Healthy paint is the foundation of a good-looking, well-detailed car. Detailers struggle with paint-related problems more than all other surface issues combined.
In this article you will learn how to correct common paint surface defects.
BIRD BOMBS (THE STRAIGHT POOP!)
Without a doubt, one of the most
dreaded car care problems we face is the bird. Birds in the air are
beautiful to watch fly, but vile to our car's finish. A bird's droppings
can quickly cause damage to your paint. Bird droppings are very acidic (pH
3.5 to 4.5).
When bird droppings fall on your paint, the acid begins to burn and etch the
paint's surface. The longer the bird droppings remain, the greater the
damage. I had bird bomb incidents with my Speed Yellow Porsche 996 (the seagulls
seemed to think it was a target) that have created damage as deep as 1 to 2
mils. To give you an idea of what that means, notebook paper is
approximately 2 mils of thickness. Your car's paint is only 4 to 6 mils
thick.
The result of bird dropping damage is a dimple in the paint's surface, often
as large as an inch or more in diameter. This damage is permanent, but can
easily be repaired.
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| This is a typical bird attack. It's not huge, but it doesn't need to be large to cause damage. Unfortunately, this mess sat on the car for a few days and created a dimple. |
Repairing Bird Poop Damage
The only way to repair the damage caused by bird droppings is to polish the paint. You must use the polish to blend the surrounding paint, bringing it down to the same level as the damaged area. This may sound drastic, but it works very well. The only concern is that you're making the paint thinner, so you must be careful not to polish all the way through to the primer. Do so, and you'll have a more noticeable problem than the one the bird left behind.Any good paint polish can be used to fix the damage with a fair amount of rubbing. I've found that it's better to start with a fine polishing compound (a scratch remover formula works well, too), followed by a good hand polish.
 | This diagram shows how the burn from a bird dropping looks on the paint surface. In most cases the burn won't be very deep, but you will see it on the surface of the paint. Polishing helps to level the surrounding paint so the etch mark no longer shows. |
Preventing Bird Poop Damage
While it's not really possible to keep birds from bombing your car with their dirty little surprises, you can take steps to limit the damage. The most obvious protection is a car cover (please, not while you're driving!). To limit the damage when you get hit, you need to remove the offending slime as quickly as possible. Don't wait. Get it off of your car.
I've found the best way to clean up after a bird is with a good detailing spray and a cotton terry cloth towel.As I'm a clean car fanatic, anyway, I keep a little detailing kit in the trunk of my car. It holds a spray bottle of quick detailing spray, a couple of towels, and my favorite rubber and vinyl dressing. That's all it takes for me to keep the car looking great. When a bird gets me, I spray the bird droppings with a few shots of detailing spray and wipe it off with the towel, turning the towel as necessary to keep a clean wipe on the car.
Another way to protect your paint from bird damage is to keep your car waxed. While wax offers limited protection against a juicy attack, it makes cleanup much easier. You still need to remove the mess as quickly as possible.
