Bird Droppings

Damn! I got hit again! I really need to keep something handy to remove these surprises. What do you suggest? Once the bird 'crap' has dried, what do you use to get it off safely? Is there some sort of cleaner I can keep in my trunk to handle these little 'emergencies'? I realize that washing the car would be the best solution, but that isn't always readily available. They always damage my paint too, so I'm thinking of trying some sort of acrylic wax next time I wash and wax my car.

I keep a spray bottle of Griots speed shine and a rag in my trunk.

Frequent waxing will keep the damage down combined with frequent washing. By frequent I mean wax every month or so of use and wash every week. I've had no bird dropping damage for 40 years just by being regular. I don't think that the kind of wax you use makes a difference especially if you are doing the frequent wax and wash.

I don't know about that. I wash at LEAST once a week, and wax once a month (usually with Meguiars carnuba based waxes). I have about 3 spots of paint damage from bird droppings. I guess the birds in Los Angeles have more acid in their diet. Here's a good article I found on this topic...

It's amazing how much more caring an owner is for his car than a dealer. I took my car in for service last week and saw a 40 th Anniversary car with bird droppings in three areas. I pointed this out to the dealer, and he thanked me and said they would take care of it. Well I went to the dealer three days later, and the droppings were still there. The dealer is probably waiting for it to rain. I can't believe that the finish of this car won't be damaged.

One word: Rejex

Any of the quick detailers work well. Poorboys makes a specific product for this..appropriately named Bird Sh*t Remover. Great stuff BTW. If you have never heard of Poorboy's don't let the horribly ugly labels fool you. Most of their products are absolutely awesome. They have a big following on the detailing web sites. http://www.poorboysworld.com/bird-sht-remover.htm

What about droppings on the soft top (convertible top)? What's recommended or just a nice wash would do? Speaking of wash... when you wash the rare of the car, where the spoiler and engine is, is it safe for water to go down the vented spoiler where the airbox/engine is? Always make me worry.

If the bird poop is dry, then gently brush off as much as you can, and then use water to loosen up the balance, and wipe off. However preemptive action is the best solution, and the one word that says it all about guarding a paint finish from acidic "fallout" is Rejex. Quite literally, Sh*t (and bug splats) don't stick to a Rejexed car. Now if your canvas top gets pooped on, then once again, let it dry, brush off what you can, and then spray water, diluted Simple Green, or 409 on the remaining soiled spot, and then Gently brush it while using a shop vacuum to suck up the residue. Don't blast the stain with a hose or pressure washer, or you may embed the stain. Again, preemptive action is the best defense, and for the top, Porsche canvas protector or 3M outdoor Scotchguard is recommended. Don't worry about getting water in the airbox intake, there is a drain to let any water that gets in there out.

Really? Okay, I've been hearing about this Rejex stuff for a while on here. I guess I should at least try it.

Never try to wife it off without water. Even, then you can leave bad scratches if you're not very careful. First try to spray off as much as you can with just hose pressure. Then, using a soft and soapy sponge, wife in such a way that you're flicking your wrist one way as you move the other way -- meaning the part of the sponge that just touched the nasty stuff is lifted upward and doesn't touch the paint again or move across the paint. Keeping your car well waxed will make it much easier to hose off the stuff.

Thanks guys. I just ordered Rejex and will report back with my results.

Paul, Yes, RejeX will stop bird droppings from staining your paint. RejeX is foremost a stain inhibitor, yet it also creates and incredible amount of shine. you will definitely agree that it's like no other product on the market. and, X-Auto Products has been offering RejeX to forum members and visitors for only $16.09 for a 16oz bottle, plus $2 shipping to ANY address (Irgendeine Adresse). AND, it has a 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back. please feel free to check out the website or call us anytime. thanks, barry moore X-Auto Products

Thanks Barry, but I already ordered it off the CorrosionX web site.

paul, uggh, sorry to hear that. if anyone knows the email address for johnd (sp), i've been told he can help with with a group purchase notice. i've been given permission to post a group purchase, but since then, no one has responded to any emails. does anyone have his email address? thanks, barry

I agree that "RejeX will stop bird droppings from staining your paint." Any good paint protectant will do that. But I disagree that "it also creates and incredible amount of shine." Rejex's manufacturer specifically states that it has no paint cleaner or polish. It is merely a paint protectant, so your paint will only look as shiny after Rejex as it did before. A lot of people on this board and other Porsche boards have been attributing incredible shine to Rejex, and frankly, the reason their cars look so good is that they spent a lot of time preparing their paint before applying Rejex. I used Rejex on my BMW about six weeks ago, and it looked fantastic afterwards. But that was due to the fact that I spent 5 hours using clay bar, then Meguiar's paint cleaner, and then Meguiar's show car glaze before Rejex. In terms of Rejex's paint protection abilities, I think it's a little better than the pure carnuaba waxes I've been using for a long time. After using Rejex, my BMW has been outside for 6 weeks before I washed it again. After washing, the water beaded up better than it would have with carnuaba wax. The difference in beading is noticeable, but not "day and night." The bottom line, Rejex is good, but it's no miracle product.

Can you apply carnuba wax on TOP of rejex?

Paul, I don't know why you'd want to apply carnuaba wax over Rejex. If you want additional protection, your time would be better spent applying an additional layer of Rejex, which you can certainly do.

I was only wondering because it seems like Rejex is a bit of a hassle to apply (12 hour cure time), so if the shine was fading, maybe waxing in between applications of Rejex would suffice.

a second coat of Rejex only takes 6-8 hours to cure. You can put wax over Rejex, but the wax comes off pretty quick because stuff does not stick to the Rejex surface. I would agree that it is less effort to simply apply a second coat of Rejex rather than wax. It will last much longer.

Okay, that makes sense. I'll give it a shot. Oggie, do you recommend using a glaze before applying Rejex?

Go here: https://rennlist.com/forums/forumdis...?s=&forumid=60 and look at the top left corner of the page where you see John D. listed as a moderator. Click on his name to contact him.

By glaze I assume you mean a polish that fills in scratches. I used Meguiar's Show Car Glaze after Meguiar's Premium Paint Cleaner, which followed clay bar. Rejex actually recommends their product be used directly on the paint so that it bonds better, so that means you really shouldn't use any polish. The problem with that approach is that you won't have as brilliant a shine and may see minor surface scratches. I would still use the polish or glaze. And, definitely don't skip the clay bar unless your car feels super smooth to the touch after you've washed and dried it. If it doesn't, that indicates that there's stuff stuck to your paint surface that nothing else will remove. If you don't want to do the whole car, you can use clay bar on just the hood, roof and rear deck, as that's where the contaminants mostly tend to stick to.

Menzerna polishes will not effect the bonding of Rejex or any type of synthetic sealant for that matter. Menzerna has no oils, wax or fillers to hide swirls and scratches. Instead it removes the imperfections with fine diminishing abrasives. There are essentially two different levels. Intensive Polish and Final Polish. Great product. Clay first then use the polishes. When applied with a PC and the appropriate pad the Menzerna polishes can leave a mirror like smooth and glossy surface. Protect with your favorite product.

Menzerna? I've never heard of them. Where can I find them?

Oggie is right on all of the steps. I recommend a slightly different order. I also recommend that these steps be done indoors under florescent lighting. This type of light is unforgiving in exposing surface blemishes. For a complete surface restoration: 1. Strip surface - using a mild dishwashing detergent such as Dawn works fine. BUT don't use dishwashing detergent as your normal car wash soap, only as a stripper. 2. Clay the surface - This will pull out the surface contamination. 3. Clean the surface - Use a fine cut rubbing compound such as Griots Machine Polish #2 or Meguires Fine Cut Cleaner #9 4. Glaze the surface -This will fill in minor scratches with a filler that will provide a smooth reflective surface. 5. Polish the surface - Use a Swirl Remover such as Griots Fine Hand Polish or Meguires Swirl Remover 2.0. This will further smooth the surface, fill microscratches, and remove any residue from 1, 2, 3 or 4. After this you will be amazed at the increased depth and mirror like qualities of the finish. 6. Wax or Seal the surface - Use Rejex to seal and provide a high release (i.e. slippery) surface. Or Use your favorite wax to provide a subset of the above. If you use rejex, remember to let it cure overnight before taking the car out. 7. Take a step back and admire your work This is the method that I use on my current Porsche, and it looks like it works, as I have never scored less than 1st in any Concours that I have entered.

I don't think there is anyone on this board who hates those bird droppings as much as I do. Every time I wash my car they ready...aim...and fire all over it. Every morning I find at two new found droppings. When will this madness end.

How about a Porsche Bird Feeder that mounts on one of the windshields? It would contain a proprietary mix of bird seed and poison. Okay, okay, that's a bit harsh....just venting here....

Menzerna polishes can be purchased here: http://autopia-carcare.com/dual-action-polishers.html I have found florescent lighting to be difficult to notice all swirls on certain colors especially silver. What looks good under florescent lighting looks poor in sunlight. I think the high powered halogens work very well (the type on the portable stands). The more intense direct light seems to mimic direct sunlight and I am able to see swirling better. YMMV. When using a two step polish like Intensive Polish (IP) then followed up with Final Polish (FP) I have never had to use any type of glaze or fine rubbing compound. The combination works very well by itself. Other combinations I have used and liked are Mequiar�s Dual Action Cleaner Polish (aka DACP on the detailing boards) and Final Polish. DACP is more aggressive than the IP and you will have to follow it with something like FP because it will leave a polishing haze. Currently my favorite products are Einszett�s Paint Polish and Metallic Polish then Glanz Wax (synthetic wax) for extra protection. This combo just seems brings a extra �pop� to the metallic flakes in the my artic silver finish better than any other product I have used. Extremely easy to use, however the polishes do contain some oils, waxes and filler that will interfere with the durability of Rejex or product like it.

Hi powered halogens are fine, but a little hot, and tend to light the surface a little too bright and gives it too much contrast. Silver is a good paint in that it is very forgiving with blemishes. Hiding boo-bbos on Silver is very easy, and does not take much to keep it looking attractive. I will have to try Final Polish. That is a Meguires Product? I learned about using fluorescent light for inspection from touring a factory paint shop like this one: Bright Fluorescent is totally unforgiving to surface blemishes no matter what the color, especially darker ones. This is a good discussion on different methods.

In my case the lighting makes no difference, as I will be doing this outdoors. I look forward to owning a home with a garage someday soon. I will definitely consider a bunch of lighting like that last pic! That would be outrageous!

There's no such thing. See their web site: http://www.meguiars.com

Final Polish is made my Menzerna (German company). Great final prep especially for products like Rejex or Zaino that require no oils, fillers, waxes, etc. for the best results. It is a very low abrasive polish though so don't expect it to remove scratches or deeper swirl marks. Basically it will remove fine spider webbing type marks and polish the surface very well. I use it with the PC and either a white polishing pad or a finishing pad, results in a super smooth and glossy surface (and "squeaky" clean for application of protectant). You can see it here: http://autopia-carcare.com/men-fp16.html I need a lighting set up like the one in the picture. That would make things really easy to spot flaws. Probably to easy on a daily driven car

Final Polish does seem like the ideal polish to use before Rejex, since it doesn't leave any filler on the finish, allowing the Rejex to bond better.

Would it be alright to cover my car with a car cover while the Rejex cures over night? I don't have a garage.

Should be fine. Try it and report back! The main thing is keeping moisture off of the surface while it cures.

Orient Express i'm sure you've seen the group buy on RejeX that we're having. i've tried emailing you to tell you thanks for all your kind words. my mail probably ended up in a bulk folder and tossed. i'd appreciate hearing from you. please freel free to call me anytime. also, i've tried to contact itzkirb. i'd like to offer a little something to you both for being such wonderful advocates of our product. thanks, barry X-Auto Products [phone removed]

Thanks OE! I followed your instructions and I have myself an incredible looking car. Awesome!

Paul: Let's see some pictures!

Okay, here you go. I was hoping to wait until I was somewhere 'scenic', but who knows when that will be.... I just took these, and the sun had almost set. I think you can get an idea of the shine though.

Another....

Most Excellent! You can really see the shine. Nice thing is that it is gonna last. Now you will just need a wet cloth to get the dust off, and every once and a while use some spray Final Inspection or other detailer spray to touch it up. Did you do your wheels as well?

Ditto on the menzerna products, for anybody that has been following this. They are fantanstic. No masking or filling. It actually gets rid of swirls and light scratches. Needs to be applied with a porter calbe of similar though for best results. I used the Menz IP, followed by the FP, dawn the car to rid of anything else, regular car wash, then rejex. Rejex sticks like glue after having the surface prepped like that. I ran a line with my polisher and the IP across the fenders after I had dawned the car. Even after the dawn, I could see the where the paint below my polishing line was still covered in rejex. That's pretty impressive considering dawn gets strips just about anything off the paint.

No, not yet. I was running out of time. I plan to do the wheels next week. Sport Designs are a bit of a pain to get really clean, so that will take a while. Do I follow the same process?

The best way to restore wheels, especially if they have never been done before, is to take them off the clean the inside of the rim. I found that simple green or Kirkland Degreaser works pretty good for getting the gunk off with using 3M general purpose adhesive remover for the really tough stuff . A small kitchen brush is a good tool to get in the nooks and crannies. After it is clean then just apply Rejex and buff it off. BTW if you take extra fine steel wool to the wheel weights it will polish them to look like they are plated. After the initial cleaning, then touch up can be done with just a wet rag.

PM me, I'm here all the time.