Bird sh*t

[GeoBog]

• Is this a common thing with VW paint? (I've had bird sh*t on car paint previously for a few days and it hasn't damaged it)
  
• Is there anything I can do to stop it happening again?
  

It's not just VW paint, it happens with other manufacturers as well. The main reason is the water based paints that they use on cars these days. To prevent it from happening the best thing to do is PPF the car although a bit expensive or apply a ceramic coating.

[JoeGTI]

As per previous comments - coatings - ceramic or otherwise  - do not prevent it. Anyone that says it does is either very lucky or doesn't have the same breed of birds that fly over my house. I've paid ££ for coatings (never again tbh). Also, it is definitely is worse on darker colours.

@Rebecca - what's in suncream that leaves those awful marks do you know? Does a DA remove them? I've had a few people ask me about it recently!

[Booth11]

As per previous comments - coatings - ceramic or otherwise  - do not prevent it. Anyone that says it does is either very lucky or doesn't have the same breed of birds that fly over my house. I've paid ££ for coatings (never again tbh). Also, it is definitely is worse on darker colours.

@Rebecca - what's in suncream that leaves those awful marks do you know? Does a DA remove them? I've had a few people ask me about it recently!

Joe, I don't what it is that causes it to damage the paint/clearcoat (have delved into it, yet),  just know from personal experience (bloody kids!) that whatever it is can get into the clearcoat. The suncream stains I had (on door of my mk6) polished out fine.

[mcmaddy]

Well I'm reporting that the gtechnic ceramic stuff I've got on mine stops the bird 💩 from damaging the paintwork. All I do is pour warm water on the mess and then leave kitchen roll to soak on top for about 15 minutes. Then just hose it off. No marks, no damage, nothing.

[JoeGTI]

As per previous comments - coatings - ceramic or otherwise  - do not prevent it. Anyone that says it does is either very lucky or doesn't have the same breed of birds that fly over my house. I've paid ££ for coatings (never again tbh). Also, it is definitely is worse on darker colours.

@Rebecca - what's in suncream that leaves those awful marks do you know? Does a DA remove them? I've had a few people ask me about it recently!

Joe, I don't what it is that causes it to damage the paint/clearcoat (have delved into it, yet),  just know from personal experience (bloody kids!) that whatever it is can get into the clearcoat. The suncream stains I had (on door of my mk6) polished out fine.

I know of a guy who had panels resprayed for this! I'm sure they'd have polished out so I could not believe it when he told me he actually had the car painted for it...

[Booth11]

I had a ceramic coating on my second mk5 (in 2008) and it did nothing to stop bird etching at all.  In the end it the coating got removed with a DA, and I've never been tempted to have another ceramic coating since.  But, to be fair, coatings have come on since then and a very durable one such as Crystal Serum might resist it to a degree, but I am sceptical that it prevents etching completely.

[JoeGTI]

Well I'm reporting that the gtechnic ceramic stuff I've got on mine stops the bird 💩 from damaging the paintwork. All I do is pour warm water on the mess and then leave kitchen roll to soak on top for about 15 minutes. Then just hose it off. No marks, no damage, nothing.

You've no real way of knowing if its the coating or just plain luck / timing. Your car is silver (?) too I think and the lighter colours are definitely less prone to it.

Generally I think you'll get away with it 9 days out of 10 in our typical UK/Irish climate. But put your hand on your car's bonnet/roof in the mid-day sun in the weather we've been having this week... you'd fry an egg on it. A bird drops its load on that, it'll harden and bake on within minutes. I'd love to see the coating that will shield that!

[Booth11]

As per previous comments - coatings - ceramic or otherwise  - do not prevent it. Anyone that says it does is either very lucky or doesn't have the same breed of birds that fly over my house. I've paid ££ for coatings (never again tbh). Also, it is definitely is worse on darker colours.

@Rebecca - what's in suncream that leaves those awful marks do you know? Does a DA remove them? I've had a few people ask me about it recently!

Joe, I don't what it is that causes it to damage the paint/clearcoat (have delved into it, yet),  just know from personal experience (bloody kids!) that whatever it is can get into the clearcoat. The suncream stains I had (on door of my mk6) polished out fine.

I know of a guy who had panels resprayed for this! I'm sure they'd have polished out so I could not believe it when he told me he actually had the car painted for it...

That's a bit of an extreme reaction. Always try polishing first, lol.  Last year I had a dead worm stick itself to my front wing, and morbid curiosity of how long it would stay on the paintwork outweighed my normal 'get it off pronto' philosophy. It was over winter and the car didn't get washed for weeks and the worm stayed stuck, until I caved and washed it off.  Sure enough the paint underneath was etched - not like bird poo etching, but hazed and faded where the secretions from the worm had pervaded the clearcoat, it came off with DA no problem, much like the greasy sun cream stains.  Sometimes you have to experiment!

[JoeGTI]

As per previous comments - coatings - ceramic or otherwise  - do not prevent it. Anyone that says it does is either very lucky or doesn't have the same breed of birds that fly over my house. I've paid ££ for coatings (never again tbh). Also, it is definitely is worse on darker colours.

@Rebecca - what's in suncream that leaves those awful marks do you know? Does a DA remove them? I've had a few people ask me about it recently!

Joe, I don't what it is that causes it to damage the paint/clearcoat (have delved into it, yet),  just know from personal experience (bloody kids!) that whatever it is can get into the clearcoat. The suncream stains I had (on door of my mk6) polished out fine.

I know of a guy who had panels resprayed for this! I'm sure they'd have polished out so I could not believe it when he told me he actually had the car painted for it...

That's a bit of an extreme reaction. Always try polishing first, lol.  Last year I had a dead worm stick itself to my front wing, and morbid curiosity of how long it would stay on the paintwork outweighed my normal 'get it off pronto' philosophy. It was over winter and the car didn't get washed for weeks and the worm stayed stuck, until I caved and washed it off.  Sure enough the paint underneath was etched - not like bird poo etching, but hazed and faded where the secretions from the worm had pervaded the clearcoat, it came off with DA no problem, much like the greasy sun cream stains.  Sometimes you have to experiment!

ha ha!
As for the repaint job - I think it was a case of not knowing any better (on his own behalf as well as the bodyshop).

A good few years ago, I had recently gotten a new car and was about to go on holiday. So rather than park my new wheels at the airport, I parked it at my parents house... In mid April... and they have a couple of "Cherry blossom" trees in the garden that were in full bloom... I came home and the roof of the car had loads of petals on it. Every one of them had etched the paint 

Modern water based paints are just so bad at resisting this stuff and I just don't believe (from expensive experience) that coatings/sealants/waxes do anything much to prevent it.

[Booth11]

That's a bit of an extreme reaction. Always try polishing first, lol.  Last year I had a dead worm stick itself to my front wing, and morbid curiosity of how long it would stay on the paintwork outweighed my normal 'get it off pronto' philosophy. It was over winter and the car didn't get washed for weeks and the worm stayed stuck, until I caved and washed it off.  Sure enough the paint underneath was etched - not like bird poo etching, but hazed and faded where the secretions from the worm had pervaded the clearcoat, it came off with DA no problem, much like the greasy sun cream stains.  Sometimes you have to experiment!

ha ha!
As for the repaint job - I think it was a case of not knowing any better (on his own behalf as well as the bodyshop).

A good few years ago, I had recently gotten a new car and was about to go on holiday. So rather than park my new wheels at the airport, I parked it at my parents house... In mid April... and they have a couple of "Cherry blossom" trees in the garden that were in full bloom... I came home and the roof of the car had loads of petals on it. Every one of them had etched the paint 

Modern water based paints are just so bad at resisting this stuff and I just don't believe (from expensive experience) that coatings/sealants/waxes do anything much to prevent it.

I've seen pics similar to what you describe with the blossom, so pretty and yet so destructive!  Modern water based paints are awful and not just automotive - house paint is crap now. My other half owns a painting contracting company and he has seen the changes over the years.  Being a big fan of eggshell paint for woodwork, I remember how durable it used to be when it was oil based, since it became water based, even the pricy stuff is just not up to the job, one hard knock and it's off the wood, no matter how well prepped and primed and no matter how many coats. 

I'm not doubting mcmaddy's experience, but I have to agree that I do not believe any coatings can stop etching completely. As for sealants and wax, not a chance.  The degree of etching can also depend on the diet of the offending bird.  Seaside gulls that eat all manner of crap seem to have very toxic sh!t!  I live 7 miles from the coast and we get lots of seagulls and if one of them targets the car, and on a sunny day, it etches in minutes!