Bird poop etching on my car - what to do next? (Pics inside)

[cardecisionhelp]

Hi guys,

For the first time in 8 years since I started driving, I have been struck!

I had a big fat bird poop in my car driver side door which has left some etching on the car - please see photos below. especially the picture 1 and 4.







Can you advise, what should be my next course of action? I am planning to give my car a full wash coming Sunday using Polar blast and wash (no seal as applied two weeks ago).

I don't have a polisher so I am thinking of buying a polisher and try to polish / buff this etching away. Is this a good idea or should I take my car to a detailing company to sort this out. How much is it likely to cost to sort this? I am in West London.

Thanks


P.S. new car fever still ongoing

[Heathwood]

You need one of these. Think of it as an investment. It’s amazing what flaws and minor damage you can remove from paintwork.

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/das-6-v2-dual-actio...

[Chris32345]

In 20 of years I've never seen bird pop damage the paint how do people on here get it so often?

[cardecisionhelp]

Heathwood said:

You need one of these. Think of it as an investment. It’s amazing what flaws and minor damage you can remove from paintwork.

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/das-6-v2-dual-actio...

Thank you for response. I am a newbie. I will buy that polisher, but which pads / pack goes with it?

Also, am i correct that, I need to wash the panel, rinse dry and them apply a compound with minimum setting and then little higher. Once it is buffed out, i use a wax and clear with a microfibre cloth.

Can you recommend the compounds / wax also please

Edit: its out of stock uhh

[cardecisionhelp]

Chris32345 said:

In 20 of years I've never seen bird pop damage the paint how do people on here get it so often?

BRO!

[V8covin]

This might be of interest.
I've not used it myself so can't say if it actually works
https://www.autoglymprofessional.com/en/products/r...

[cardecisionhelp]

V8covin said:

This might be of interest.
I've not used it myself so can't say if it actually works
https://www.autoglymprofessional.com/en/products/r...

I have the 10x sachets pack for future. Will be scanning car every time I go out for next 1 year to see if there is any bird dropping.

I am thinking of buying a polishing kit but the one suggested above seems to be out of stock.

I may give this a go but it is quite pricey. Might be better to just buy polishing kit and hope of the best

[V8covin]

cardecisionhelp said:

I have the 10x sachets pack for future. Will be scanning car every time I go out for next 1 year to see if there is any bird dropping.

I am thinking of buying a polishing kit but the one suggested above seems to be out of stock.

I may give this a go but it is quite pricey. Might be better to just buy polishing kit and hope of the best

From my experience polishing isn't always successful, especially if it's been on a while,tends to etch into the paint

[cardecisionhelp]

V8covin said:

From my experience polishing isn't always successful, especially if it's been on a while,tends to etch into the paint

I have gone ahead and ordered the 5x reflow

I will post result once I get the product. will probably try on Sunday after I wash the car.

Car is still within 3 years (couple weeks left). bird st yesterday so, hopefully it'll work.

[23.7]

Google hairdryer method.

I was amazed when it worked, worth a try anyway.

[JmatthewB]

Baked in bird poo is a nightmare. Looks like it’s burnt the clear coat. Hand polishing etc won’t do anything with bird poop etching as you need to generate a fair amount of heat. Depending on the severity it’ll either need machine polishing off or at the very worse case wet sanding and then correcting back afterwards.

I had a nasty little bit of dried on etching that was still there after washing. A local detailer wet sanded it away for £10 which I thought was well worth it considering I also got to pick his brains about polishers and products.

[cardecisionhelp]

I could still see a very fine print of the etching on the paintwork from certain angle earlier (nothing from directly looking at the drivers side).

I heated the area for abit using hair dryer then let it cool and then hand buffed the area using AutoGlym PAINT RENOVATOR. I can see the fine print is faded a little but is still there. It is however only visible when directly looking at it, otherwise, no one will notice.

Pics taken straight after buffing.





Will keep an eye out to see what happens in next couple days until I wash my car on weekend (weather permitting). Once I purchase my polisher, will polish that area.

any suggestions for beginners polisher as the above mentioned is out of stock.

[anonymous-user]

Any decent dual action polisher will do. Different pads have different levels of abrasive texture. Think sand paper! Like different grits except these are foam so a bit safer.

Black: finishing pad
Green: medium cut
Red: heavier cut

Best thing you can do is get a scrap panel and practice before letting loose on your car. Plenty of videos online on polishing technique.

Scholl Concepts S20 works great on black to help remove etching. It’s a one step black compound.
Chemical Guys VSS is another
Menzerna also make some nice polishes

The right polish and technique will obliterate the offending etching. Protection is key so a decent sealant / wax is vital to protect black.

Love black paint. Nightmare to clean. Bit of a dust magnet but looks sensational when polished to a deep wet look.

[SHutchinson]

Look for DDB Detailing on Instagram. They just got rid of a load of this with a heat gun. Might have been a Instagram 'story' so you may need to be fast!

[cardecisionhelp]

Super_GP said:

Any decent dual action polisher will do. Different pads have different levels of abrasive texture. Think sand paper! Like different grits except these are foam so a bit safer.

Black: finishing pad
Green: medium cut
Red: heavier cut

Best thing you can do is get a scrap panel and practice before letting loose on your car. Plenty of videos online on polishing technique.

Scholl Concepts S20 works great on black to help remove etching. It’s a one step black compound.
Chemical Guys VSS is another
Menzerna also make some nice polishes

The right polish and technique will obliterate the offending etching. Protection is key so a decent sealant / wax is vital to protect black.

Love black paint. Nightmare to clean. Bit of a dust magnet but looks sensational when polished to a deep wet look.

Thanks for the info. i didn't know about the colour code. I will try visit a scrap yard to find a panel. I think it is definitely worth doing some practicing before letting loose.

[cardecisionhelp]

SHutchinson said:

Look for DDB Detailing on Instagram. They just got rid of a load of this with a heat gun. Might have been a Instagram 'story' so you may need to be fast!

Just saw it. Excellent.

I am not longer able to see etching on the car. Will take some pictures later when its abit cooler to see if it has really gone.

I just put the car facing the sun on the affected panel. It has been quite hot today which may have helped with the final bit...

[cardecisionhelp]

Quick update. I am not able to see the etching from the angle where the photos are taken from but I can see from the other end now. I think my mums hair dryer was not hot enough or i didn't put it on for long.

I had cancelled the autoglym reflow order but going to go ahead and reorder it. let's give it a try, else going to go see a detailer to get that cleared...

[23.7]

To my eye paintwork is never perfect.

As long as my eye isn't drawn to it that's good enough (for a daily)

[nickfrog]

cardecisionhelp said:

Quick update. I am not able to see the etching from the angle where the photos are taken from but I can see from the other end now. I think my mums hair dryer was not hot enough or i didn't put it on for long.

I had cancelled the autoglym reflow order but going to go ahead and reorder it. let's give it a try, else going to go see a detailer to get that cleared...

If caught within a few days after the bomb, the low setting on my heat gun totally removes the etching. It's still hotter than a hair dryer so stay at around 15cm from the paint, keep moving it and a 2 to 3 seconds are usually enough.

Polishing or wet sanding is not the solution unless of course it has been allowed to be there for more than a week.

[cardecisionhelp]

Hi All,

So, washed the car yesterday with 3 stage Autoglym polar kit and then tried the Autoglym reflow.

I don't think it did anything/much to be honest (followed all the instructions). I think the reason for this is because it is on vertical spot and not horizontal surface. the water is pulled to the bottom of the pouch when vertical and cannot evenly spread through the heat pads like on flat horizontal surface so that could be the reason. the pads did get hot though.

I have applied that area with Autoglym super resin and hand buffed it. It is not directly visible to people unless they go looking for it but it is there in my mind!

I have to accept that result. Will post pics later if I get chance.