remove bird dropping

Hi,

I have an '03 accord. Owing to my negligence, I left some bird dropping sit on my car for a few days. Went to get the car
washed and detailed today, and the guy tells me that a few of the spots have damaged the clear coat on the paint.

I was just doing a little reading on the web, and realized (excuse my ignorance) that bird droppings are the worst problem
for car paint. People recommended everything from polishing the spots to putting a little seltzer water on it. I don't know
who to believe.

Can anyone suggest how I should deal with this? I would really appreciate this.

Regards,

hiren

 

get a bottle of "quick detailer", or anything that you are supposed to
spray on your car to make it shiny. Spray the bird doo and wait a while
for it to soften. Then gently wipe it off

 

I had that happen with my 2000 Civic back when it was new. I left some bird
droppings on for a week and when I washed it off, the clearcoat had become
cloudy from the acids in the droppings. I used a scratch remover polish
(such as Maguiar's Scratch X or GT-88) to buff out the damaged clear coat.
After using that and applying a nice coat of wax she was good as new.

Ever since then I've been religious about cleaning off bird droppings. I,
like you, ended up learning the hard way. Also, for future reference, when
you go to clean the droppings off the car, use a hose and lightly and
gradually spray it off. DO NOT EVER wipe it off no matter what. Most birds
eat sand and small rocks and stones to held them digest their food. Any
wiping action on your part to clean it off will scratch the hell out of your
paint.

Sean

sit on my car for a few days. Went to get the car

have damaged the clear coat on the paint.

ignorance) that bird droppings are the worst problem

putting a little seltzer water on it. I don't know

 

this.

if the clear coat is damaged, seltzer water wont bring it back. you could
always carry a damp rag in a ziplok baggy.

 

only if youre scrubbing your whole hood with a doodoo covered rag. wiping it
off when noticed with a wet rag or using spray detailer is better than
waiting until you can get to a hose.

 

It could be a problem with chemical absorption, not damage. Try
saturating a clean sponge with distilled water and setting it on the
cloudy area overnight.

 

Good idea in theory, but keep in mind it'll start to stink after
awhile. Maybe better to carry a small bottle of water and paper
towels or a rag.

 

I kind of stumbled on a trick that works pretty good for the semi hard to
baked on varieties, heh. I take a saturated paper towel in water and
sometimes halve it or quarter it and let it stick to poop spot for a good
couple of minutes but before it dries off of course and usually the poop
sticks to the paper towel like MAGIC, then you gently wipe off whatever is
left

 

Kevin McMurtrie wrote in message ...

Another good idea is putting a car cover everytime you park your car.

 

In chemistry ( I work with process inks at work in flexographic
equipment) a pH value less than 7 is ACIDIC [ you stated it was BASIC ].
A pH value greater than 7 is BASIC (or alkaline if you prefer).pH value
of 7 (water) having a neutral value in either acidity or alkalinity.In
either case though you could be right on the effects of bird
droppings,because either pH extreme can damage a paint finish.

 

I have worked with birds before. Because their droppings are basic (pH < 4),
household ammonia dilute the urea. (The droppings are very concentrated
urea.)
{Same as using isopropyl alcohol to remove permanent marker.}

However, I do not know if the ammonia will react with the finish on your
car. You may want to start with a diluted version (1 part ammonia to 10
parts water).

Spritz the ammonia solution onto the droppings and wait 2-3 minutes then
spray site with a water hose. Yes, careful not to rub due to seeds, sand,
etc. in the droppings.

Maybe use a "tester" site and work your way to a ratio that's safe. The
solution does not have to be as basic as the droppings (or as harmful to
your finish as the droppings); the solution only has to be basic enough to
initiate dilution of the urea.

As for doing this "on the road". You can spritz your solution and rinse with
water anywhere. It works better before the droppings dry. Carry a gallon of
water to rinse.

Hope this helps,
camo

sit on my car for a few days. Went to get the car

have damaged the clear coat on the paint.

ignorance) that bird droppings are the worst problem

putting a little seltzer water on it. I don't know

 

Sorry, Meant pH > 8
camo

 

Good thing I did a car wash the same day the birds inundated my car.

( modify address for return email )

www.numbersusa.com
www.americanpatrol.com

 

In Manhattan?

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VOTE HIM OUT! November 4, 2004

 

I prefer to focus on prevention:

http://www.kill-9.com/videos/FinalBird.mpg

Andrew