I hate birds

[LazerBlueP5]

How do I fix this?!

Went to clean up some black bird do-do on my hood today and noticed a few adjacent hairline scratches along with a small chip (small- 1/4 the size of a grain of pretzel salt) I'm assuming the two weren't related, but I digress...

I go to clean it up and the bird crap left a black stain. So I go over it with my clay bar and it eventually gives way and cleans up nice. I look down at my hood later that day (in direct sunlight) and the area where I did my cleaning is all marred. The clear look sort of dull almost like high concentration of swirls where I used the claybar. It feels relatively smooth to the touch but shows up as clear as day if direct sunlight is on the paint.

Is there any way to fix this short of hiring a professional? I tried my Meguires Scratch X and chased it with a couple coats of wax. Didn't seem to change it at all.

 

[LazerBlueP5]

Shoot- nobody has any idea?

 

[Hank3]

Have you tried the folks over at autopia?

 

[BOOSTR]

Were you aggressive in your stain removal? You need to go over the area with cleaner/polish or swirl remover. Do you use a glaze when you detail or just wax? Glaze will make the finish look better after cleaning and de-swirling. Then hit with your wax.

You can do it by hand. Just have to do a few applications of each until it looks satisfactory and then go on to the next steps.

 

[dan1101]

I've got some crazy bird at my house that pecks on the windows and poops purple s*** all over the place. Left my MS3 outside one night and it got pooped on too. It's a mockingbird I think. Gotta find my BB gun...

 

[Kaidao]

I've got some crazy bird at my house that pecks on the windows and poops purple s*** all over the place. Left my MS3 outside one night and it got pooped on too. It's a mockingbird I think. Gotta find my BB gun...

Hahaha I have the same exact problem. There's this like infected bird or something that governs the street outside my house. EVERY car that parks out there has a orange-red looking stain, compliments of the zombie bird.

 

[LazerBlueP5]

Were you aggressive in your stain removal? You need to go over the area with cleaner/polish or swirl remover. Do you use a glaze when you detail or just wax? Glaze will make the finish look better after cleaning and de-swirling. Then hit with your wax.

You can do it by hand. Just have to do a few applications of each until it looks satisfactory and then go on to the next steps.

Yes, I was aggressive. The stain was very resilient so I had to use several tries with the clay bar.

Glaze? No- nor polish either. The only thing I've ever done for car care is Wash, Clay and Wax. Never tried working with glazes and/or polishes. Though I used to have this pre-wax swirl removing "cleaner" by Meguires several years ago that worked wonders. I still have some left but it's so old it's almost like a pure liquid rather than paste.

 

[BOOSTR]

That is what I thought, you scuffed up the clear in removing the spot. Sort of like sanding it. That stuff is no good if it was a paste and its now a liquid. Don't use it.

3M Imperial Hand Glaze or Mother's Sealer & Glaze are good ones that you can buy at any retail parts store. Meguair's makes great stuff too but you would have to order it from the net or find and auto-body supply store for the professional series products.

Short of seeing your spot its hard to say if you will be able to resolve it to your satisfaction by hand. But I'd give it a try to see. It is fixable either way.

 

[SPEEDYHANS]

let me guess u have a TR lol i have the same f-ing problem and right after i wash it lol. tha car was guy was ruf with it and mest up my door the same way u did to ur hood i went to my friends bodyshop and he told me that he mait need to paint the door again thenx to the car was guy and the f-ing berds

 

[LazerBlueP5]

That is what I thought, you scuffed up the clear in removing the spot. Sort of like sanding it. That stuff is no good if it was a paste and its now a liquid. Don't use it.

3M Imperial Hand Glaze or Mother's Sealer & Glaze are good ones that you can buy at any retail parts store. Meguair's makes great stuff too but you would have to order it from the net or find and auto-body supply store for the professional series products.

Short of seeing your spot its hard to say if you will be able to resolve it to your satisfaction by hand. But I'd give it a try to see. It is fixable either way.

Thanks for the input man- I appreciate it. So how does this Mother's Sealer & Glaze work? Is it ok just to do the spot on the hood and not the whole car?

 

[LazerBlueP5]

let me guess u have a TR lol i have the same f-ing problem and right after i wash it lol. tha car was guy was ruf with it and mest up my door the same way u did to ur hood i went to my friends bodyshop and he told me that he mait need to paint the door again thenx to the car was guy and the f-ing berds

Yep TR it is. Darn it- I wanted silver.

 

[SPEEDYHANS]

ps u have the same teist in cars that i do lol i live the s2000 as well

 

[BOOSTR]

It would be best to do the whole car. But before you do that try your scratch x a few more times then put on the glaze. I've never used that stuff but I checked on the meguairs forum about it and its recommended to use several applications when done by hand. I could solve your problem easily with my rotary and a foam pad using better products.

If the marring does not come out then it will need to be buffed out. Either way its a good idea to add glaze to your routine. Dark colors respond well to it prior to waxing or applying a sealant.

 

[LazerBlueP5]

ps u have the same teist in cars that i do lol i live the s2000 as well

Unfortunately I had to trade her I needed something better for winter and for my business (wedding/event videography).

 

[ThrillRide]

Went to clean up some black bird do-do on my hood today and noticed a few adjacent hairline scratches along with a small chip (small- 1/4 the size of a grain of pretzel salt) I'm assuming the two weren't related, but I digress...

I go to clean it up and the bird crap left a black stain. So I go over it with my clay bar and it eventually gives way and cleans up nice. I look down at my hood later that day (in direct sunlight) and the area where I did my cleaning is all marred. The clear look sort of dull almost like high concentration of swirls where I used the claybar. It feels relatively smooth to the touch but shows up as clear as day if direct sunlight is on the paint.

Is there any way to fix this short of hiring a professional? I tried my Meguires Scratch X and chased it with a couple coats of wax. Didn't seem to change it at all.

A machine is going to be the best way (and in the hands of a professional even better). But there are a few polishes on shelves that you might get decent results with by hand. ScratchX should handle minor marring, same for OTC 3M products. But most OTC "polishes" really have little polishing ability and have more filling and glazing properties. It will make the area look good for a while, but once washed off your issue is back.

What claybar did you use? Grade? Claying can be done without marring, it just takes practice. Minimal pressure is required. If you use to much pressure or not enough lube you will scratch the surface. Most people don't realize that claying should be done with very little pressure.

Another thing, once the bird bomb has stained its no longer a clay issue. It has etched into your clear and clay, used properly, won't get it. So what it sounds like is you used the clay too vigorously at which point it is just like using a fine sand paper. You will remove the stain, but induce scratches and marring as well. This could lead to irreparable damage. The etching needs to be removed by machine polishing, or if need be some light wetsanding. With wetsanding you can control the depth, but with clay its too easy to have an accident. Clay is strictly for topical issues.

Oh yeah...got pics?

 

[LazerBlueP5]

I used either a Mother's or Meguires clay bar. Whichever one is yellow, I think one of the brands uses white clay.

You nailed it though- I definitely used too much pressure. Typically I use very light pressure and spray as I'm going to keep it lubed. The stain wasn't budging so I used more elbow grease and noticed it lifting, so I continued. I feel like such an idiot.

I would take pics but there is no sunlight today (drap and rainy). You can only see the marring in direct overhead sunlight. If it's indirect or in the shade the area looks completely fine.

What's the best way to get it fixed permanently- visit a body shop and have it handled professionally? I'm worried they'll want to repaint, however I don't think it' necessarily "needs" repainting per say. Thank you for the help.

Btw, for future reference, how should I have handled this tough stain?

 

[ThrillRide]

No need to feel like an idiot. It could happen to anyone. When you see the stain the first thing through your mind is how can I get that off. But the question is really how to get it out. Bird bombs and bugs are very acidic and will etch into the paint in no time.

Best way to get it fixed - definitely not a body shop. They'll take a machine to it and buff it out, and then they'll buff holograms and swirls right in. I just said this in another thread...dealerships sell them, body shops paint them, detailers detail them. So find a professional detailer if you don't have access to the proper machine and products. I know some guys in the Jersey area I can recommend if need them.

Future - Get the bomb off asap. Clay is fine to use to take the top layer off, but when the whole thing doesn't come off don't keep trying. Go for a cleaner style product next to see if that will work. Next will be to polish it out.

I should have mentioned the cleaner product before as an option. Meg's has a decent OTC paint cleaner. I really like P21S paint cleaning lotion. You would have to order that though, unless you have a Harley Davidson dealer near by. They carry a product called S100 which is the exact same as P21S just marketed to bikers. So look for S100 Shine Enhancing Cleanser. Great stuff. If you don't want to go hard core and really get into detailing, I'd go with that. If you want more option come to the detailing section

Good luck with it, and let me know if you want me to refer a guy in NJ.

 

[mattj3636]

 

[BOOSTR]

Best way to get it fixed - definitely not a body shop. They'll take a machine to it and buff it out, and then they'll buff holograms and swirls right in. I just said this in another thread...dealerships sell them, body shops paint them, detailers detail them. So find a professional detailer if you don't have access to the proper machine and products. I know some guys in the Jersey area I can recommend if need them.

I saw this in your other thread and while you are free to make blanket statements, a good body shop will not do what you are saying. Body shops hate detailers so its not surprising that one would not have anything good to say about them. Only an idiot or person with the wrong technique would leave buffing marks in the finish.

 

[ThrillRide]

I saw this in your other thread and while you are free to make blanket statements, a good body shop will not do what you are saying. Body shops hate detailers so its not surprising that one would not have anything good to say about them. Only an idiot or person with the wrong technique would leave buffing marks in the finish.

Granted a blanket statement isn't wise. For me ALL of the machine buffing and polishing work I have seen at every bodyshop has been bad. Even the good body shops. And I don't understand why bodyshops hate detailers? Waht reason is there for that? Go to autopia and search around a bit you will find several threads about shoddy buff jobs that detailers have corrected. I have two jobs coming up that invlove correction of holograms from body shop work. I gather from your disdain for my post that you have a connection to a body shop? Sorry if it upsets you. But the facts are out there. Detailers and enthusiast alike have had hack polish work done by reputable body shops.