. Removal is key because as Mrosa says, no sealant can protect you from the BOMBs.

 

Yep I do have a haze left over and it was baking in the hot sun for some time. It was pretty much dry by the time I saw it. I do keep a quick detail spray and micro fiber towels. I will go ahead and try to order the same products as yours.

 

Depending on the time of year and what the bird was eating (i.e.berries) the acid can etch into your paint, you will need to use an abrasive product like Z-PC or 3M Scratch & Swirl Remover to repair the damage.

 

Try-
Collinite Super Doublecoat Auto Wax (No. 476s)
A paste type auto wax, that's detergent proof and also tends to outlast and outshine any other Carnauba auto wax, polish or protective coating under most conceivable condition http://www.colliniteautomotive.com/p....htm#super476s

 

So will Collinite keep bird bombs from etching the clearcoat ? I did a search here on the forums and on the net and found different sites but none mentioned specifically about protection against birdbombs, rather that it was deteregent proof.

 

Liquid Glass Polish will take care of that.

 

Use whatever is recommended here to remove the stains. To prevent that from ever happenning again, I would recommend a good sealant like RejeX. I slso see Collinite has already been metioned, and I've heard great thhings about it.
Goose

 

I must have received a defective bottle of rejex since it didn't prevent bird bombs from etching the paint on my F-150 and I followed the manufactures instructions to the letter and I applied several coats over a few day period

 

There is no sealer or wax made that will protect paint from acidic bird droppings etching the clear coat. No matter what you have on the car, once it sits in the sun and bakes in, you're damaged. Your only chance is to get it off before it sets in. If you dont, you will need an abrasive polish or wetsand to remove the etching.

 

My car sits outside, has been bombed by bird droppings, no damage or whatsoever since April when apllied RejeX.
Wnat a sample to try? I've already mailed a couple of samples to people who pm'd me, but I can squeeze one more if you want to see by yourself.
Goose

 

Thanks for the offer, its nice of you, but its not necessary. Im a detailer, and I have Rejex in my arsenal of close to 50 different sealant and wax products.

Its a good product like many others, but the sad truth is no sealant will protect you from acidic droppings. Using any well manufactured sealant properly and often is a good defense, but by no means a prevention of paint damage from acidic contamination. Anyone who lives near the water knows this well. Seagulls, being scavangers are the worst by far.

It all depends on the acidity of the dropping, the temp of the paint, the time sitting on the surface, etc. If you want, I can show you pictures of dark blue metallic paint that had been Rejex'd for only two weeks, and the stains etched deep into the clear coat from bird droppings sitting in the summer sun for an hour or so. The only thing that removed the stain was wetsand, polish, reseal. The Rejex may have offered a few extra minutes of protection had the owner been able to clean it off before being baked by the sun, but thats about all.

If there was ANY product that could offer complete protection, you could bet it would be in their advertising, there would be a guarantee and everyone would use it. Rejex, Zaino, Meguiars and all the others are good products but they are not perfect.

Consdier yourself lucky you havent gotten stained. Dark colors are the most prone due to the surface heat from the sun.

 

Thanks for the post Craigster, I thought for a minute I had used a bad batch of rejex.

I even emailed the company directly twice in the last 2 days to ask them specifically if their product is supposed to protect against bird bombs but they never replied. I guess customer service isn't their strong point....

 

I personally, have not had any bird dropping damages at all, and I have had some. Maybe you guys didn't apply it like it's supposed to, or hit it with a QD or something after all.
Goose

 

I applied as per the manufactures instructions to the letter. I even asked Barry a few questions prior to application. I made sure to allow it to cure "out of the elements" in the garage for each coat.

In my case, the bird droppings sat on a black truck for at least 4-6 hours in the hot Florida sun. The clear coat was etched pretty badly.

I'm sure many products would protect my finish if the droppings were wiped off right away and didn't have a chance to do that much damage.

Maybe the birds where you live don't have acid in their droppings

 

I've had excellent luck with Zaino, but it's just luck. For about a year I was able to wipe off the bombs and never had any etching. Finally my luck ran out and I got a light, hazed spot despite getting a bomb off as soon as I discovered it.

I'd put a vote in and say that no one out there can guarantee immunity to the bird bomb. The Marines ought to use them...