Clear coat gone?! :O

enchilada · 06-02-2017, 10:37 AM

Hi all! I washed my car this morning and saw a few spots that I hope are stains. I tried rubbing it off with a microfiber towel but it didn't seem to do anything.

The surrounding paint is smooth but these spots don't have the same smoothness, nor are they reflective. I park in a parking garage and there are overhead pipes, but no visible signs of leakage.

Can anyone tell whether something might have dripped and eroded the clear-coat? Any home remedies I can try short of an exterior detail? Sorry for the poor pics - the lighting wasn't working in my favor.

enchilada · 06-02-2017, 10:41 AM

Acidic bird crap!?!?

435MSport6Speed · 06-02-2017, 10:58 AM

Need better pics. Try a paint cleaner - Mother's Step One....

revone · 06-02-2017, 03:39 PM

This happened to me with my e92, parked in an underground car park, and the concrete dripped all down the passenger side door and on the roof.

A mild acidic cleaner will get it off. I used white vinegar (from alovera) in a trigger spray. Spray it on, leave for 10-20 seconds wipe away, be gentle when rubbing/dabbing it you don't want to leave swirl marks. Repeat until it has gone.

Wash the area again after you've got rid of it all.

When I saw what happened to mine I was convinced it had eaten through the clear coat so I left it for 6 months before bothering to tackle it! Sold it a week later, nobody could tell.

Edit to add photo of how bad mine was, and it all came out fine

cmplaya · 06-04-2017, 11:43 AM

some compound/polish should be able to get that out

G80indy · 06-04-2017, 11:49 AM

Try meguiars ultimate compound
It's effective and gentle
Microabrasives break down and it delivers a clear result

dreamspeed · 06-04-2017, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 330indy

Try meguiars ultimate compound
It's effective and gentle
Microabrasives break down and it delivers a clear result

+1 for ultimate compound, that stuff works miracles. It works pretty much as well as an old school compound but without the tiresome multi step process.

wdeerfield · 06-05-2017, 09:04 AM

m205 and an orange pad worked for me to remove the bird poop stains.

enchilada · 06-09-2017, 01:17 PM

Thanks for the suggestions friends. I haven't had a chance to get to it so I will update you when I do!

KingpinRCR · 06-09-2017, 04:33 PM

It's probably calcium and can be removed with vinegar. It happened to my previous car a lot when i used to park in a specific old carpark and it rained heavily and it looked exactly like that (except for the run, my stains seemed only to occur on the roof for some reason). When you check the ceiling in the carpark again I bet you'll find white spots (miniature stalactites).

06-02-2017, 10:37 AM	#1
enchilada Private 12 Rep 64 Posts Drives: 2013 320i xDrive Join Date: May 2017 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Clear coat gone?! :O Hi all! I washed my car this morning and saw a few spots that I hope are stains. I tried rubbing it off with a microfiber towel but it didn't seem to do anything. The surrounding paint is smooth but these spots don't have the same smoothness, nor are they reflective. I park in a parking garage and there are overhead pipes, but no visible signs of leakage. Can anyone tell whether something might have dripped and eroded the clear-coat? Any home remedies I can try short of an exterior detail? Sorry for the poor pics - the lighting wasn't working in my favor. Attached Images
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06-02-2017, 10:41 AM	#2
enchilada Private 12 Rep 64 Posts Drives: 2013 320i xDrive Join Date: May 2017 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Another angle Acidic bird crap!?!? Attached Images
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06-02-2017, 10:58 AM	#3
435MSport6Speed Captain 432 Rep 814 Posts Drives: 435i M Sport 6 Speed Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Mass iTrader: (0)	Need better pics. Try a paint cleaner - Mother's Step One.... __________________ 14 435i M Sport 6 speed, MG/Coral, MusicarNW Stage 3+ Upgrade for HK, M Brakes, MPPK, MPE, M Rear Spoiler, M Side Molding, full Expel wrap
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06-02-2017, 03:39 PM	#4
revone Private 22 Rep 62 Posts Drives: F32 430i Mineral Grau Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW 430i [0.00]	This happened to me with my e92, parked in an underground car park, and the concrete dripped all down the passenger side door and on the roof. A mild acidic cleaner will get it off. I used white vinegar (from alovera) in a trigger spray. Spray it on, leave for 10-20 seconds wipe away, be gentle when rubbing/dabbing it you don't want to leave swirl marks. Repeat until it has gone. Wash the area again after you've got rid of it all. When I saw what happened to mine I was convinced it had eaten through the clear coat so I left it for 6 months before bothering to tackle it! Sold it a week later, nobody could tell. Edit to add photo of how bad mine was, and it all came out fine Attached Images __________________ revone [2003 Focus ST170 Panther Black - Sold] [2007 E92 325i SE Montego Blau - Sold] [2016 F32 430i MSport Mineral Grau - Current] Last edited by revone; 06-02-2017 at 03:52 PM..
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06-04-2017, 11:43 AM	#5
cmplaya Captain 212 Rep 774 Posts Drives: B58 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: NYC / Instagram: @cmplaya/@nyc340i iTrader: (0)	some compound/polish should be able to get that out
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06-04-2017, 11:49 AM	#6
G80indy Save the Manuals 1714 Rep 2,937 Posts Drives: Z3, E46, G80 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Indy iTrader: (0)	Try meguiars ultimate compound It's effective and gentle Microabrasives break down and it delivers a clear result __________________ 2023 G80 6MT, CCBs 2002 330i Dinan, 5MT 2000 Z3 Conforti, 5MT
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06-05-2017, 09:04 AM	#8
wdeerfield A family of bimmers 2745 Rep 7,741 Posts Drives: '18 G01 X3M40i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Clifton Park, NY iTrader: (0)	m205 and an orange pad worked for me to remove the bird poop stains. __________________ 2018 PB/Black G01 X3M40i \| 699M \| ZDA \| ZPP \| ZPX \| Maxton front lip \| X3M vents \| 15mm Spacers \| Diamond G20 style grills
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06-09-2017, 01:17 PM	#9
enchilada Private 12 Rep 64 Posts Drives: 2013 320i xDrive Join Date: May 2017 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the suggestions friends. I haven't had a chance to get to it so I will update you when I do!
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06-09-2017, 04:33 PM	#10
KingpinRCR Private First Class 61 Rep 166 Posts Drives: F30 320d ed Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Belgium iTrader: (0)	It's probably calcium and can be removed with vinegar. It happened to my previous car a lot when i used to park in a specific old carpark and it rained heavily and it looked exactly like that (except for the run, my stains seemed only to occur on the roof for some reason). When you check the ceiling in the carpark again I bet you'll find white spots (miniature stalactites).
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