Bah! Bird poop ruined my hood! It wont come out...
 

A while back a bird crapped all over my SS hood while I was at work. It was about 100 degrees that day and the sun beat down (black car)

I washed it that night but there was still a stain. (it's almost like a shiny outline of the crap splash)

I figured a clay bar would take it right out so I didn't panic.

Well, I used my claybar and it doesn't do anything to the stain. Am I going to have to get the whole hood repainted? If so, any idea how much it will cost? It's a black 99 Camaro SS.



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Chris Anderson
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Black 99SS M6 all SLP Options
Mods - Cutout, Direct-Flo Lid, GMS MAF.
Best ET 13.60 @ 104.31
Best MPH 13.92 @ 108.81

Yeah, bird poo is very abrasive to car finishes, more so than acid rain. Basically, it's a very acidic substance that can easily etch the clear coat if left untreated. And, the sun's heat baking it in only makes it worse. http://web.camaross.com/bb/frown.gif

Sometimes clay will help if it's a fresh enough spot, but more than likely you will need an abrasive to level the etching down and completely remove it. I'd recommend something like Meguiar's Body Scrub or a 3M abrasive like the Fine Cut Compound. The compound should quickly remove all traces of the etching and is fairly safe since you're only spot treating the hood. If, by chance, the compound or paint cleaners do not work, you may need an even more aggressive compound, like the Meguiar's Medium Cut, or Heavy Cut cleaners. But, these should only be used as the last option. They are basically liquid sandpaper! I would imagine a fine cut cleaner or mild abrasive paint cleaner should do the trick. I wouldn't see any need to repaint the hood...

Just curious, do you have any wax or sealant protection on the car as well? Even though there is nothing out there that can really prevent this from happening as the bird poo will strip any protection in that spot, some waxes do tend to protect a little better than others and are more resilient to possible etching. For instance, I've found that bird poo rarely causes any serious paint problems since Zaino is pretty strong. Basically, the stain has to completely eat through the Zaino before it can etch the paint. So, that's why i think Z helps in these situations. If you are using a normal "wax" the poo would completely strip it in no time leaving the paint exposed...

http://web.camaross.com/bb/smile.gif

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*Mike's 1992 Camaro RS 25th Anniv.*
Dark Red Metallic (ext.) / Flame Red (int.)
Flowmaster Crossflow, K&N, 20% 3M Panther Black Tint
JL Audio 3 10", PPI PC2100, Kenwood eXcelon KRC-953H/U, Kenwood / Pioneer speakers
Show Car Shine by ZAINO! - Special Thanks to Sal Z!

Funny you say that lol, two days before it happened I had dawn washed and clayed the car. I was going to wax it only to find out my Zaino was empty. So, the car had NO protection. I usually keep a good 6 coats of Zaino on it.

This 3M Scrubber, does it hurt the clear coat? (IE. ugly little clear coat swirls)

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Chris Anderson
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Black 99SS M6 all SLP Options
Mods - Cutout, Direct-Flo Lid, GMS MAF.
Best ET 13.60 @ 104.31
Best MPH 13.92 @ 108.81

[This message has been edited by Chrisdude (edited July 24, 2002).]

The Meguiar's Body Scrub is completely paint safe, at least in the many times I've used it. But, if you do have to use a compound like the 3M Fine Cut, Meguiar's Fine Cut or even something heavier, it will leave swirls and marring that have to be removed with a swirl remover. This is why I'd use the compounds as a last resort.

I forgot to mention, but Meguiar's also makes a tube product called Scratch X that helps deal with blemishes. I "think" it's a touch more aggressive than Body Scrub, but you may want to contact Meguiar's on that one. The Scratch X is made primarily for spot touchups like yours, and is supposed to leave a swirl free surface. Just another option to consider...and it's readily available at auto parts stores... Whatever you decide to try, try to work from least abrasive first to more abrasive until you get the desired results.

http://web.camaross.com/bb/smile.gif

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*Mike's 1992 Camaro RS 25th Anniv.*
Dark Red Metallic (ext.) / Flame Red (int.)
Flowmaster Crossflow, K&N, 20% 3M Panther Black Tint
JL Audio 3 10", PPI PC2100, Kenwood eXcelon KRC-953H/U, Kenwood / Pioneer speakers
Show Car Shine by ZAINO! - Special Thanks to Sal Z!

Be very careful if you use 3m compound. I tried it on my hood now the spot is worse than if I just left it alone.

Did you use a good swirl remover after the compound? Swirl remover is a must after compounding, sometimes multiple coats before it's perfect. If left untreated, yes a compound will look like crap. But, with the proper swirl removers and some work it should completely restore the area to perfection.

This is why it's best to use any compound as a last option. They are about as abrasive as it gets before moving to sandpaper!

http://web.camaross.com/bb/smile.gif

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*Mike's 1992 Camaro RS 25th Anniv.*
Dark Red Metallic (ext.) / Flame Red (int.)
Flowmaster Crossflow, K&N, 20% 3M Panther Black Tint
JL Audio 3 10", PPI PC2100, Kenwood eXcelon KRC-953H/U, Kenwood / Pioneer speakers
Show Car Shine by ZAINO! - Special Thanks to Sal Z!

Happened to my 99 GT (black) on the hood. What happens is these birds eat all kinds of crap. Especialy seagulls, there are a crap load of those birds in my city. I have heard the chemicals in the crap ruin the clear coat and bake into it on hot days. Had little cracks in it also. Only had 9,000 miles on it so they repainted it for me. To bad it looked better with the stain than the crappy paint job ford did to it. More than likely you will have to get it repainted.

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'02 Red Z28, ebony leather, M6, T-tops, Trac. cont., hurst shifter
Borla (the expensive cut-out), Wisperlid W/K&N, FRA, Cags eliminator, Strange 4.10's, G2 Rear Girdle, Valv. Synthetic 10W-30, Redline gear oil, Fat hurst shift knob, Lead foot

Soon to be:
Alpine Screen, Orion xtr 800.4, xtrpro 1000, Kicker 12L7 in a milhouse, Focal polykev K2's, Focal utopia 6" audiom midrange.

Bird crap just sucks! There are swallows where I work and some days I come out to find the car looking like a practice target.


Just wanted to add a couple things to Mike's excellent responses http://web.camaross.com/bb/smile.gif

Anytime you use an abrasive to repair your paint, take your time and don't force it. It's easy to get impatient and actually cause more problems or make the job much bigger than it is.

Just like a finish protectant, use moderate amounts of the product and a quality applicator. Use a consistant, medium pressure and give the product a good chance to do it's job. As Mike suggests, using the lighter grade product is preferable even if it takes longer to remove the flaw. Using a coaser grade when it's not required only means one more step in the finishing process which will take as long or longer.

Jeff

Good luck!

Jeff

i hd bird egs on my car the other day, i thogut someone egged the car but then i noticed they were tiny wild bird eggs and not store bought eggs.

hope yall have gotten the poop poop off of your car by now