Bird droppings causing paint damage in record time!

[doowopaudi]

The other day my car got some bird droppings while I was at work. As soon as I got home I cleaned it off with soapy water and a wash mitt and the darned poop left a mark on my paint! What are these birds eating these days? My old B7 could defend against such poop better than my B8!

Anybody here get this and if so, did you have any success getting rid of it?

[dalmation53]

Yes buy goo gone an microfiber an do circular motions it will go away an then wash that area an call it a day :)

[doowopaudi]

Cool, let me try that right now. I got some goo gone handy, not to be confused with goof off, which is almost as deadly to your paint as these bird dumps.

[Liquid Smoke]

Cool, let me try that right now. I got some goo gone handy, not to be confused with goof off, which is almost as deadly to your paint as these bird dumps.

what really!? i thought they were the same thing? i've used both on little spots before with no issues, or at least i hope i didnt mess it up, does it thin out the clearcoat or something?

[amz]

Yes buy goo gone an microfiber an do circular motions it will go away an then wash that area an call it a day :)

Ahhhh, if you love your paint no circular motions! You're buffing poo into your paint. Soak with water (lay a damp paper towel over if you need to) to re-hydrate it, after a minute or so, either with the paper towel on the poo or with a new sheet, lift the poo off with a pinching motion. Repeat until done. Then get out the quick detailer and MF cloth...give the whole area a spritz then buff off.

[doowopaudi]

what really!? i thought they were the same thing? i've used both on little spots before with no issues, or at least i hope i didnt mess it up, does it thin out the clearcoat or something?

I once used goof off to debadge my b8 and it ate right through the paint. Goo gone is natural and safe while goof off is made with harsh chemicals.

[dalmation53]

Yeah I do not use goof off it will mess up the clear coat us Goo Gone it is safe for your paint.

[Hagasan41]

Looks like it etched into your paint. If the suggestions above have little to no effect use a mild polish and then re-wax the area with a good wax or sealant to protect it. And yes I hate birds!

And yes, Goo Gone is very different than Goof Off. Goo Gone is citrus based and Goof Off is not. It's made of xylene and tolulol which are 2 very strong chemicals and petroleum based. Not good for use on paint as the chemicals are found in paint thinners.

[Zafi]

What are these birds eating these days? My old B7 could defend against such poop better than my B8!

It's not what the birds are eating, its the quality of paint that has changed. In order to save the planet all new cars are painted with water based paint as the solvents in paint from years ago is causing our planet to slowly die.

The fact that China and India are pumping thousands of tonnes of god knows what into our rivers and skies is not important...................

[andyzaharia]

Zafi yea, you are right the water based pain quality is quite bad, but regarding India and China... you know... if your neighbor is an asshole that really doesnt make the case for you to be one ;-) No offense.

[Mod.Kill.Yut.]

Didn't realize bird droppings could do such a horrific thing to our paint. I'll have to be careful cleaning up a mess a kind bird left me as well

[Crucible35]

Once you've etched the paint, you need a mild abrasive (as suggested above). I wouldn't jump to polishes. I've had this etching many times.....I've used McGuires Ultimate Compound with great results. I'd give that a shot.....since it;s available at pretty much any PepBoys or Autozone....
Of course, the best prevention is a good sealant and a coat of wax on top.

[SDF1]

I agree Water Base Paint is not as good as Oil or Lead based paint but it should not be this pathetic.
Let me explain, in 2010 Lexus/Toyota started using Water Based Paint for every single model. My mom has a 2013 Toyota, trust me the paint is light years ahead of my Audi.... It's also the same color, when I compare the paint side by side, I would think my car was a KIA and the Toyota was the Audi. Then I step back and look with a surprise...

Zero Chips, Zero Scratches, 500x more durable, etc etc. I have tried to polish a small scratch on my Audi using Meguiar Ultimate Polish and it messed up my paint... I did the same thing on the Toyota and it loved every bit of it.

Please, don't try blaming water based paint. Germans need to learn how to APPLY water based paint before they use it.

[doowopaudi]

Once you've etched the paint, you need a mild abrasive (as suggested above). I wouldn't jump to polishes. I've had this etching many times.....I've used McGuires Ultimate Compound with great results. I'd give that a shot.....since it;s available at pretty much any PepBoys or Autozone....
Of course, the best prevention is a good sealant and a coat of wax on top.

I agree Water Base Paint is not as good as Oil or Lead based paint but it should not be this pathetic.
Let me explain, in 2010 Lexus/Toyota started using Water Based Paint for every single model. My mom has a 2013 Toyota, trust me the paint is light years ahead of my Audi.... It's also the same color, when I compare the paint side by side, I would think my car was a KIA and the Toyota was the Audi. Then I step back and look with a surprise...

Zero Chips, Zero Scratches, 500x more durable, etc etc. I have tried to polish a small scratch on my Audi using Meguiar Ultimate Polish and it messed up my paint... I did the same thing on the Toyota and it loved every bit of it.

Please, don't try blaming water based paint. Germans need to learn how to APPLY water based paint before they use it.

So in other words, Meguair's Ultimate Compound works on our Audis, but Meguair's Ultimate Polish doesn't.

[QUA77RO]

The other day my car got some bird droppings while I was at work. As soon as I got home I cleaned it off with soapy water and a wash mitt and the darned poop left a mark on my paint! What are these birds eating these days? My old B7 could defend against such poop better than my B8!

Anybody here get this and if so, did you have any success getting rid of it?

Most likely it has nothing to do with what the birds are eating. It's typically water birds that have the nastiest droppings...seagulls are the worst offenders.

Nor do I think it has anything to do with Audi's or "German" paint in general. It has more, in my experience to do with where you live.... I've had the same issues with Japanese as well as German car finishes in SoCal. Did you experience a very hot day the day that this happened? The longer bird deposits or any other dropping sits on your paint, especially on a hot day, it causes the water content to evaporate quickly. This has the effect of continually increasing the acidity (rather quickly) and it etches the clear coat. Left on, it will continue to keep going right through the clearcoat entirely leaving no choice but a repaint. In all the places, that I've lived in the world, Southern California was one of the worst for me with regards to this problem. It has not just intense heat but an extremely large population of seabirds that run deep into the interior on a daily basis to the landfills. In the evening, they make their way back to the coast. While maintaining a good wax coat or an appropriate paint sealant will help slow the process, the best bet is to try to get covered parking during the day (yeah, I know, not always possible) and carry a microfiber cloth and a good quick wax/detail spray in the car so that you can saturate them and then gently wipe/lift off these droppings ASAP.


Best of luck

[doowopaudi]

Most likely it has nothing to do with what the birds are eating. It's typically water birds that have the nastiest droppings...seagulls are the worst offenders.

Nor do I think it has anything to do with Audi's or "German" paint in general. It has more, in my experience to do with where you live.... I've had the same issues with Japanese as well as German car finishes in SoCal. Did you experience a very hot day the day that this happened? The longer bird deposits or any other dropping sits on your paint, especially on a hot day, it causes the water content to evaporate quickly. This has the effect of continually increasing the acidity (rather quickly) and it etches the clear coat. Left on, it will continue to keep going right through the clearcoat entirely leaving no choice but a repaint. In all the places, that I've lived in the world, Southern California was one of the worst for me with regards to this problem. It has not just intense heat but an extremely large population of seabirds that run deep into the interior on a daily basis to the landfills. In the evening, they make their way back to the coast. While maintaining a good wax coat or an appropriate paint sealant will help slow the process, the best bet is to try to get covered parking during the day (yeah, I know, not always possible) and carry a microfiber cloth and a good quick wax/detail spray in the car so that you can saturate them and then gently wipe/lift off these droppings ASAP.


Best of luck

Good words. Yeah, I live in So Cal and it did happen to be a hot day. As for what the birds were eating, I was just trying to be funny.

[SDF1]

So in other words, Meguair's Ultimate Compound works on our Audis, but Meguair's Ultimate Polish doesn't.

I did not apply the polish properly, I did circular motions that was very obvious in the sun light. Made the paint dull. With water and a buffer I was able to get it back to a gloss finish.

[SleeperCar]

I had this exact problem a while back, i put the thread in the detailing section...see link below:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...aka-holograms)

I researched a ton about bird droppings on paint and i found out quite a bit of information. Bird droppings actually have a seasonal change in intensity. In the spring Birds eat a lot of berries, these berries have a higher acid content which translates into a higher acidity in their droppings. This can have harmful effects on the clearcoat. To echo Qua77ro, the longer the droppings sit on your paint in direct sunlight, the harder it will be to remove the damage.

I know some will disagree with my Megs DA polisher, but it works great. I tried goof off and it didn't do anything, the hologram was still there. I had to use a 2 step compound to polish to get the hologram off the clearcoat.

M

[lukej2429]

Remove the bird dropping and then address the clear coat damage. Use Meg M205 first, if that doesn't work then try M105, if still nothing light wet sanding with 2500-3500 grit. Make sure to use a Dual Action Polisher.

This link from AMMONYC will help you as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgHd1twCHYM

[JeriQo]

ive got 3 bird shit spots on my hood. i swear this makes me wanna take out my KSG and shoot these crows/pigeons like skeets.
lesson learned i guess.. dont let poop sit on the paint for days!

[JBAeroEngineer]

This happens to me even after sealant/wax. Doesn't matter if it's 1 day or 12 days on there. I've started carrying a water bottle in the car to soften the poo and wiping with a microfiber. Normally need to hit it with a compound every 4-6 months

[JoshDub]

I've noticed it depends on the birds and how quickly it'll etch the paint. At my home, bird poops washed away easily and doesnt leave a trace. At my campus in downtown Seattle it etches almost immediately. It's to the point that where I wash the car the second I get home.

[Liquid Smoke]

ah the pleasures of not worrying about your paint.

but actually my roof is still the factory paint, and i've got some etchings on there too, i've gotten tired of being anal about it at this point.

[JoesB8A4]

I Actually had GREAT success removing these with Mothers 1, 2, 3 step system. Came out great. I also bought Chemical Guys clay bar and did a bit of claying for some of the tricker parts. Does a really good job. FYI the carnauba wax that Mothers makes is great because in future instances the bird droppings won't stick to the paint as much [when it happens to me just water gets them right off].

[JeriQo]

I Actually had GREAT success removing these with Mothers 1, 2, 3 step system. Came out great. I also bought Chemical Guys clay bar and did a bit of claying for some of the tricker parts. Does a really good job. FYI the carnauba wax that Mothers makes is great because in future instances the bird droppings won't stick to the paint as much [when it happens to me just water gets them right off].

clayed the watermarked spot..
used turtles wax jet black kit.. no luck.

[BeerBrent]

After you get it off, maybe put a layer of TopCoat F11 on your car to prevent it from happening again. This stuff sounds awesome. I'm getting some soon.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...46-TopCoat-F11

[Richieru456]

How often are you guys washing your cars?

[JBAeroEngineer]

How often are you guys washing your cars?

Once a week given the grime and street parking.