Interesting Facts
Did you ever notice that bird droppings are white when first deposited on your car, or anywhere else, for that matter? It’s biology, and you can read all about it here:
“Know it All: Why is Bird Poop White?”
“What Makes Bird Poop White? – And why is it so hard to wash off your car?
An excerpt from the Audubon article:
“…It appears that drivers of some
cars might be asking for trouble. A
study in England found that red
cars are most likely to be the target
of bird droppings, followed by blue
and black. Green was the least likely.
So be careful where you park. And
give that red Mustang a wide berth…”.
What To Do About Bird Droppings On Your Car Paint
What’s this?
The birds and the bees and my car?
A ménage à trois?! No, that’s too bizarre!
But, what harm could there be, anyway?
Well, birds, bees, and bugs can all be harmful to your vehicle’s paint finish. And tree sap, and dirt, not to mention setting grocery bags and purses on the trunk lid.
All of these can either scratch or etch the paint and result in unsightly and expensive-to-repair damage if not quickly addressed.
But birds, bees, and bugs are the subject of this article: What to do when they’ve done their business on your paint, or in the case of bugs, died when they got in your way.
Defensive measures are few, mainly trying to avoid parking under trees and power lines…but there are some protective measures that you can take and some repair tips that you can utilize.
But why are their droppings so harmful to your paint?
The short answer is ‘the uric acid in the droppings is strong and caustic enough to etch the paint’ – the more complete answer would address the acid content, the kind of paint, the temperature, the ‘resting time’ on the paint, even the kind of birds and their diet, and latitude and cloud cover!
But you don’t need to know all this—what you need to know is:
- Avoid if possible.
- Clean off as soon as possible if you couldn’t avoid it.
Bees leave little yellow spots (of pollen, etc.) and these are more easily removed than bird droppings (lots of water, no hard rubbing, just wiping with a clean cloth surface in one direction for each swipe). Mostly just unsightly, minimal or no damage to the paint if wiped off right away.
Treat bug residue the same as bird droppings. Remove promptly.
So – what about protective measures?
Regular washings and a good wax job every so often…how often, you ask?…NOT an easy question to answer—there are many variables, but here goes:
Wax every 2-3 months if parked outside most of the time, otherwise 5-6 months.
Removal tips.
There are many good web articles and YouTube videos about this, but they all amount to the same thing and we agree!
- Immediate removal wearing disposable gloves (latex or nitrile are fine),
- Using lots of water, soaking hardened spots
- Wipe with a soft cloth, minimal rubbing, and
- Throwing away the gloves and cloth to keep from getting any bird germs or diseases.
- Then, waxing.
Repair tips.
Use the same evaluation method that you would use for touch-up.
Earlier I mentioned “many variables” when considering how often to wax your car. Stay tuned and we’ll be discussing that next!
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