Removing bird crap stains

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beercanbilly

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My new Audi TT just got blasted by a herd of birds that must have been eating some mighty caustic food - I'm sick - their mess left stains that I can't remove with the normal scrubbing or hand polishing methods - I need help - what is the best way to get rid of these stains??? I do have a PC that I was going to try next but I really am hoping there is a better way.
 
Is there still residue on the paint, or is it etched into the paint? If there are above surface contaminants you could try using a clay bar to remove it. However, if hand polishing didn't remove it, I would have to imagine you are talking about below surface contaminants, which means you have to use something a little more abrasive to clean the area. Hopefully something mild, like a paint cleanser/cleaner wax will be enough. If not you could have to break out the PC and polish it up... How long where these sitting on the paint?
 
Actually, it's sometimes more effective to remove these kinds of defects by hand than with a DA Style polisher. It all has to do with the word,

exert


That is, you can exert more pressure to a small area of an applicator pad with your fingers than you can with a DA Polisher and the reason for this is because with a DA Polisher you're going to exert pressure over the entire face of the foam buffing pad.

There is an exception thought and that's if you have a 4" Spot Repair pad in a cutting foam. A good combination for removing etchings with a DA Polisher like any of these,



Then get a 4" Spot Repair pad here's a kit

CCS Spot Buffs 4 Inch Foam Pad Kit

SpotRepairKit001.jpg



What's in the box?

2 each 4" CCS Orange Light Cut Pads
2 each 4" CCS White Polishing pads
1 each 4" CCS Blue Pad
1 each 4" CCS Gray Pad
1 each 2 7/8" Rotary Buffer Backing Plate
1 each Rotary Buffer to DA Polisher Adapter
1 each Rotary Buffer to Drill Adapter
2 each Cobra Blue Microfiber Polishing Towels
1 each Cobra Quick Clenz Pad Cleaner


SpotRepairKit002.jpg




and either some M105 or some Ultimate Compound and start working the area.


Be careful, factory clear coat paints are thin. Here's something I've been typing for years on this topic...


You can't always completely remove a below surface defect but you can often times improve a defect to the point that it's a lot less noticeable and you can live with it versus repainting the affected area or the entire car.


:)
 
I'm not a proponent of making generalizations about how hard or soft the paint is on any particular brand or manufacture of vehicles but for what it's worth, most of the newer Audi's I've worked on have fairly hard paint.

So test first now matter how you approach the problem.



:)
 
Here's a portion of an article I've written but have not posted publicly yet as I'm waiting for the how-to video to be edited as it goes with the article.


How to remove a Type I Bird Dropping - Topical Stain Etching

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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
M105RemoveBirdDropping002c.jpg



[SIZE="3]Type II Bird Dropping - Fractured/Wrinkled Etching[/SIZE]
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
BirdDroppingEtchingWrinkles.jpg



:)
 
I washed and clayed the areas and I have been rubbing them with Griot's hand polish - over and over - they are definitely fading to the point where they are almost gone - I can still seen them but I doubt anyone else will unless they look at just the right angle - I think a few more rubs and I will be able to stop crying. Thanks for all the help - someone needs to come up with a magic potion to wash the etchings off - would make a lot of money.
 
beercanbilly said:
I washed and clayed the areas and I have been rubbing them with Griot's hand polish - over and over - they are definitely fading to the point where they are almost gone - I can still seen them but I doubt anyone else will unless they look at just the right angle - I think a few more rubs and I will be able to stop crying. Thanks for all the help - someone needs to come up with a magic potion to wash the etchings off - would make a lot of money.
Click to expand...

The etchings are paint that has been destroyed by the acidic bird poo. So it would be impossible to wash the etching away. The only way to correct it is to smooth the paint (by polishing).
 
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