Red350Z

Found some bird doo on the hood today--considering I washed and applied my fifth coat of blackfire this weekend I'm guessing it's been there less than 24 hours. I got it off with a wet towel, and it's left it's mark. I was really hoping 5 coats would help prevent this, but no joy. My initial guess is that it's in the clearcoat--claybar and fresh polish didn't remove the spot. Kinda bummed and questioning the durability of Blackfire--any others had this happen or know how to fix? Thanks

SKiDaZZLe

that doesnt sound too good...

i had noticed some (1 day old) bird droppings on my Z, 4 months after my last Zaino application...

it came out with a soft towel and some water... no mark at all.

droidekaus can validate this, as it was his towel.

Dean

Bird poop etched the clear coat on my wife's 330i despite 3 fresh coats of Zaino Z2/FX. She swears the bird droppings happened less than an hour before I sprayed it off with Z6 and distilled water.

Dean

SKiDaZZLe

birds aroudn you guys must be getting scraps from taco bell parking lots

DetailingDude

I didn't want to hijack this Bird Crap horror story session so I posted this guide of How to Safely Deal with Bird Shishkabob

Red350Z

Great post DetailingDude--do you have advice for "appropriate measures to get it off"? (from your post). I'm a little hesitant to use an abrasive on the etching, but if you can recommend one or any other way to repair the clearcoat I'll give it a shot! Thanks!

Showcars

Start by using non-abrasive cleaners - if you've got a good coat of polish, hopefully the polish has taken most (or even all) of the damage. If the paint is etched, you'll have to use an abrasive. I use 3M PerfectIt swirl mark remover. This product will remove any polish/wax on your paint, and you can clean up the etching once you're down to the paint. Go easy, use a random orbital buffer (high-speed buffing should be left to the pros). Wash it off with dish soap and water to check it (the oils in the 3M product will mask the etching, so you need to wash it off to inspect). If you still aren't satisfied, a professional paint shop can use a more aggressive approach (high-speed buffer using 3m FinesseIt followed by PerfectIt, or a wet-sand, but this should be a last resort). When you're done, re-apply polish.

I recommend keeping a towel and spray bottle (Zaino Z-6) in the car to spot-clean bird droppings. They don't tell you where they eat, so don't take chances when they hit you!

Sanderman

I put 2 coats of Z5 and 3 of Z2 on my black PT cruiser last October. It has been through a Massachusetts winter driven 125 highway miles per day 5 days per week through sand, salt, sleet, snow and slush. I finally washed it last week and clayed the fenders. Water still beaded on the finish! Swirls, scratches almost invisible. I slapped on two quick coats of Z5 and it looked indistinguishable from the day I picked it up from the dealer.

I'm sold.

Joe

JamRWS6

Bird crap is EXTREMELY acidic. I've had it eat through multiple coats of Zaino before..some of that Bird Sh... is really strong.

Best bet is to get it of ASAP.

Showcars

Roger that - especially these Texas birds. They chow down on the juniper berries and end up making GIN in their gullets! Then they go on drunken bombing runs. It's not a pretty sight. It's even worse when they're so wasted they can't pull out of the dive and end up planting themselves in your grille.

webrits

I had the same 'etching' from bird crap, on my Black Z the other day. I kid you not, there must have been over a square foot of the SH*T. It was on there for 5 hours maximum and still left the ugly marks. I agree with showcars post although depending on its severity you may get away without the buffer. I used Meguairs 'Scratch-X'. I suspect a very similar product to the 3M SMR although easier to come by. Its recommended for removing fine scratches you may get while drying your car.
I just gave it a rub with that, followed by waxing and I can't see it any more.

Hope it works out, good luck.

JamRWS6

LOL that isn't a joke either....those berries are TOUGH!!

joust75

iTrader: (1)

Those birds have it in for our cars. Gets me angry sometimes. I say we fight back. Here is the solution. The birds know better than to crap on Bonds car!