eldwin

So I have my car washed after about a week of rain we had here in San Diego and I noticed some spider web cracks on my trunk. It looks like its in the paint. I have no idea how this happened. I've babied this car and the paint.

Anyone know how to fix this or am I totally screwed?

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Judging from the pics, it looks like etching from bird droppings. Do you have any better pictures you can post up? Its sorta hard to see the details

eldwin

Thanks for responding man... I'll try and get some better pics up tomorrow when there's daylight.

But I think you're right... it does look like its from bird poo.

Is there a fix without repainting?

UDel

I have got pretty much the same thing on my hood and roof, it looks like etching from either bird crap or tree sap. Unfortunately the only way to properly fix it is to repaint it. I tried polishing it with a PC and nothing changed. I did try taking a black perm marker and going over a spot which got rid of the white etchings/cracks but the area where I used the marker stood out and was different from the paint, not sure if I can say it looked any better. Touch up paint would look terrible on those spots and would really stand out unless you are really good at wetsanding, blending, and buffing/polishing the area smooth. The only thing I could think of would be to try the Dr. Colorchip system but I have never used it so I don't know if it would work well or not.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

You can DIY using ScratchX 2.0 if you can find it in retail stores right now. That is prolly the best method I can recommend off the top of my head on OTC products.

Another is contacting local detailers and having them do it. I believe Bryan (Tuan92129) is right by you with detailing experience. If this is beyond him or you cannot get rid of it yourself then I guess I can help you the next time I go visit my GF over at UCSD. I can just meet up with you on some parking lot and get rid of it by hand haha

Anyway, try doing it by hand first. ScratchX 1.0 or 2.0 works great. Its just that 2.0 isn't found everywhere yet

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Sometimes you can get lucky if it isn't too etched in. I had a client with a Carbon Black M5 with a bird dropping and I managed to get rid of it using a Orange 4in LC pad with Menzerna Power Gloss. I did have to tilt the machine a bit to concentrate the cut though but it turned out great in the end

Before


After

eldwin

Wow that's amazing.

DetailMan

The paint is cracking, it needs to be repainted.

eldwin

more pics taken in the sun today.

dunnojack

damn. that's on an 08 IS already??

hard to believe such a new car would have cracked paint already


how often do you wax your car?

eldwin

I waxed it 3 times this past year. I'm shocked as well... that is one powerful bird poo.

dunnojack

some say waxing can protect the paint from poo.

i guess this means I should wax the hood, roof, and trunk every month.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

That is some major cracking in the clear there sadly . That means repaint is in order too

From now on, get into the habit of carrying a bottle of Quick Detailer and a microfiber towel in your car. That way you can immediately remove the bird crap when it hits or when you notice it. Also, try to keep a layer of protection on there because it'll help slow how fast the poop eats into your clear...

Also, one more thing, some waxes are not known to last more than a month. Keep that in mind when you wash/wax your car. If you want true durability pick up some Collinite 845 or 476 to use on your car

UDel

Wow, I did not see that your car was so new and for this to happen already sucks. There is definitely different kinds/degrees of bird poo from different species. Some bird droppings don't do much damage like the smaller all white ones and can just be rinsed off but my car has been hit with some species that leaves a pretty big mostly clear splatter with some red and undigested grains and seeds and bugs that immediately etches into the paint and leaves a mark, must be some highly acidic digestive juices. The one time it could have only been on my car for a couple hours because I generally check often and I washed it off but the damage was still done. The worst thing was I had 2 coats of collinite 476S on it which is the best you can get for protection and it still ate through and left a mark I can still see on the spoiler.

I still would get some Collinite 476S and put a few coats on your car as you obviously have this destructive bird species in your area, it may help more when your car gets hit again. You may want to put a good sealant process before the Collinite 476S like Zaino, Klass, or Jeff Werkstatt to give even a little more protection.

Sorry but it looks like a repaint is your only option to fully address as the etching/pitting looks un polishable. Unless you are really good at touchup, wetsanding, polishing, blending, and buffing I doubt you can make a difference in that with just polishing.

Dr. Colorchip may be able to address it but I have not tried it yet but plan to shortly. Don't feel too bad, my car has a couple of those etchings and may dads Acura CL has one or two and it is not that uncommon. Damn birds.