[Zero71]

Went to the car this AM and found a huge bird poop on the rear bumper. Took it for a clean and found that despite being glassy smooth, there was still a stain. Tried various things, the most successful being Meguiars Swirl Remover 2.0. It's not gone but its much less visible. Only really see it when looking for it when the light hits it just right.

Anything else I can try to be rid of it?

Also, I presume I need to wax over that patch to protect the paint after all the hand buffing on that area. Is there anything quick and easy to apply for a novice with no tools?

I have no wax so will need to buy something (cheap). Currently have Meguiars #7 and #9 - swirl remover and show car glaze - for my guitar no less - great for unstickying a nitro finished Les Paul neck! Mostly the swirl remover.

I'm never gonna polish the whole car - too much effort and I don't have a garage or driveway or access to a hose. I take it to the usual Eastern European car wash - the local Glasgow branch always to a good job on their conveyor system for £4. So I don't want to buy a whole lot of expensive stuff.

Thanks.

[davyk31]

Bird poop is incredibly bad for BMW paint, stains it in no time. It does fade a little over time but if the clear coat is damaged then nothing will totally remove the mark.

[planemad]

take it to a detailer mate - they will use a machine and compound to remove.

[davethefish]

just had the same on my rear offside door.
reckon a flippin eagle dropped it's load on my car.

i've never had bird crap etch the clear coat on my previous car a monaco blue E90.
it was always polished and well waxed and it just washed off.

i hadn't got round to polishing and waxing my new F30 as i was waiting for some better weather.
by the time i did the bird had crapped on my car and even though it was washed off as soon as possible the same day.
it left a 2-3" diameter dull matt finish to the clear coat.

i finally polished it out with some swirl remover and a rotary mop.
then i decontaminated, clayed, polished and waxed the whole car.
bird crap has since washed off without marking the paintwork...so far....

__________________
F30 320d M Sport, 18s, Visibility, VSS, Sport Auto, Pro Nav, Folding Mirrors, H/K, Heated with Lumbar, Split Rears, Black Leather, Folding headrests, Brushed Alu with Black, EBII

nice car you have there.
shame not to have it polished and waxed every few months...

[Sabo]

I deal with that every day, all you should have done/should do get a heat gun an place above the spot about 5cm away and it will disappear in seconds but don't do it longer then necessary, you'll be amazed by the result even works on a couple of weeks old etch.

[Zero71]

Thanks guys. I really don't want to spend a fortune at a detailed I if Meguiars paint cleaner, and some wax will do. Heck the worst of it is away - can someone recommend an easy to apply by hand wax?

[1bad335]

Had the exact same thing last week. meguiars 105 took it right out stain and all. Followed that with Meguiars 205 finish polish. Then just apply a sealer wax. Worked perfectly. BTW, everything else I tried failed until the Meguiars 205/105 combo.

[B33M3R]

A machine polish will remove all but the very worst bird mess etching. I always keep a pack of baby wipes, about £1 for a pack of Tesco's own, in the boot for just such an emergency.

Getting it off quick is the best remedy though, be sure to moisten and lift off the paint. Bird mess is full of sand, don't rub against the paint!

[davethefish]

Originally Posted by zerolight

Thanks guys. I really don't want to spend a fortune at a detailed I if Meguiars paint cleaner, and some wax will do. Heck the worst of it is away - can someone recommend an easy to apply by hand wax?

i use autoglym HD wax as it's good with darker colours, there are better waxes out there but cost more and the HD is easy to apply and more importantly easy to buff off.

tbh i'd use a good quality sealant on an EBII colour. as you only really get the benefit of a wax shine with darker colours. plus sealants tend to generally last a lot longer than waxes.
if your fond of meguiars they do a 'synthetic sealant 2.0'
or there are other sealants out there like gtechniq and zaino.

[planemad]

Go for collinite 476s - its the most durable wax on the market I have found it to give a better barrier to bird bombs before paint is etched.
You will only need to wax twice a year with the 476s (I do it every 8 weeks as i'm insane OCD)
I have found also that bird poo around this time of year is worse and more frequent as the birdys are flying to and fro the nest like madmen.
Also they seems to eat lots of berrys which make their poop even more acidic.

[Zero71]

Thanks guys. Will check em out.

[RobUK]

Seagulls are the worst, they must crap a pint of guano at a time!! Remember one time I was waiting at Calais waiting to board the ferry - had drivers window down and I got bombed by a seagull. It hit me in the ear/side of the neck ... and it stunk!!! On the plus side, the was less on the paintwork

I also carry wet wipes in the car for these occasions, but if it's already dried by the time I see it then soaking a dish cloth or kitchen roll in water and leaving it lying on the offending mess for 10-15 mins usually softens it up enough to remove it without scratching.

[davyk31]

I spray Quick Detailer on it to help soften it, something like Meguiars Last Touch is great and pad it off onto kitchen roll or similar.

[claykin]

BMW factory sprays cars using a self healing clear coat. Leave car in sun and UV will allow stain to virtually disappear. May take a few days in the UK with your lack of sun.

[Torque of the Devil]

Did you get some magic beans with your car as well ?

[derekh929]

something Valet Pro Citrus 10 parts water 1 part citrus, sprayed onto poo to dwell , then either Power Wash off after softens, or use quite hot wet cloth layed over poo to soften and rinse off. The etched part as said above will need machine poliched after paint depth checked and re checked when removing as paint only 100 microns on mine average that's 0.1mm not alot with removal rates of 3 to 4 microns a set clearcoat , likely hardest but still better get someone that knows , how to do it right

[Zero71]

It's pretty close to invisible now, just with the swirl remover 2.0. Another bash with that and it'll likely be totally gone. Has anyone tried the Meguiars Synthetic X Spray - and is it available in smaller quantities. I'm lazy. I also can't justify the costs of getting it done by a pro. Figure a regular Polish wash followed up now and then with X Spray might be OK?

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/m...-78-litre.aspx

[Sabo]

Originally Posted by claykin

BMW factory sprays cars using a self healing clear coat. Leave car in sun and UV will allow stain to virtually disappear. May take a few days in the UK with your lack of sun.

I'm not convinced the heat of the the sun would be enough but the heat gun defenetaly does the job perfectly. Most people seem to go for the most drastic option removing etch but believe me at the dealership we always use the heat gun(even works on very fine clear coat scratches) polishing/cutting compound is the last option. I didn't know this works until I started working there but I was amazed when I first saw it and since then I do it daily. The easiest and most delicate solution to remove stain from the clearcoat.

[1bad335]

Like anything else a heat gun in the wrong hands can cause major damage just as cutting compound can. With today's clear coat safe compounds and polishes, I would think that most are better off going the compound/polish route than applying heat to an already soft clear coat.

[F30AM]

Over the weekend, I had no choice but to park my car under a tree which is infamous for housing birds which perform huge poohs. Not a spot fell on my car but the two cars in front and behind me were peppered to perfection. The one in front was an F20 118d M Sport and the one behind me was an F30 320d Sport. Both silver. Lucky escape.

[geoffgp]

Try this:
http://www.aglaze.com/products/cosme...t-restorer.php

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by claykin

BMW factory sprays cars using a self healing clear coat. Leave car in sun and UV will allow stain to virtually disappear. May take a few days in the UK with your lack of sun.

This has certainly worked for me on several occasions. Vanishing marks... I'd noticed this with small marks on my car.

As an example, last year (on the E91 330d) I had a terrible bird 'etching' on the bonnet, (about 50mm across) I did the usual with soft wet tissue paper, get the area all wet and gently the remove the muck without scratching the surface. But the etching was so bad I thought I'll have to sort this one, would have to do some serious remedial work. A couple of days later I was about to get serious with it and couldn't even see where the marks were. We'd had two days of hot sun and the heat had done its work.

That was the worst I'd seen 'vanish', so as long as I gently clean the muck off as soon as I can, I don't panic.

HighlandPete