Bird etching continue to cause damage?

[CEE DOG]

Question:
1.-If you wash an etched spot in your paint can the etch continue to deteriorate or have you removed the offender from your paint? Can some of the offensive agent possibly hide around the edge of the etch? I will eventually polish and seal again but I want to make sure that any light water spots or etches will not be worse by waiting.

I had my first serious run in with bird craps today and I am astounded! Not sure when it landed there but it couldn't have been more than a couple hours. I was at work. I got out my optimum qd and wiped it off but the damage was done. I crossed my fingers and after I got home I used bug/tar remover, hot water sittin on it, and 2 types of clay. The first didn't do much. The second clay I used did help some.
2.-Is it worth trying some vinegar/water tommorrow or would the clay already have done more?

This "traumatic" experience led me to doing research on the bird bombs and I found 2 especially interesting threads.

One was by Scott about carnauba vs sealant as it relates to bird craps
(click here) http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-university/1504-birdie-doo-doo-damage-etching.html

The other was by you (Mike P.) from when you were with with Megui.
Titled: How long for bird dropping to damage paint? It only takes minutes!

[MI Mike]

I can feel your pain. I am waiting for the paint to cure, before applying a wax. It seems that the birds flying south see my car, which is outside 24/7. The paints etc. are waterbase VOC compliant, etc. The dealer used PPG. Work was covered by warranty this time. (Not the best work I have seen from a dealer shop though.) I would also like to know what wax or sealant holds up better to these problems, etc. My first though would be why? if the paint manufacturers know that this is a problem, they not invest why not invest in a base and clearcoat that will stand up to the outside environment. Till then.

[Buckskincolt]

Question:
1.-If you wash an etched spot in your paint can the etch continue to deteriorate or have you removed the offender from your paint? Can some of the offensive agent possibly hide around the edge of the etch? I will eventually polish and seal again but I want to make sure that any light water spots or etches will not be worse by waiting.

I had my first serious run in with bird craps today and I am astounded! Not sure when it landed there but it couldn't have been more than a couple hours. I was at work. I got out my optimum qd and wiped it off but the damage was done. I crossed my fingers and after I got home I used bug/tar remover, hot water sittin on it, and 2 types of clay. The first didn't do much. The second clay I used did help some.
2.-Is it worth trying some vinegar/water tommorrow or would the clay already have done more?

This "traumatic" experience led me to doing research on the bird bombs and I found 2 especially interesting threads.

One was by Scott about carnauba vs sealant as it relates to bird craps
(click here) http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-university/1504-birdie-doo-doo-damage-etching.html

The other was by you (Mike P.) from when you were with with Megui.
Titled: How long for bird dropping to damage paint? It only takes minutes!

Looks like I will be coating with a sealant first topped by a couple coats of Max Wax or XMT 180......Seal the paint against the salt and road chemicals then the Wax to protect against natures beasts.

[Mike Phillips]

The thread you're talking about where I tell the story that it took less than 10 minutes for a bird dropping to etch the paint was the 2002 Bimmerfest BMW, it was a very eye opening experience for myself because I didn't think it could happen so fast but it did.

I've been told that bird droppings contain a substance called Uric Acid and it's this acid that is so corrosive to automotive paints.

When I first went to work for Meguiar's it was as a copywriter and one of the first things I was asked to write was some copy promoting the idea of keeping a spray detailer in your car or truck for emergencies. In my mind, I pictures either an ambulance or a firetruck screaming down the road with the horns a blaring and the lights blinking that's just the picture that came to mind when I thought of the word emergency. I was having a hard time tying the idea of a spray detailer with the word emergency.

After the bird dropping incident on the BMW hood I never had a problem writing copy associating a spray detailer with the word emergency again.

Here's a tip, keep a bottle of Spray Detailer and a few microfiber polishing cloths stored in a large Zip-Lock baggie behind your seat for emergencies like when bird dropping lands on your car's finish so you can quickly remove it before it causes any damage to your car's paint.


Or something like that...


Usually washing with a quality soap and water will remove all of the offending elements of the bird dropping to stop any further deterioration of the paint. I'm not a chemist but if you really wanted to zap the area you would wipe or wash with a little vinegar or even baking soda mixed with some water.

If it's etched the paint then you don't need clay, you need something like Ultimate Compound as the etching is a below surface defect and the way you fix a below surface defect is you remove the paint surrounding the defect until the surface if level again.


I'm waiting for Dr. Michio Kaku to invent a Force Field you can pour out of a bottle or scoop out of a can and apply to your car like a wax.