Wax or Sealant Protect Better!

[dennish]

Are there more protection from water spots and bird droppings from a Wax or Sealant? Here is the deal – For years I used Mothers Souveran or other wax on my daily drivers, during that time I had zero paint damage from either bird droppings or water spots. About a year and half ago I switched my daily drivers to sealants, since them I had several damage areas by mainly bird droppings. In my yard are four big cedar trees that this time of year they have a blue berry on them and are favorites of black bird. It is not uncommon that I have several bird droppings on my car in the morning when I ready to leave for work. I was doing a durability experiment on the hood between two popular sealants for the past few months and I have had damage to both sides of the hood and wasn’t long after I applied them. I have done searches on several detailing forums for water spotting and bird droppings almost everyone reporting damage was using a sealant. So over the 14 years I have lived in the house is it just recently I have encounter birds droppings that damage paint or is wax providing more protection??

[amitpatel]

I am assuming a layer of sealant+wax=double protection?

[OCDetails]

A fresh layer of wax may protect better than any degree of freshness layer of sealant, but only for the first couple days until all the oils evaporate. I honestly can't imagine how a wax would be more durable to the acids in bird bombs than a sealant would. Really they both are going to get eaten up if you leave it on too long, but my guess is that circumstances of the damage versus when your car wasn't damaged were probably different. More may have been different than just the product on the surface possibly.

[ScottB]

There has never been any quantifiable proof that one is better than the other at protection. Durability (length of protection) seems to be all that can be measured. I too have used one extremely popular sealant and it scared my Maxima's finish with birdie doo-doo and thus why I dont use it to this day, and UPP never did with almost the same look and a slightly slicker finish. My wax has never done so, but I could not tell you what the bird ate and if it was the same bird. Could it be the oils in a carnuaba ?? maybe !

[amitpatel]

So is it bad to use WG Deep Gloss Paint Sealant since bird dookie will cause stains/etchings?

[klnyc]

I always prefered sealant over wax. I dont care much about glossy shine look.. I'm into durabilty route ;)

[OCDetails]

What causes bird bomb stains is the length of time the bird bomb sits on the paint. It doesn't matter much what you put on the paint if you are going to let a bird poop sit there for a week. If you are in an area where you are constantly bombarded with them, then that is what God created car covers for. Don't expect anything you put on your paint to protect you from extended exposure to bird crap.

Here is an interesting (or maybe not) tidbit that I have posted somewhere recently before. Birds don't have kidneys to filter out the acids in their waste. They also don't have bladders to keep it all in since it is so toxic and acidic. Therefore when a bird poops on your car you are dealing with some of the most acidic forms of animal waste that you can ever hope to get on your car. A bear could poop on your car and it wouldn't do as much damage to your paint as a bird. So if you see a bird bomb on your car, then my advice is to get it off ASAP. That is why I carry a bottle of Wolfgang Spritz in my car with a microfiber towel. If I see a bird bomb then I get it off as soon as I spot it. I don't wait till the weekend to wash the car. You can't let that stuff sit on the paint that long. Get it off right away if you are concerned about stains.

Here is another interesting (or maybe not) fact. Since different birds eat different food, the level of acid in their waste is different. A segull might cause more damage than a magpie. Or it could be the other way around. All I know is that if I came out to my car and found it looking like the floor of an bird house then I would certianly either be parking somewhere else or investing in a high quality car cover.

[FloridaNative]

Amen and Hallelujah OCDetails! But you had me LMAO with the bear pooping on the car bit. I always carry baby wipes with me and wipe them off as soon as I see them and throw them away in the nearest trash can or in a plastic baggie in the car. They take those suckers right off and don't leave any kinds of streaks. :) I don't know how you feel about having a package of Huggies Wipes in your glove box, but I'm a mommy so I'm used to it. :) They are also really good for getting stains off of upholstery or carpets as long as the stains are fresh and nothing too major. But I totally agree with OCDetails about the car cover if you are being constantly bombarded. When you consider the price you paid for your car and the time and money you put into protecting your investment, the cost of the car cover is a minor expense.
Take care :)