Bonnet Damage - Nuclear Bird Poo!

[Cotswold Pete]

Just cleaned the LS, has some bird muck and bonnet.

Most of it fine apart from this one lump about the size of a 50p, which has eaten through the lacquer, and the paint and in one of two small areas has got down to the primer coat.

God knows that that bird had eaten to do that damage in such a short time (I reckon it was on there for no more than two days), at least I cannot see it from driving position or it would spoil my day (every day)

I can lacquer and wax the area to protect, but did not know if anyone has any experience of companies like 'Chip Away' and whether they do a good job and whether something bigger than a chip can be dealt with easily.

Any ideas appreciated.

[mr2lad]

I had something similar on the GS450h I had ...but it was bat poop, had washed car one evening then 1st thing in morning when I went outside for a cig noticed it and washed it off to reveal it had burnt thru polish wax and lacquer ... I sorted it myself by touching up with paint pen n lacquer pen and a good couple of hours polishing it out with polishing machine..... Poop had only been on car less than 12hrs..... I always now make a point of cleaning bird/bat poop off car ASAP. Like you said nuclear acidic bird poop not good

[Cotswold Pete]

Graham, maybe mine was bat poop, as we do get them most evenings, but never had one decide to use car as a drop zone even though been in current house for 18 years and always getting pigeon droppings which is why I never leave muck on there if I spot it first thing in the morning.

[mr2lad]

The surface of where the bat pooped looked like the surface of the moon all little craters once I'd washed it off (brown reddish bat poop)

Once I'd washed and t-cutted I used paint pen to fill in recesses then t-cutted again then lacquered then polished over with machine.... Took a couple of days to get it sorted back to near perfection..... I could see it only coz I knew it was/had been there but nobody else could.... I know use a product called airglide which puts a invisible barrier on car and doesn't allow poop or tree sap to penetrate to paint work ....expensive at £99 for a small bottle but enough do put 3 coats onto car and tremendous results bugs poop dirt just washes off with no effort and enhances look of paint work..... It's used on F1 cars race motorbikes speedboats airplanes wings and propellers

Seemingly no need to polish car again for at least 5yrs..... I prepped car by washing/claying it 1st then in airglide kit thes a conditioner you use on bodywork 1st then the actual airglide polish...... Fantastic results

[Cotswold Pete]

Did you buy Airglide direct from them, or somewhere else.

Certainly seems like worth a go, knowing that anything that can keep muck off a plane body is worth looking at.

Just need to find some spare time in busy calendar to get my self ready to sorting out my 'moon crater - which is exactly what it looks like', and getting the bodywork all over sorted.

[Titch LS]

I had a similar experience just the other day. I had some bird poop on the front wing for no more than a day and it damaged the laquer top coat. After polishing it was still noticeable. Hey-ho, ---It'll get it sorted when I eventually tackle the bonnet paintwork with a clay bar and polishing compound.

[cruisermark]

I had a similar experience just the other day. I had some bird poop on the front wing for no more than a day and it damaged the laquer top coat. After polishing it was still noticeable. Hey-ho, ---It'll get it sorted when I eventually tackle the bonnet paintwork with a clay bar and polishing compound.

talking of bodywork and clay bar - my 430 paint feels rough in places and needs a claybaring and polishing - i just wish i had the time!

[mr2lad]

Yes bought it direct from them...... Just been on website but thes no price next to products just POA.... I got the pack for exterior paintwork and interior leather n glass cleaner

[runsgrateasanut]

Back in May I parked by the Hanger of a house in France and I found what looked like a slab of liver on the roof/top of door of the car. It had been on for more than a day and dried out. Whereas a credit card usually gets off crud (with care after a lot of soaking with a piece of toilet tissue) this stuff wouldn't budge without a great deal of scraping. There are Owls in an adjoining Barn, Bats which flit about around the Streetlamp devouring Moths next to the spot, and Goss Hawks which are usually a field beyond. Also seen is the odd Eagle. The Owl was really spooky one night during a storm visibly sitting on the Barn roof in silhouette measuring I would think eighteen inches in height. Seemed to be a lot of poop even for an Owl and I couldnt see any skin/bone residue which baffled me.

Good job it was on the Mercedes or I'd be lacquered, so it would seem, not that Merc paint shop has a glowing history, but no damage, or maybe I needed put on my glasses

[Cotswold Pete]

Stuart, sounds like a real wildlife fest in France.

I guess wildlife has a right to crap on cars now and again, given the environmental friendliness of the automobile, and given I have always lived near places where lots of wildlife I think to get a bat poop on the car once in 35 years is not so bad, just a shame to do it on my Lexus, rather than on my crappy VW company car of 5 years ago.

I am going to look in Dr Colorchip to see if that is worth trying, as i find standard touch up paints a bit of pain to do really well, having just done some touching up chips on the good lady's Jag.

[Boxbrownie]

I had a similar experience just the other day. I had some bird poop on the front wing for no more than a day and it damaged the laquer top coat. After polishing it was still noticeable. Hey-ho, ---It'll get it sorted when I eventually tackle the bonnet paintwork with a clay bar and polishing compound.

talking of bodywork and clay bar - my 430 paint feels rough in places and needs a claybaring and polishing - i just wish i had the time!

Normal claying takes too long for me also........I tried the Farecla G3 clay Mitt (available from Halfords) and it really does work just as well as the clay bar I have used before, gets great reviews on detailing World also.

It takes just 15-20 minutes to clay the whole car after washing, super glassy smooth finish ready to wax/seal whatever your preference.

[Cotswold Pete]

I had a similar experience just the other day. I had some bird poop on the front wing for no more than a day and it damaged the laquer top coat. After polishing it was still noticeable. Hey-ho, ---It'll get it sorted when I eventually tackle the bonnet paintwork with a clay bar and polishing compound.

talking of bodywork and clay bar - my 430 paint feels rough in places and needs a claybaring and polishing - i just wish i had the time!

Normal claying takes too long for me also........I tried the Farecla G3 clay Mitt (available from Halfords) and it really does work just as well as the clay bar I have used before, gets great reviews on detailing World also.

It takes just 15-20 minutes to clay the whole car after washing, super glassy smooth finish ready to wax/seal whatever your preference.

Just checked this out, and looks like Halfords will be getting a visit from me in next day or two

[runsgrateasanut]

Stuart, sounds like a real wildlife fest in France.

I guess wildlife has a right to crap on cars now and again, given the environmental friendliness of the automobile, and given I have always lived near places where lots of wildlife I think to get a bat poop on the car once in 35 years is not so bad, just a shame to do it on my Lexus, rather than on my crappy VW company car of 5 years ago.

I am going to look in Dr Colorchip to see if that is worth trying, as i find standard touch up paints a bit of pain to do really well, having just done some touching up chips on the good lady's Jag.

Yes Pete, it makes a change from the Seagull poo with chip fat which living on the sea front is an unavoidable consequence.