ball4lyfe

My 07 GS350 AWD got keyed couple weeks ago and the car has been in the shop since. The whole car is being repainted except for the roof as the bastard worked it all the way around minus the roof. I really feel like I got raped or something...
The roof has some old tree saps or bird poo that have been sitting there for a very long time and the body shop says that they have already gone past the clear coat so the only way to remove them is to repaint the roof. They quoted me $1200 for the roof as they will have to pull the headliner down to get the shark fin antenna out, which is very labor-intensive and if they were to paint it while having the antenna masked out, clear coat will eventually peel around the antenna.
Do you guys have any suggestions? I'm already pissed enough that if I find the person who did it, I'd beat the ***** out of him, so I don't want to spend another $1200 to repaint the roof...

BinaryJay

Clean it off as best you can and live with it. It's not like it's highly visible and even if the clearcoat is gone (I doubt it... highly. Bird poo would etch it at best).

What's the worst that can happen, the paint gets worse and you need to repaint it 5 years later?

ball4lyfe

Thanks BinaryJay. They look more like white water/paint marks and I was told they are pretty much baked on the roof. Any method you can suggest using to get as much out as possible? BTW, the color is Smoky Granite Mica.

swtjlsy

iTrader: (6)

take the fin off yoursef it is not hard at all. When I had my car repaint I did mine myslef took about 2hr and is only on there by to bolts to respray the roof it should be no more the $500 for everything.

aLexGS350

iTrader: (5)

black vinyl

ball4lyfe

I am actually thinking of having the black vinyl wrap put on the roof. How much would that cost? Thanks!

BinaryJay

Google...

http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/repai...g/tree_sap.htm

jtrue28

whatever you end up doing, be sure you have a good coat of wax/polish/sealant. most of the time, if you catch the bird droppings early enough after polishing the car, the stuff will just wipe right off without leaving any damage at all. the key is to not let it "bake" on there for several days, get it off as soon as you see it.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

Try this I used this on my car when I got sap on the front of my old car and worked like magic. http://www.turtlewaxcarwash.com/main.taf?p=2,1,4,11

greyhndfan

perfect topic, dealing with this right now. I got hit on the passenger side rear seat. I don't walk around the car and pass that area and didn't notice it. i'll try the turtlewax.

dunnojack

has anyone tried spraying some clearcoat, and then wetsanding it back down?

i also remember that autoblog article about sunlight/heat causing the bird poo etching.
maybe a heatgun to the spot might soften the clear coat and melt it back down?