Bird etchings, did I do this right? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

ChadG · 08-24-2011, 08:26 PM

So I washed my car on Tuesday, got home yesterday and had a nice big bird poop right on the hood that etched the paint. I removed the droppings using detail spray and an Adam's double thick microfiber (trying not to use much pressure), but still needed to deal with the etching.

I didn't want to rewash the whole car and there was barely a light coat of dust on the hood so I took an Adam's double thick microfiber towel and lightly drug it over the hood to pull the dust off. I then tried clay barring the etched spot on the hood to no avail. Since the dust was off the car and the paint looked clean - I did a wipe down of the hood with detail spray and got the buffer out. I ended up having to go at the etching with SHR and the orange pad, then followed up the entire hood with FMP and the white pad, and finished it off with a coat of MSW (now MSS).

I was really suprised at how quickly the droppings etched the paint, it could only have been on there while I was at work (so a few hours). I put two coats of MSW on about a month ago. Is it normal for that to happen or was this some kind of super poop? I thought a sealant like MSW was supposed to prevent that kind of damage.

Anyway, I figured any swirls I would have caused with the wipe down I took care of by polishing afterwards - thoughts?

tjk_art · 08-24-2011, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChadG

So I washed my car on Tuesday, got home yesterday and had a nice big bird poop right on the hood that etched the paint. I removed the droppings using detail spray and an Adam's double thick microfiber (trying not to use much pressure), but still needed to deal with the etching.

I didn't want to rewash the whole car and there was barely a light coat of dust on the hood so I took an Adam's double thick microfiber towel and lightly drug it over the hood to pull the dust off. I then tried clay barring the etched spot on the hood to no avail. Since the dust was off the car and the paint looked clean - I did a wipe down of the hood with detail spray and got the buffer out. I ended up having to go at the etching with SHR and the orange pad, then followed up the entire hood with FMP and the white pad, and finished it off with a coat of MSW (now MSS).

I was really suprised at how quickly the droppings etched the paint, it could only have been on there while I was at work (so a few hours). I put two coats of MSW on about a month ago. Is it normal for that to happen or was this some kind of super poop? I thought a sealant like MSW was supposed to prevent that kind of damage.

Anyway, I figured any swirls I would have caused with the wipe down I took care of by polishing afterwards - thoughts?

Bird poop has a lot of variables to know what "normal damage" would be.. but I've had bird droppings cause my paint to bubble

As for your method of madness.. claying isn't going to get rid of etching. Claying only removes contaminants such as rail dust, overspray, etc.. it won't polish or "correct" your paint.

Also, If you don't want to polish after every time dusting I wouldn't use just a microfiber towel to dust off your car. I'd recommend at least use some detail spray or waterless wash when using the towel.. otherwise try a california duster (what I use). Junkman has a good video on how to properly use it so you don't introduce new swirls.

ChadG · 08-25-2011, 06:24 PM

Usually I don't touch the car unless I'm doing a full two bucket wash, but I had JUST washed it the night before so I thought it would be ok to accept some risk - especially since I knew I was going to have to polish the whole hood at the end anyway for it to look good.

As far as the clay bar goes, I wanted to make sure I had gotten all the contaminants completely off and was hoping that it was residue on the paint and not true etching - but unfortunately it was.

ChadG · 08-29-2011, 11:36 AM

Bump.

I'm a little concerned that I may have gone too aggressive with the SHR and orange pad but the FMP/white pad didn't really make a dent.

This is the same part of the hood I had to use the SSR/green pad + SHR/orange pad + FMP/white pad to get a scratch out from a rock hitting it a few months ago. Thoughts?

Bottom line: I have a hard time even finding the damage but now I wonder if I may have taken too much clear coat off between fixing the etching from the bird dropping and the scratch from the rock.

Shu71 · 08-29-2011, 11:40 AM

I had the same thing happen. It appeared to etch the paint on the hood. I washed the car thoroughly and let it sit in the sun after towel dried and while I had other chores to take care of before polishing it out. The etching disappeared on it's own in the four or five hours in the sun.

ChadG · 08-29-2011, 12:11 PM

Seriously!?!? That's crazy, I've never heard of anything like that happening.

I went completely obsessive/compulsive and got the PC out as soon as I saw that the etching was in the paint and wasn't just something on top that could be removed by a clay bar.

ipimpthisc · 08-29-2011, 12:40 PM

I have a huge bird etch on my trunk...people marvel when i show them the shadow...its so deep..that after extensive buffing i can still see it...any further clear removal will result in paint damage :(...its on there for life now btw th etching is far worse in direct sun light...after bird poop is realize u must quickly wash car, then wax...if there is etching then only buffing the paint will level the clear to erase it....but after a certain depth its a no go. Good luck friend

Adam's Polishes · 08-29-2011, 02:28 PM

Bird bombs are nasty business... and when you figure the high heat in many parts of the US right now, even a few minutes sitting on the paint and you'll have etching. All you can really do is give it another go with the PC and see if you get any improvement. Etching can be severe enough to require sanding in some cases... its gonna really depend on how bad it got your car.

ChadG · 08-29-2011, 07:27 PM

So true Dylan, that bird stuff was on my car for a few hours maximum but it etched the paint like crazy. People thought I was crazy for picking all the little leaves off my car after the hurricane yesterday!

My PC with Adam's SHR/orange pad and FMP/white pad did the trick - I am hard pressed to find where the damage was now.

The only thing that worries me is it was on an area I had already removed a scuff on using SSR/green pad + SHR/orange pad + FMP white pad. I just wonder how much clear I've taken off the car now.

The only thing I can think of is that since I'm using a PC vs. a rotary - maybe I haven't taken off all that much clear.

08-24-2011, 08:26 PM	#1
ChadG Drives: 2010 Black Camaro LS Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,679 View My Garage	Bird etchings, did I do this right? So I washed my car on Tuesday, got home yesterday and had a nice big bird poop right on the hood that etched the paint. I removed the droppings using detail spray and an Adam's double thick microfiber (trying not to use much pressure), but still needed to deal with the etching. I didn't want to rewash the whole car and there was barely a light coat of dust on the hood so I took an Adam's double thick microfiber towel and lightly drug it over the hood to pull the dust off. I then tried clay barring the etched spot on the hood to no avail. Since the dust was off the car and the paint looked clean - I did a wipe down of the hood with detail spray and got the buffer out. I ended up having to go at the etching with SHR and the orange pad, then followed up the entire hood with FMP and the white pad, and finished it off with a coat of MSW (now MSS). I was really suprised at how quickly the droppings etched the paint, it could only have been on there while I was at work (so a few hours). I put two coats of MSW on about a month ago. Is it normal for that to happen or was this some kind of super poop? I thought a sealant like MSW was supposed to prevent that kind of damage. Anyway, I figured any swirls I would have caused with the wipe down I took care of by polishing afterwards - thoughts? Last edited by ChadG; 08-24-2011 at 08:43 PM.

08-29-2011, 11:40 AM	#5
Shu71 Drives: 2011 Camaro RS M6 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 795	I had the same thing happen. It appeared to etch the paint on the hood. I washed the car thoroughly and let it sit in the sun after towel dried and while I had other chores to take care of before polishing it out. The etching disappeared on it's own in the four or five hours in the sun. __________________

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08-25-2011, 06:24 PM	#3
ChadG Drives: 2010 Black Camaro LS Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,679 View My Garage	Usually I don't touch the car unless I'm doing a full two bucket wash, but I had JUST washed it the night before so I thought it would be ok to accept some risk - especially since I knew I was going to have to polish the whole hood at the end anyway for it to look good. As far as the clay bar goes, I wanted to make sure I had gotten all the contaminants completely off and was hoping that it was residue on the paint and not true etching - but unfortunately it was.

08-29-2011, 11:36 AM	#4
ChadG Drives: 2010 Black Camaro LS Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,679 View My Garage	Bump. I'm a little concerned that I may have gone too aggressive with the SHR and orange pad but the FMP/white pad didn't really make a dent. This is the same part of the hood I had to use the SSR/green pad + SHR/orange pad + FMP/white pad to get a scratch out from a rock hitting it a few months ago. Thoughts? Bottom line: I have a hard time even finding the damage but now I wonder if I may have taken too much clear coat off between fixing the etching from the bird dropping and the scratch from the rock.

08-29-2011, 12:11 PM	#6
ChadG Drives: 2010 Black Camaro LS Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,679 View My Garage	Seriously!?!? That's crazy, I've never heard of anything like that happening. I went completely obsessive/compulsive and got the PC out as soon as I saw that the etching was in the paint and wasn't just something on top that could be removed by a clay bar.

08-29-2011, 12:40 PM	#7
ipimpthisc Banned Drives: @twinturbo, cammed, intrcooled@ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: nyc, EAST COAST HEAVY HITTERS Posts: 739	I have a huge bird etch on my trunk...people marvel when i show them the shadow...its so deep..that after extensive buffing i can still see it...any further clear removal will result in paint damage :(...its on there for life now btw th etching is far worse in direct sun light...after bird poop is realize u must quickly wash car, then wax...if there is etching then only buffing the paint will level the clear to erase it....but after a certain depth its a no go. Good luck friend

08-29-2011, 02:28 PM	#8
Adam's Polishes Drives: The shiny ones. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: In the detail shop! Posts: 5,979	Bird bombs are nasty business... and when you figure the high heat in many parts of the US right now, even a few minutes sitting on the paint and you'll have etching. All you can really do is give it another go with the PC and see if you get any improvement. Etching can be severe enough to require sanding in some cases... its gonna really depend on how bad it got your car.

08-29-2011, 07:27 PM	#9
ChadG Drives: 2010 Black Camaro LS Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,679 View My Garage	So true Dylan, that bird stuff was on my car for a few hours maximum but it etched the paint like crazy. People thought I was crazy for picking all the little leaves off my car after the hurricane yesterday! My PC with Adam's SHR/orange pad and FMP/white pad did the trick - I am hard pressed to find where the damage was now. The only thing that worries me is it was on an area I had already removed a scuff on using SSR/green pad + SHR/orange pad + FMP white pad. I just wonder how much clear I've taken off the car now. The only thing I can think of is that since I'm using a PC vs. a rotary - maybe I haven't taken off all that much clear.