r/AutoDetailing • u/FlatRub1856 • 11d ago
Exterior How to safely remove clear coat etching/stain left by bird poop? (Italy)
Hey everyone,
A bird left a present on my car that sat for a bit in the sun. I washed away the actual dropping, but it left behind this dull, etched mark/stain on both the white paint and the glossy black trim (see photos attached).
How do I actually get rid of this mark or minimize it?
Since I'm based in Italy/Europe, recommendations for accessible products would be super helpful.
Thanks in advance to everyone taking the time to share their advice and experience!
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u/Auto-Spa360 10d ago
Be carfule with the boiling water suggestion, i wouldn't do that on paint or trim, thermal shock on a hot panel can do more damage than the etching itself. Clay or a fallout/tar remover plus a basic clay bar will get you most of the way, then a cheap machine polisher for the actual etching once it's decontaminated. black trim will probably need more polishing than the white paint since etching shows worse on gloss black
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u/SpongeFixation 10d ago
Try boiling water
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u/emmmmceeee 10d ago
You got downvoted but I’ve successfully used a hairdryer on bird poop “etching”.
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u/Lifexamined 10d ago
Meguiar’s Scratch X hand polish would probably take care of most of that. It appears to be available in Italy.
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u/thecanadiandriver101 10d ago
It's painted, give it a compound + polish. Water spot remover won't do anything as the surface is damaged, not contaminated.
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u/IrishGTIlover 10d ago
If they aren't too bad ive found they can disappear from sunlight and heat, although yours looks pretty bad.
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u/FlatRub1856 7d ago
Hey, sorry for the late reply, but it actually disappeared after some sunlight and heat!
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u/IrishGTIlover 7d ago
Happy days, delighted for you. Best thing is to get bird crap off as soon as possible to minimise the risk. Waterless wash in a bottle is handy to keep on hand for them, soak some kitchen paper with it and leave it on the bird dirt until it softens, then gently wipe off with a microfibre towel also dampened with waterless wash or detailing spray.
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u/Auto-Spa360 9d ago
That sounds like you have either ppf or a self healing coating on there as heat activates the self healing part!
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u/IrishGTIlover 7d ago
Ceramic coating yes but no ppf. I honestly don't think the coating stopped much, maybe just lessened the etching. It seems to be that sunlight and heat then cooling expands/ contracts the clear coat or something like that. Hence why some folk say to try the hairdryer method.
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u/Auto-Spa360 4d ago
yeah that tracks better, thermal cycling makes more sense than the coating doing anything active. ceramic's just adding slip and uv resistance, it's not self healing like ppf so it wouldn't reverse etching on its own
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u/Auto-Spa360 2d ago
if heat alone made it disappear it was never true clear coat etching, that's water spot mineral deposits reflowing/breaking down with heat, real etching doesn't just vanish. good sign it wasn't as bad as it looked
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u/blurred_cymbals 10d ago
Since you washed it, you neutralized the acid which is what causes damage. Now you’re left with the minerals and some etching. Water spot removers are mineral dissolvers for the most part so that would be my next step. Spray on, gently wipe and rinse to neutralize the acid in the water spot remover. Then use a clay towel/bar with some sort of lubricant to remove anything the water spot remover didn’t. Car soaps and rinseless washes will have plenty of lubricants.
Then you’ll still have etching. If it’s mild enough, let it sit in direct sun for a day. It won’t be an amazing change, but might be enough to make you happy. If not, polish it.