amfp

For bird bombs, spraying vinegar and water works the best - at least for me. It neutralizes and allows any gravel to be absorbed with a cotton towel.

OCBen

Dude, I hate to break it to you, but if bird crap is mainly acidic, adding vinegar (which is essentially acetic acid) is NOT going to neutralize it. You're gonna need a base solution such as baking soda and water (an alkaline solution) to neutralize an acid - Chemistry 101.

Hmmm, that's got me thinking. Maybe I can come up the the right pH solution using baking soda and water that will immediately, upon spraying an affected area, stop the etching of the paint from the bird bomb acid and prevent further damage even while the **** is still there getting dissolved before it can be loosened enough to rinse away. So instead of plain water this alkaline solution would be a better solution! Guess I could collect some of these bombs and test the pH acidity level and -- nah, I'll hire some kid looking for a school science project for that and let him sell the recipe!

fontaines911

Does a new Porsche come with any wax on it? I just got mine and have washed it twice (400 miles) and just got the ClearBra put on and now wonder if it's time to wax?

OCBen

No, the dealer does that as part of the prep service they do. I had requested no wax and that's how it was delivered. As soon as I had her home I began my detailing process. These paints are already cured at the factory. You don't need to wait some ridiculous amount of time before you can start protecting your paint finish. So yes, before incurring any damage (such as the aforementioned bird crap) get that thing waxed. Read the previous posts for where to get detailing instructions.

996toomey

Hi OcBen:

If you get around to some pictures this weekend, please include some interior shots.

Thanks.

OCBen

Uh oh, nothing like a little pressure on a warm summer night! ... Hey Toom, I never said I would do special requests!!! ... Well, okay. I really am after taking some nice interior shots. I'll see what I can do. No promises now. But if I do a shoot, the focus will be on interior shots, since I lack some good ones. You did see the following pic I had posted about a week or so ago, right?

996toomey

I did thanks and it is understood no special requests but a sweeping shot across that nice full leather interior showing the absense of the clock on top would be great.

texas911

The wax depends on individual dealers. Mine was selling a "protection" package, that I had to pay for, but told my salesman that I didn't want the crap on my car. I can do infinitely better than any detailer they have at the dealership, probably some illegal being paid half the minimum wage.

jjporsch43

Hey texas 911...I thought all the illegals were here in San Antonio detailing cars at the local dealerships..........

amfp

OCBen,

I found that white vingear in a spritzer bottle mixed 50% with water works fine and never damaged my pristine paint. To remove droppings from the cab top, spray with a mist bottle 50% water and white vinegar, rub slightly and flush with water. Maybe it works so well is because I attend to it quickly. And after washing, I wax as soon as I can.

The longer we leave bird presents on our paint, the more damage they will cause. The acids can etch a microscopic depression in the paint. Removal as soon as possible will help minimize the damage. If you are uncomfortable to use 50% vinegar and water, carry a bottle of no salt seltzer water. No salt seltzer water is nothing more basically than water, and will not harm your paint. It can be shaked and sprayed over bird dropping. Rub this area as little as possible. As we know birds use gravel to digest their food and it is grit that also causes problems. If you try and rub off the solids, maybe with not properly diluted baking soda you may scratch the paint.

Bottom line too what helps is having a good coat of wax, and if a Cab, having a protective top spray.

1080iAddict

Thanks everyone!! Bird dropping emergency is over. Etching is completely gone. Used Meguiars Paint Cleaner, Polish, and Wax, in succession. Had to do it 3 times but its gone (I was very gingerly using the products to be safe).

Now life can move on.

OCBen

Mo,

I’m sorry, but you are terribly misinformed. I don’t know who told you to do this or if you took it upon yourself, but you don’t put acid on top of acid to try to stop the damage of acid. Your ignorance of basic chemistry, heck, of common knowledge, is an embarrassment. And for you to insist that this works for you, as though it were a diet plan or some other subjective course of action, is a further embarrassment. Maybe this simple example will help you understand the chemistry at work.

If you have acid indigestion you don’t neutralize the acid in your stomach by drinking orange juice or vinegar or anything containing acid, right? You neutralize it by taking an antacid which contains bases that react with the hydrochloric acid in your stomach to raise the pH level, making you feel better as a result. You could also neutralize it by drinking some of your seltzer water that you mentioned – I agree with you there! (We call seltzer water here soda water or club soda or carbonated water.) Soda water contains sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which is an alkaline (or a base). And yes, not only will it relieve your acid indigestion but it will also neutralize and stop the etching action of the acid in the bird crap. So I agree wholeheartedly with you there in using seltzer water on bird droppings. But you are wrong to use vinegar for that purpose.

I also disagree with you when you say to “rub this area as little as possible.” To prevent further damage do not rub AT ALL. Simply rinse the crap away with water after it’s been neutralized and softened enough to allow removal by rinsing only.

I recommend that you read some of the articles concerning this and other car care topics in the websites I mentioned above. Autopia.org also has a special section on cabriolet tops. I think it will be well worth your time to peruse some of the tips and advice. I sure found it worthwhile.

amfp

OBBen,

Understand your views, and that is what this board is about -- trying to professionally share experiences and opinions for our passion of fine automobiles. The reader can analyze/over analyze and decide what may be best for them. Clearly, one answer does not always fit all, and some questions can have different solutions. Some may make little sense. Even chemically. One example is washing a car with Dawn dish detergent. To me, chemically, it can ruin trim pieces, wheels, and maybe paint overtime. But others on boards swear by using Dawn. Another is frequency for 1st and on-going oil changes. Chemically, Mobil 1 claim their oil can last 15,000 miles. Others, like me, would say, it depends.

I first read about the 50% water and vinegar from the PCA tech concours chair, John Paterek. Plus, my own personal experiences. This was reconfirmed again through a regional concours workshop held prior to the Hershey Parade.

This is the answer from the PCA tech section that I respect:

"To remove droppings from the top, spray with a mist bottle 50% water and white vinegar, rub and flush with water" (BTW, I am sure "rub" means softly. Not like polishing a clean car).

Bottom line, 1080iaddict, resolved his problem with even another solution, which great, and as he properly mentioned "life can move on".

OCBen

Key word there is top, as in a cabriolet canvas top. You apparently misunderstood their advice and misapplied it to painted surfaces as well, which was a mistake.

Carcam

You may be getting your basic chemistry mixed up a little. It's true that bases neutralize acids but it's also true that "like dissolves like". Remember organic solvents for organic chemicals; water for water-based, etc. A dilute acidic solution is more likely to break up and dissolve an acidic bird dropping. A basic solution will neutralize the pH but do little for dissolving and removing it. My car is parked outside at work and I have tried several things over the years for the occasional bs and since reading in Excellence long ago, a 50% soln of vinegar does work best, followed by a quick coat of whatever wax is on the car.