How long for bird dropping to damage paint?

[paulff3]

I have a new Astra. 7 days old and I just noticed a spot on the roof that looks like a bird dropping sat for an extended period of time. The clear coat is gone.

How long does it take for a bird dropping to do such damage?

[Markus Kleis]

Re: How long for bird dropping to damage paint?

It's very hard to say as the variables are literally countless... but I would say it could range on the extreme end from only a few hours in direct sun, to taking as much as several days to weeks.

[Ryan L.]

Re: How long for bird dropping to damage paint?

If it's only 7 days old and it was there when you bought it, take it back to the dealership. But you'll have to prove that it was there before you bought it and even at that it might be hard because you supposed to inspect the car before you leave.

Worth a try though!

Ryan

[paulff3]

Re: How long for bird dropping to damage paint?

Dealer said they would take it to the Body Shop. So, we'll see where this goes.

[yalerd]

Re: How long for bird dropping to damage paint?

Good luck!
Hope everything turns out ok

[AeroCleanse]

Re: How long for bird dropping to damage paint?

I have a new Astra. 7 days old and I just noticed a spot on the roof that looks like a bird dropping sat for an extended period of time. The clear coat is gone.

How long does it take for a bird dropping to do such damage?

Bird droppings should not remove the clear coat, esp on a 7 day old car.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: How long for bird dropping to damage paint?

Question: How long does it take for a bird dropping to etch paint?

Answer: A few minutes.

At the 2002 Bimmerfest, we did a side-by-side, before & after on this black 1991 e34 BMW M5 with the original paint.

Here's what the paint looked like at the Bimmerfest







Here it is on display at the Bimmerfest




At some point during the day the hood was down and I just wiped off the entire hood to remove any light, accumulated dust to make sure it looked clean as people kept coming over and inspecting the results.

After wiping the hood down, someone asked me a question, I was standing by the drivers front tire with my back to the car facing the person and answering their questions.

We talked for less than 10 minutes, probably less than 5 minutes.

After talking to the person I turned around to look at the hood that I had just wiped down and low and behold there was a fresh bird dropping on the polished and waxed side of the hood.

I quickly used Quik Detailer and an Ultimate Wipe to remove the bird dropping. After removing the bird dropping I inspected the area where it had been for any signs of etching. To my surprise, the bird dropping had started to etch the paint, there was a spot where the paint had a definite stain and imprint in the paint.

Don't know what the bird had been eating but this opened my eyes as to how fast the acid in a bird dropping can cause damage to a car's finish.

It also drove the point home that we post on a regular basis on the topic of protection and that's ANYTHING corrosive enough to harm or etch a modern clear coat paint is strong enough and corrosive enough to eat through and obliterate any micron thin layer of wax or paint sealant from any company.

Think about it... the clear layer of paint is harder and thicker than the thin layer of whatever you apply, let dry and then wipe off.

That's why it's so important to keep a bottle of Quik Detailer and some clean, soft microfiber polishing cloths behind the seat or in the trunk for emergencies.

Bird droppings on paint are emergencies.

Hope this helps explain how long it takes a bird dropping to etch your car's paint.