The nearly new car that I have bought has got a 10p-sized flaw in the paintwork on the roof, where the lacquer has eroded and some of the metallic green paint has gone.
The garage claims that this is due to bird poo or violent tree sap (grrr) being left on the vehicle and not being washed off. I know that this happens over time, but is this normal or acceptable on a vehicle that was built in March of this year?????
Thanks
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Unfortunately yes.
Pay close attention to where you park - some tree saps are highly acidic.
Also, when a bird poops on the car, make sure you have toilet-paper handy (No sniggering at the back...)- depending on the bird's diet, that stuff is lethal!
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when a bird poops on the car, make sure you have toilet-paper handy
Don't be silly. The bird would have flown off before you've had chance to get andrex out the boot :o)
The old ones are always the best.
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I told you, NO SNIGGERING!
Now, write out 100 times, "I must not waste paper and ink!"
Back on subject, I'm seeing a man tommorow, who specialises in paintwork restoration etc.
I'll make some enquiries re suitable polishes for prevention of bird poo damage.
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Now, write out 100 times, "I must not waste paper and ink!"
OK.
I must not waste paper and ink! x 100
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>> Now, write out 100 times, "I must not waste paper and >> ink!" OK. I must not waste paper and ink! x 100
DD,
I think you've got that wrong... I'm sure Ian means..
100 x I must not waste paper and ink !
:-)
Chad.R
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OK,OK
Quickly, before the pedants amongst you point out that multiplication is ??, I forget the actual term but basically means that the numbers involved can be transposed without any effect on the result similarly with addition but unlike division and subtraction. PHEW
Chad.R
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I wouldn't want to take sides on this but I would say that it is *especially* important to wash off any such substances in the early life of the car because the paint may not be fully hardened for several months.
Bird droppings and tree sap have always been harmful to paintwork, even the best quality solvent-based paint finishes. Unfortunately we are now stuck with water-borne paints and so the problem has almost certainly got worse.
All I can suggest in this instance is that you make it clear to the garage that the stuff wasn't left on the roof for long (I assume, being a new car, that you did take care to keep it clean?) and press them for a repair if that's what you feel you need.
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Cheers... as it happens, I only bought this car last week, and the detailed visual inspection that I gave it didn't (I now realise - doh!) include the roof. It's an A-class so marginally taller than most saloons etc. I only noticed the fault when walking past the car at the weekend from a raised path. Anyway Mercedes have the car today and are repairing the fault... they are not in the least interested in repainting it, but given the replies above and in various other threads that I have found, I can't say I am surprised. Why is paint so rubbish??? I am condemned to a life of polishing with autoglym or zymol or something equally expensive and unpleasant.
Thanks both very much for your replies.
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Dizzy
Couldn't agree more. Things seem worse following the introduction of water based paint, and some metallics seem especially vulnerable - or the damage to the laquer coat makes it more obvious.
The problem is bird droppings can damage paintwork in a very short time, less than a day, as I've found to my cost in the past!
Regards
John S
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The problem is bird droppings can damage paintwork in a very short time, less than a day, as I've found to my cost in the past!
But not on your Morris Minor I trust? Ah, cellulose ... wasn't so bad after all (at least you could polish out the marks!)
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Dizzy
The Minor ('58) appears to have that new-fangled enamel paint rather than cellulose! It's also got a fair amount of 2 pack where I've repaired/replaced various bits!
The bird droppping problem was on the Vectra - noticable when viewed at the right angle.
Regards
John S
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Bang on the button again Dizzy. This problem is well known amongst the OEMs since the introduction of water based paints. As I recall Peugeots were especially badly affected. Having a friend who works at Peugeot Ryton (near Coventry) I got to hear about several people who had whole car resprays (Peugeot company cars), yet paying customers who complained were given the brush off, leading to an embarrasing item on Central News quickly followed by a retraction and much spraying of car bonnets & roofs.
The answer is to wash off bird poo & tree sap regularly.
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I'm surpised that someone like Turtlewax haven't brought out a polish that contains a "coating" which neuralises the chemicals in bird poo/tree sap.
Or maybe a free shotgun to remove the birds...
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So all the 'non-sporting' types will need then is a polish that protects the paint against lead pellets travelling at 1000 feet per second.....
Of course the sporting types will only shoot a bird that's in flight, so the paintwork will be fine. Neighbours windows will be at risk though.
Regards
John S
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Never said it was flawless :)
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In Brazil I've noted that Fiat's suffer this extremely quickly in the hot sun - after just a few months the metallic finishes are ruined. I had the same problem on my old cavalier metallic and nothing would remove the marks from the roof. With the omega the first thing I done was to apply copious layers of wax on the roof, at least it offers a little extra protection until it gets a wash!
S.
_____________________________________
SVPworld (incorporating PSRworld)
www.svpworld.com
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.............just be grateful pigs don't have wings (yet).
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pigs having wings was pretty much Brentford mercedes' response when I suggested that they might want to respray the roof... the repair that they have done (which took them a whole day, and the garage is NOT close to home) looks like it was done by a monkey that had drunk too much coconut wine and got the green nail varnish out. The service that they offer is truly appalling. I wish that I had never left Nissan's trusty fold.
Eric
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Went to my local Merc dealer today to get some oil and mentioned to the bodyshop department about a scrape that some t##t did in a car park on the rear bumper. Just really wanted to know the cost but was told they will carry out the work free of charge starting the 25th Sept and will give me a courtesy car for the 2 days while they remove the bumper and respray the whole thing.
Thats what I call service
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Oh dear, Peugeot in trouble again! They had a poor reputation in the UK for years until the mid-80s, then everything seemed to be going their way, what with the brilliant 205 GTI, etc., now they seem to be going back to square one again.
I'm surprised to hear that Peugeot have more trouble than most with water-borne paint. When I visited their Ryton factory about three years ago I was told that they were only just starting to look at water paints, so by the time they introduced it into production their paint suppliers should have had lots of experience with other car makers to draw on.
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To be fair, it was probably just that a local manufacturer made the local news that made it seem like they had the problem worse than anyone else.
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I'd go along with that, Cyd. I wouldn't want to be too critical of Peugeot in general. I was quite impressed with the care that they were taking with the 206 on the production lines in Ryton, and my daughter Nikki's 106 is very well made for a cheapish car.
Going back to the bodywork/paint subject, Nikki's 106 has a nasty 3" long score just in front of a rear wheel arch and this goes right through the paint. It has been there for at least two years but still no rust! One day, dad will get around to repairing it!
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Hey! I've just had this brilliant idea. What about making cars with vinyl roofs?
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Only if they bring back 8-track tape players as well!
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Why do birds poo on cars anyway ? Apart from pigeons, they rarely seem to do it on the ground. Probably for the same reason, I suppose, that birds poo on my house windows just after I have cleaned them. Birds must be a perverse lot !!
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