Cowhorn

My black 993 is a daily driver. At work, I park in an uncovered lot that seems to be very dirty (pollen, construction dust, etc). After only one day in the lot, the car becomes covered with this fine gritty debris.

Occasionally, a bird will drop its business somewhere on a painted surface of the car. I know it is important to remove the bird poop ASAP to avoid etching of the clearcoat, but I am concerned that doing so will introduce scratches if I just quick detail it instead of doing a full proper wash

What is the right way to handle this? Hose it off and air dry? Bite the bullet and wash properly then dry? I don't want water spots either.

Thanks.

LexVan

A spray bottle with distilled water can do wonders.

More info here:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...ollutants.html

Cowhorn

Thanks, Lex.

I'm getting all my frustrations out today. Can you tell?

Autogeek.net

Have a bottle of waterless wash and a couple microfiber towels on hand at all times.

How To: Wash & Wax Your Car in 10 Minutes

Marine Blue

When dealing with bird poop on a dusty surface the first step is to remove any large dust particles that could cause scratching. This could be done with a light sweep of a california duster or compressed air. I prefer compressed air but it's not always available.

I follow this with a liberal amount of quick detail spray. Griots Speed Shine has a good amount of lubricants and it's cheap enough to spray liberally. Let it sit a few seconds and then make a first pass with a very plush deep pile microfiber and gently wipe the area with the bird poop. You will only get a small amount off in the first pass.

Spray the area again and now use the shallow pile portion of a microfiber and remove any remaining bird poop.

Cowhorn

Great advice. Thanks, guys!

2K7TTMIA

About 6 months ago, AFTER I had finished washing my car, I was out for a drive and a bird did a fly-by on my hood with about a full tablespoon of fresh berry poop! Since I was on the road, I couldn't clean it up right away. It sure did do a number on the clear coat which my detailer was able to 100% polish out. Luckily, it had been about a year since the previous detail, so the paint was due for a professional job.

He basically, did a wash, claybar, mild polish ( mostly Menzerna products) and wax with a Porter Cable or Flex RO . Came out like new.

TOGWT

An extract from a TOGWT® Autopia Detailing Wiki Article - “Bird excrement; the most damaging environmental pollutants” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...ollutants.html

TOGWT® Autopia Detailing Wiki Articles, these informational resources contain everything you’ll ever want to know about automotive detailing and are an invaluable addition to your detailing knowledge base -. http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...yperlinks.html

Cowhorn

Well, I went out to my car last night after work, and yes, a bird had dumped on my hood. Driving home I cursed birds, all birds, the whole way. Underneath the anger, however, I was a little optimistic knowing I had learned a lot about how to handle this problem from your posts and feedback.

I let the car cool off then gently neutralized the crap with a mixture of baking soda and distilled water (x3 min), then extracted and dried the acid with 1:1 mixture of IPA and distilled water (x3 min), then gently rinsed with water and repeated the process.

The crap is gone, and I didn't scratch the paint, but I do have an etched defect in the clearcoat that I will have to address sometime this weekend after I wash the car.

Thanks again!

Marine Blue

TOGWT I have to disagree regarding the use of quick detail spray to remove the bird poop. There have been several instances where I have wiped somewhat fresh bird droppings from paint using a QD without issue. No etching and no etching after the fact.

I do use a liberal amount so that may have something to do with it. I speak from my personal experience on this.

95_993

Well, yesterday I wasn't quick enough. Bird crapped on the car sometime in he morning adn I was not able to get to it until it was baked on after a full in the sun....nothing like a black car. One I carefully wiped it away, I am left with some etching. I used baking soda and water and will try vinegar & distilled water. I will have to use the porter cable and Mezerma this weekend.

Jay-S

I've had good luck with this:
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/poorb...g-remover.html

Lavadero

Pls consider a car cover. The offending fowl aren't going away and will continue to target a black car.

95_993

Update: After neutralizing with baking soda solution, was able to remove fine etching with my PC, blue pad, and a very fine polish. completely gone. Now sealed with Opti-Seal and a fresh coat of wax.

1990944S2

You did the right thing 95-993 (other than owning my favorite Pcar) You've got to get a sealant on that paint. There are a plethora of polymer and perma-coats that will do the trick in preventing the bird's stomach acid from etching and/or swelling the clear. Even on the cheap at approx. $50 for a quart of Menzerna Polymer Sealant, you can give the 993 a quick dose every second weekend or so, and just power-wash the droppings off the paint without even touching it.