# Bird poop paint damage



## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

Along with the hot weather I seem to get a lot of birds wanting to aim their $hit at my car, not my wife's, just mine :roll:

Anyway, the main problem I am experiencing is that if I don't spot it and remove it within an hour, the paint will be etched by the time I get it off. This happens pretty much every time without fail. Once the poop is removed and I look at the paint work from different angles and I can see the slight haze of where it had been. Things like super resin polish help a little but it's never truly gone.

Working mainly from home I find myself on patrol to the bedroom window numerous times a day to carry out a bird poop check which to be honest is crazy and its actually getting me down. I'm not sure whether I have very soft paint or something because it is an Audi exclusive colour but is it normal to have to baby the paintwork to this extent??

It was also an issue on my last TT (also an Audi exclusive colour) but I don't recall ever seeing it on my other cars throughout the years I have been driving (age 17 > 43).

Anyway the end result is that if I see a bird poop and its an even remotely nice day I think to myself "great! another mark!"


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## thegingerone (Nov 5, 2011)

Snake TT said:


> Along with the hot weather I seem to get a lot of birds wanting to aim their $hit at my car, not my wife's, just mine :roll:
> 
> Anyway, the main problem I am experiencing is that if I don't spot it and remove it within an hour, the paint will be etched by the time I get it off. This happens pretty much every time without fail. Once the poop is removed and I look at the paint work from different angles and I can see the slight haze of where it had been. Things like super resin polish help a little but it's never truly gone.
> 
> ...


What have you got as a protection layer? Natural/synthetic wax or ceramic coating?


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Sadly there is not a great deal you can do 

I paid a fortune having my A5 detailed and ceramic protected but even that doesn't always protect it! We arrived back from Holiday to discover a huge splodge on the bonnet, it had burnt through the ceramic and etched the clear coat. My detailer fixed it, quite easily, but yes bird mess is a proper pain.

I saw an Autoglym report that stated the paint is most likely to be damaged if the car is parked in the sun, so if parking in the shade is possible it might help.


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## j77drs (Aug 8, 2019)

heat up the area with a hair dryer ( not too close ), you can see the marks actually disappear, this isnt a joke, i have done it myself, it works


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## acert54 (Oct 21, 2019)

The only sure way is when your not using it keep it in the garage, mine is always garaged when not in use as much as possible.


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

j77drs said:


> heat up the area with a hair dryer ( not too close ), you can see the marks actually disappear, this isnt a joke, i have done it myself, it works


This sound both positive and terrifying at the same time 



acert54 said:


> The only sure way is when your not using it keep it in the garage, mine is always garaged when not in use as much as possible.


Our garage became another living room so the missus wouldn't be happy with that 



thegingeron said:


> What have you got as a protection layer? Natural/synthetic wax or ceramic coating?


I finish off with super resin polish and then Maguires wax but this doesn't seem to offer any protection at all.



Barmybob said:


> Sadly there is not a great deal you can do
> 
> I paid a fortune having my A5 detailed and ceramic protected but even that doesn't always protect it! We arrived back from Holiday to discover a huge splodge on the bonnet, it had burnt through the ceramic and etched the clear coat. My detailer fixed it, quite easily, but yes bird mess is a proper pain.
> 
> I saw an Autoglym report that stated the paint is most likely to be damaged if the car is parked in the sun, so if parking in the shade is possible it might help.


My driveway is only in the shade until lunchtime unfortunately and the garage became a living room. Disappointing to hear that a ceramic coating doesn't even stop it.


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## aeroflott (Feb 18, 2019)

Have you considered a car cover?


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Have you considered a shotgun. :lol:


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

aeroflott said:


> Have you considered a car cover?


I have but years ago I remember people talking about them and saying that the cover had affected the paintwork :?



ZephyR2 said:


> Have you considered a shotgun. :lol:


I have considered all kinds of weapons :lol:


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

There isn't a lot you can do once it has etched the paintwork. The only real solution is prevention. That is, get the stuff off as quickly as possible, which is basically what you are doing. Anything on top of the paint (wax, coating) will afford _some_ protection but will not prevent damage if the corrosive stuff has been on there for a few days - especially in this hot weather. There are other variables of course: the amount deposited and what the bird had been eating!

I put a ceramic coating on mine when it was new (2 years ago) and have simply topped it up regularly since with a non-ceramic coating (Autoglym's Extra Gloss Protection) - probably about once a month, as it is goes a long way and isn't that expensive. I'm convinced that this has helped with the 'bird poo problem' because if I just spray some water over the mess, most of it is running off the car before I have even had chance to wipe it. I always keep a spray bottle (filtered water) in the car in case I get 'targeted' while out and about. And to avoid scratching the paint whilst doing a final 'clean up', I also keep a spray bottle of a waterless wash & wax product (I use EcoSmart-RU by Chemical Guys) in the boot too.


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

You can buy clear plastic film.I think 3M do it.


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## Mark Pred (Feb 1, 2017)

Trying to rationalise this, as both my cars are hit by all manner of birdies shit almost daily when parked on the drive. I live right on the flight path to a large wooded area, so dirty great pigeons are doing regular bomb runs on my cars! When I remove the bird shits, no paint damage whatsoever, even if it's been left for a week. Please tell me people aren't just wiping it off - you're asking for trouble if you do that!

Yes, important the paint is protected in the first place - my cars are twice yearly wax coated using a dual action polisher (I use a high end paste wax) and it absolutely DOES help protect the paint. You then just spray each turd with something like a citrus prewash diluted about 1:8 with water (when the paint is cool and not in direct sunlight), allow to soften and dissolve the shit, then a quick blast with the pressure washer... done. Once dry, I just give the area a quick spritz of QD to put some protection back on the paint. Zero etching (as people are saying) and zero discolouration of the paint either. If you live on the coast, as I once did, seagull shit is the worst, as it often contains shell fragments - same routine worked then, zero scratches.

There is no problem here and it is totally manageable. You just need to take extra care removing it and also have the built in protection, wax being natural or synthetic, or a decent ceramic coating.


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## Pronto (Oct 25, 2019)

Very hard to avoid bird poop etching
To lessen the effects a good quality wax/sealant/ceramic coating
And removal of poop as soon as possible. Time is of the essence

I personally use Optimum No Rinse in 1to10 ratio in a small spray bottle wetting a microfibre cloth and laying over the poop for 2 to 5 minutes before gently wiping away. Alway keep a bottle made up and cloths in the boot...


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## muppetboy (Apr 22, 2015)

Have you seen this autoglym products


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

muppetboy said:


> https://youtu.be/yrKJSALAByg
> Have you seen this autoglym products


Thanks I have never seen this before, it looks very good. I'd feel safer wit this than using a hair dryer so I may give it a go!


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

Mark Pred said:


> Trying to rationalise this, as both my cars are hit by all manner of birdies shit almost daily when parked on the drive. I live right on the flight path to a large wooded area, so dirty great pigeons are doing regular bomb runs on my cars! When I remove the bird shits, no paint damage whatsoever, even if it's been left for a week. Please tell me people aren't just wiping it off - you're asking for trouble if you do that!
> 
> Yes, important the paint is protected in the first place - my cars are twice yearly wax coated using a dual action polisher (I use a high end paste wax) and it absolutely DOES help protect the paint. You then just spray each turd with something like a citrus prewash diluted about 1:8 with water (when the paint is cool and not in direct sunlight), allow to soften and dissolve the shit, then a quick blast with the pressure washer... done. Once dry, I just give the area a quick spritz of QD to put some protection back on the paint. Zero etching (as people are saying) and zero discolouration of the paint either. If you live on the coast, as I once did, seagull shit is the worst, as it often contains shell fragments - same routine worked then, zero scratches.
> 
> There is no problem here and it is totally manageable. You just need to take extra care removing it and also have the built in protection, wax being natural or synthetic, or a decent ceramic coating.


I do live near the coast so not sure if that is making a difference. Saying that when my wife Mini gets pooped on it doesn't seem to affect her paintwork so badly, and you say you never have any etching, so that makes me wonder if it affects some colours worse than others. It doesn't matter for me how much I soften the poo before removal, or how careful I am, the outline of the poo mark is always left behind unless I have caught it ideally within about 30 minutes of happening. I wouldn't like to imagine the paint damage if I came back from a 2 week holiday and poop had been left on there [smiley=bigcry.gif]

Being totally honest it IS hard to see but its there. So if I look at the spot where it was I can only see it from certain angles when the light is hitting it just right. Still drives my OCD wild though :roll:


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## CliveM (Jun 23, 2020)

Snake TT said:


> Mark Pred said:
> 
> 
> > Trying to rationalise this, as both my cars are hit by all manner of birdies shit almost daily when parked on the drive. I live right on the flight path to a large wooded area, so dirty great pigeons are doing regular bomb runs on my cars! When I remove the bird shits, no paint damage whatsoever, even if it's been left for a week. Please tell me people aren't just wiping it off - you're asking for trouble if you do that!
> ...


I've read that what we think of as etching is actually where the paint has been stretched due to heating effects to do with the poo. I've also seen that bird poo...the white is in effect pee and the dark is er...dark matter..
There are products available to place on the damaged area, they are hot pads, it seem this can restore the paint.

I find my BMW and our Mini have better clearcoats than the TT The TT paint underneath the clearcoat seems good maybe the Audi formulation of water-based clearcoat isn't as resilient as some. Most paints are poor nowadays since we moved away from solvents.


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

CliveM said:


> Snake TT said:
> 
> 
> > Mark Pred said:
> ...


Cheers Clive, I must admit I don't recall my older cars being so sensitive to bird poo and its only really been noticeable on my last 2 TT's (Mystic Blue and Volcano Red) both Audi exclusive colours. Could well be changes in the paint manufacturing process, or maybe these exclusive paints are particularly susceptible.

I had never heard of the hairdryer technique or the AutoGlym reflow pads until now but they both look like they do the job so appreciate everyone who mentioned them. I am about to pull the trigger on the reflow pads so when I get around to trying them I will take some pics and share the results here.


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## j77drs (Aug 8, 2019)

you have to go with what you are comfortable with, my golf r was 4 weeks old when it happened, no issue to remove though, it was the golf r forum that advised me -


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

j77drs said:


> you have to go with what you are comfortable with, my golf r was 4 weeks old when it happened, no issue to remove though, it was the golf r forum that advised me -


Just watched the vid, thanks. To be honest it looks simple enough so I'll give it a go. otherwise I may kick myself for spending £30 in the Autoglym product.


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## j77drs (Aug 8, 2019)

its that easy, just keep the hair dryer moving, i would use a heat gun personally.

Its wierd to see the marks disappearing and they never come back


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

j77drs said:


> its that easy, just keep the hair dryer moving, i would use a heat gun personally.
> 
> Its wierd to see the marks disappearing and they never come back


I just went out to check where the latest bird poop had been and the mark that it left is almost invisible now. Saying that the bodywork of the car is BOILING today with the high temps so maybe that had already had a positive effect (similar to the hot air of a hairdryer?).

Anyway, now that I know about this method my heart won't sink so badly the next time


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

This post has been remarkably informative. Discovering the heat pad, and air drier methods has me somewhat miffed though. I paid a fair bit to have my bonnet corrected involving a re-cut and re-ceramic coated.

With regard the VW & Audi clear coat. All cars, post late 1990's seem to be more susceptible to this issue than before. Some manufacturers, like Volvo, used to have a section in the owners manual that mentioned the paints susceptibility to bird droppings!


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Having made my post above I immediately began to de-construct it. The engineer in me!

Many of the posts and videos suggest that a standard hair dryer would work. So I looked into hair dryers to try and discover what the typical nozzle temperatures are. It would appear that most are limited to a temperature well below 60°C to prevent third degree scalp burns.

Out of interest I took a few digital temperature readings. The black RS sat in the garage has a panel temperature of 35°c, it is rather warm in there! The wife's white TT in full sun is at 42°c but my Daytona Grey A5 ranges from 55°c to over 70°c  Would this not make it self healing on hot days? :lol:

Obviously a heat gun can far exceed 60°c but at what temperature would you begin burning the paint?


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

Barmybob said:


> Having made my post above I immediately began to de-construct it. The engineer in me!
> 
> Many of the posts and videos suggest that a standard hair dryer would work. So I looked into hair dryers to try and discover what the typical nozzle temperatures are. It would appear that most are limited to a temperature well below 60°C to prevent third degree scalp burns.
> 
> ...


I honestly think my has done a bit of self healing due to panel heat Bob.


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Snake TT said:


> I honestly think my has done a bit of self healing due to panel heat Bob.


That's what I was thinking, after your previous post. Seems that the top coat does have a degree of self healing.


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## CliveM (Jun 23, 2020)

Presumably what's happening is a very slight re-flowing of the clearcoat. It must to vital not to touch it during or straight after the hairdryer treatment - where's Alex Ferguson when you need him?


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## Mr GTS (Dec 17, 2019)

Hair dryers, TT's... careful now, you're inviting a tackle :lol:

I can't see what all the fuss is about? I just spray the offending bird poo with quick detailer, allow to soak in and essentially dissolve the mess. Then carefully remove what's left with a tissue. If it's baked on, I do the same, but use a pressure washer to avoid risking damage to the paintwork. It is that simple. Done it that way for many years, never had paint work damaged by bird poo.


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## Alan W (Oct 8, 2007)

I have been looking into the hair drier and heat gun methods of etching removal recently and there are quite a few videos on YouTube and Threads on Detailing World and elsewhere. I have noted that 120 Deg. C seems to be the temperature at which the paint reflows and the etching marks disappear. I have tried a hair drier and can't raise the (localised) panel temperature much above an indicted 100 Deg. C using an infra-red thermometer.

I'm too scared to try a heat gun and, as Autoglym have 25% Off until the end of June :wink: , I've just purchased the Reflow pads from them online.

Alan W


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Mr GTS said:


> Hair dryers, TT's... careful now, you're inviting a tackle :lol:


 :lol: oops


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## oliver305 (2 mo ago)

Bird droppings can be removed from a car using water and baking soda. Put a basin filled with boiling water. Dish soap and baking soda should be added in equal amounts. Spray the solution immediately on the bird droppings on the car, then wait five to ten minutes before cleaning them up.


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