Not surprisingly, this subject has come up before. Here's one of the most useful older threads - a Forum Search might disclose others...
tinyurl.com/9fvd2
smokie, BR Moderator
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Many thanks folks.
I will be seeing Volvo next week when the car goes in for a service and will report back what they have to say. I'm jst glad I don't have it parked under a tree!
To think I have been worried about getting the first scratches / dents in the new car when actually a big bird with a big appetite for blackberries (I think!) was all I needed to take the gloss (quite literally) off owning a new car!
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I posted in the other thread about using Autoglym Paint Renovator (also from a What Car pack!). I've washed the car a couple of times since and have specifically looked for the poo mark and it hasn't reappeared. I did wax the bonnet several times after using the paint renovator, though.
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I always aply a poltice of wet bounty to bird deposits overnight this softens the enough to enable them to wipe off.
Paul
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Kettle descaler may work according to a previous thread but I don't know what the risk of it not working (and making it worse) is!
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I tried the 'wet bounty' treatment but all I had in the morning were chocolate marks and a faint whiff of coconut.......;0)
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Hi all,
I'm Danny and I'm from Clean Image (the web site that Blue linked to above). Last week I was talking to an industry expert and asked him why bird pooh was called 'bird lime' and why it did so much damage? He didn't know, but to be fair, it isn't his area and English isn't his first language! If I find out the answer I'll get back to you...
But what I do know is that bird lime etches the clear coat of your car - much like acid etching. It breaks down the binders in your paint work, and it's the binders that hold it together.
Worse still, once it has worked its way into the paint surface, it keeps on etching until it is neutralized - and washing doesn't always do it. I often see dark coloured cars where there is white powdery residue etched deep into the paint surface.
I'll admit, I don't know if it is actually acidic or caustic, but the results are the same for your paintwork. On a hot day the acidic or caustic effect is speeded up because the bodywork of your car is hot, bird lime can cause stains in a matter of a few minutes! So it is always important to remove any bird mess as quickly as possible. For this reason, many enthusiasts carry something in the car for the purpose - a bottle of water and a sponge, handy wipes, or something like Quick detailer.
If bird lime is baked on, then I can only repeat the advice already given - use a soapy solution (a ph balanced car shampoo) to wet some cloth and place it over the effected area.
Some people have advised using newspaper for this, but having seen all sorts of things stain paintwork it is probably better to use an old tea towel or kitchen tissue - newspaper is printed with inks which could possibly transfer, it's unlikely but these things do happen.
And please, please, please don't use a Brillo pad! The results won't be pretty!
As your paintwork is already etched and is therefore damaged, then the only permanent solution is to 'cut' the paintwork. By this I mean removing a tiny amount of the paint's surface - just enough to remove the damaged paint.
How much is removed depends on how deep the etching is. T-Cut is probably the most famous product for doing this, although there are more modern products like Scratch-X or Finesse-it. These are polishes that are abrasive enough to remove small amounts of paint.
At the other end of the extreme is 'Wet Sanding' which involves removing some surface paint with a very fine sandpaper. We have a couple of pictures of this on our web site www.clean-image.co.uk/articles/wet_sanding.htm but it's something we try not to do very often!
Unfortunately, just about anything more aggressive is than T-cut and Scratch-X will probably leave scratches and swirl marks and so unless you are a hardcore enthusiast, it's best left to a professional.
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Many thanks for the detailed response.
Any views on the Autoglym 'Paint renovator'?
It seems that this does what T-Cut does, but is OK for Metalics (I know T-Cut do a product for metalics, but past experiance suggests it doesn't actually 'cut'). What I found in bright sunlight after use and after polishing (a couple of weks after what looked to have been a sucessful treatment) was the bird poo stain and a fine hazing arround from the polishing product.
If I did it again with the polishing product, but with very little pressure (quite a lot used first time 'round) do you think I might get somewhere?
What are Volvo likely to say?
After all surely a car can expect to get poop'ed on whilst being driven on a road. Surely the paint should be 'fit for purpose'?
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I don't ave a view on Auto glym Paint renovator, because we don't use the retail products (and don't actually use any of the trade products either if I'm honest).
I don't know about this business of special products for metallics... most cars are metallic these days, and those that don't still have a clear coat anyway. The colour of the car only really makes a difference in as much as some colours show up imperfections more than others.
As for what Volvo would say? I'd expect them to have some small print to cover this... unfortunately, soft paint is the price we pay for enviromentally friendly paint which doesn't give car workers cancer or otherwise poison them! As I said, on a hot day it can only takes a few mins to cause a stain.
Polishing may work, but don't apply too much pressure, let the polish do the work.
Body shops and spray shops are actually better qualified in things like buffing paintwork than most valeters - most of them get more proctice. So you could pop into your local and see what they think. They might be willing to remove it or improve it for you. The truth is, that if it is very bad, you may need a respray.
Either way, I'd seek advice from somebody who can inspect the damage before you go scrubbing it with polish.
I'd be interested to hear what Volvo say... be sure and let us know!
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Brasso used judiciously works wonders to remove that final 'haze' where the poo was - seriously! Just take great care, checking every few rubs!
Graeme
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As promised, the verdict:
Well, I have discussed it with local Volvo dealer when I took the car in for it's service.
They said what I expected them to say, which was that Bird droppings are very acidic and corrosive and sadly it was just one of those things. He explained he had this problem with his own car and all that could be done was to was it off as soon as poss.
My argument was that surely the paint shold be 'fit for purpose' and that one could expect droppings occasionally. My last car, a black metallic 1999 Mondeo was rarely cleaned and never showed any signs of bird dropping corrosion. He was sympathetic and said they would have a look when the car was in the workshop.
I came back to pick the car up later that day. The car had been washed and the bonnet polished to gleaming. Cannot see the mark at the moment but then when I had first polished it, I had thought I had got the marks out as well, only seeing them still there in a different light.
As it stands though it looks good so many thanks to MRG Volvo Chippenham.
I will never let the droppings stay there for a few days again though!
Also, it must be said that there is a particular chapter in the handbook (looked at last night) pointing out paints succeptability to bird droppings, so they have covered themselves.
To the dealers credit they did not point this out to me as an argument, just got on with seeing if they could put it right.
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My mum uses MRG Chippenham - very good customer service.
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True. Having looked at some Volvo forums they are renowned for their the level of service.
Whilst I was in there, a number of 'slightly older' customers came in to drop off cars for servicing work, and were all recognised and greated by name without any reference to paperwork. A sign that the staff take an interest.
Having had a truly superb level of service from Zebedee & Powney (Ford linked dealer / garage in Calne, Wilts, now moved to Lyneham, Wilts) for my old Mondeo company car, I was unsure that I would have such a good relationship with another car dealer / service centre.
Volvo Wakefield (where I bought the car from - best deal found) were tremendous though, and MRG look like they will be also coming up to the same high standard.
Nice to see the trade has some 'standard bearers' of good service.
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Beware if you fancy the un-registered blue XJ in the
( mail me & I'll tell, location) Jaguar dealers showroom, currently.
Bonnet has benn splattered & reasonably well polished, but the stains remain!
VB
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For the next time it happens, my advice is have a pack of baby wipes in the car. They are a couple of quid for a pack, and if they are there, you use them.
V
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Top tip.
One word of advice though is not to be tempted to use them on leather interiors. Can seriously damage the finish I have heard.
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