Two Types of Bird Dropping Etchings

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Two Types of Bird Dropping Etchings

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Two Types of Bird Dropping Etchings

• Type I Bird Dropping - Topical Stain Etching
• Type II Bird Dropping - Fractured/Wrinkled Etching

There are two common types of damage associated with bird dropping etchings;



Type I Bird Dropping - Topical Stain Etching
Type I Topical Stain Etchings are usually only topical, that is shallow enough that they can be completely removed or at least greatly improved to the point where they are difficult to see.

This type of etching can be removed using a clear coat safe compound or polish by hand or machine. Hand removal is almost always more efficient as you can exert more pressure to a small area and thus keep your work area isolated to just the affected area. By machine you can use a Spot Repair System, again to keep the work area isolated to just the affected area.

Photo courtesy of MeguiarsOnline.com



Type II Bird Dropping - Fractured/Wrinkled Etching
Type II Wrinkled Etchings are usually too deep to fix safely. The problem is the paint fractures, (splits apart in tiny lines,), or wrinkles as the paint swells and bunches together. In both instances, the resulting defect is throughout the clear layer of paint and not topical. Thus trying to remove it will require removing so much clear paint that you will likely expose the basecoat, or colored layer of paint which has a dull appearance. For this reason it's not safe to try to remove a Type II Bird Dropping Wrinkled or Fractured Etching.

Photo courtesy of AutogeekOnline.com

[Grizzly]

Type 2 is pretty rare IMO. Only seen it several times in my life.

[SuperSport]

I got egged in my side door one time and it looks very much like the type 2 picture. I always thought it was not correctable and now it seems I was probably right.

[LincolnZephyr2006]

Although you cannot fix a type 2 permantley, you can defintley hide some of the defect away by giving it a spot sand and polish. You are also right Super sport, I see this damage on cars that have been egged also.

[Adam]

Had it on the roof of my SS when I bought it....



And this is my sister's Renault Megane I polished today...

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

When a car is hit by an egg, the impact of the shell against the paint leaves Imprint Chips, which are chipped-out areas in the paint and it's usually in a radial or circular pattern like this,

Imprint Chips



Imprint Chips



The above type of defect is very difficult to fix and make look good because you have to only put touch-up paint into the actual chipped spots.

Usually the shell creates divets in the paint like little chips, usually in a round or circle pattern. Fixing these chips would be akin to fixing a rock chip except they're typically a lot of them, they're small and it's difficult to do if not impossible, especially if the goal is to make the repair invisible.

Imprint Chips caused by an egg thrown at paint looks a lot different then either,

• Type I Bird Dropping - Topical Stain Etching
• Type II Bird Dropping - Fractured/Wrinkled Etching

If the egg yolk is not removed then it could stain or wrinkle the paint, but the impact of the shell against the paint looks like the two pictures above with Imprint Chips.

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

So since you cant buff out the type II bird etching, what would you suggest as the best way to fix it?

[CEE DOG]

Originally Posted by MrWillsi3

So since you cant buff out the type II bird etching, what would you suggest as the best way to fix it?

"Fixing these chips would be akin to fixing a rock chip except they're typically a lot of them, they're small and it's difficult to do if not impossible, especially if the goal is to make the repair invisible."

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Originally Posted by CEE DOG

"Fixing these chips would be akin to fixing a rock chip except they're typically a lot of them, they're small and it's difficult to do if not impossible, especially if the goal is to make the repair invisible."

Gotcha...guess I need to go find the link to fixing rock chips now huh

[CEE DOG]

Originally Posted by MrWillsi3

Gotcha...guess I need to go find the link to fixing rock chips now huh

I've got a few links for you but don't want to hijack this thread so I'm just going to PM them to you.