cafpaf

Although this did not happen to our new RX, (it happened to my 2008 Cadillac CTS) I thought that I would seek your help here and maybe other of our members will benefit from my experience and your help.

Well, when we came out of the restaurant after dinner, some evil bird with an acid butt unloaded on the hood of my car. So...when I got home I immediately cleaned it off with cold water. I have a black care and that is when I noticed the little "etchings" of the surface. I have tried many things to remove them but to no avail. First, I used bug and tar remover, no luck. After that, I used a clay bar. I could still see them. Then Meguiers cleaner wax. A little better but still there. Next can Meguiers Swirl X. The same as the cleaner wax. The last thing I tried was Meguiers Scratch X. Still there. Finally I just gave up and put a coat of Meguiers NXT on the entire hood. While it looks good, if you look closely at an angle you can still see them. My Dad would say, "A blind man on a fast horse would never notice." but I know that they are there. That brings me to my burning question for the evening. Short of having a professional detail done, what can I use to get these things off the paint? Remember they are on the hood and the car is black. Any and all help will be appreciated

stw2046

The ScratchX should work fine. I suspect in your case, you will need a buffer to work it. Good luck!
In case that does not cut it. Since you like Meg's products: try Ultimate Compound going with a brown cutting pad on a DA.
All the best!

cafpaf

stw2046, I do not own a buffer. I can certainly buy one, but I have never used one and would have to have someone teach me as I would not want to create more problems than I am trying to solve. Please tell me what you mean by a brown cutting pad on a DA. I don't know what that is. Thanks for your help.

cafpaf

X Men, I don't know if your intentions to help were honest or not, but I would suspect not. I doubt that there are many out there who take better care of their cars than I do mine. It had just been completely detailed with a clay bar, cleaner wax, and a top coat of NXT just ten days prior to this incident. It has also been done repeatedly with Quick Detailer. If you are really trying to help I thank you. If your are just posting some smar A-- remark, please don't waste our time and this space.

JimH2

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-p...sh-clinic.html

Guitarman

Wax helps, and can buy some time, but is by no means a panacea. It's well established that , depending on the bird's diet, a dropping can eat through wax and etch the finish in as little as 45 minutes. Seagull droppings are some of the worst.

Here in Florida, by the beach, I had a massive seagull dropping on my T-Bird Supercoupe many years ago, which had MULTIPLE layers of Zaino on it at the time. I was away from the car for about 1.5 hours...removed the dropping and had a BAD etch that was about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, that I had to wet sand extensively.

I can tell you, because I had painted the car myself and sprayed 4 coats of clear, (which was wetsanded flat to a show finish) I had enough to remove the etching. Had it been OEM paint, I would have not had enough clear to remove the etching.

So, this is a topic that hits home with me.

Wax / sealant won't always save ya... but...it's always better than nothing at all...

P.S. always neutralize the acids by either baking soda & water or iso alcohol / water mix. If you only spray a quick detailer on the dropping, it may LOOK as though you've removed it, but acid may remain, and remember what happens when you get battery acid on your jeans?...you can't "see" it, but when you go to wash the jeans, the water and acid remnants leave you a nice hole...

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

+1

Now wax or sealant is strong enough to prevent bird dropping damage. If bird droppings eat away hard clearcoat, did you really think a wax will hold up better?

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Can't you wetsand this stuff?

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Exactly!!
Key is getting the bird crap off ASAP before it bakes in from the sun or engine heat.
Especially on dark colors.

cafpaf

Thanks to everyone for their comments and help. I am sure that wet sanding would do the trick. However, the trick for me is that I have never done this on any car and I have been driving for over 50 years. I would be afraid to do it. Particularly on a black car on the hood. I wonder if an orbital buffer with something like Scratch X would do the job. Of course, I would have to go out and buy one.

As an aside to X Men, you are correct, I am in a crabby mood. I put a lot of time and effort into keeping my "baby" bright and clean. I hate it when something like this happens and I can not correct the problem myself. If I misinterpreted your comments, and apparently I did, I apologize. I will look forward to your words in all of these forums.

Also a special thanks to JimH2. I really enjoyed the article.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't recommend wet sanding unless you're a pro.
Paint thickness is very thin from the factory and if you go to the primer,you're screwed.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

You might want to post a picture of said droppings before wetsanding. It might potentially be too far gone. From what I remember from my experiments back then, Megs Cleaner Wax had a little filling properties and so did NXT

Angelo

Sorry to hear this happen to you. I myself run into these and it
really ticks me off also. First clay the area, after you had clean it off the surface, then with white vinegar on a towel ( put on towel not the paint ) and like it sit on there for a moment, this shouldhelp in removing whats left on there. With M105 and an applicatorin your hand put about a nickel size amount of the product and from thereput it on the surface (1X1) and use a circular motion with pressure ( heavy) and continue till it's almost gone. From there wipe it off with your microfiber towel. You might do this 2 or 3 times to see if your remove it. But with some droppings they start to eat away on the clear coat very fast and the last resort is to wet sand those areas then follow up with a compound and polish using a machine to buff them off. Always try to keep your ride protected with your LSP and carry with you a small tote with your QD, IPA and towels for that moment.

cafpaf

Angelo, first thank you for your reply and information. However, even though I spent 26 years in the Air Force, I am not much on acronyms. So...there are certain things that I do not understand in your response.

1. What is M105?
2. What do you mean when you say 1X1?
3. What are LSP, QD (quick detailer?), and IPA

I would never wet sand my car. I just do not have the experience. I would take it to a professional detailer first.

NJLEXES

Granted, I do not have a black car currently.....however have had them in the past.

Try using Meguiars QUICK DETAILER. It is helpful in lubricating the surface/dissolving and even mentions on the bottle that the product is helpful in removing Bird droppings, water spots, etc.
Spray the hell out of the bird crap and let it penetrate a bit.
I've used the product and it definitely helps get it off.

Good luck !