If pigeons love your car, what then?

Discussion in Auto & Moto started by prettycolors • May 9, 2014.

  1. prettycolors

    prettycolorsActive Member

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    I was just reading about how bird droppings can damage your car paint. Their poop is acidic, and if not cleaned fast, it erodes the paint. And we all know just how expensive having your car painted is. Where I live we have a lot of pigeons and apparently all they do, is poop on the cars and make noise when you're trying to sleep. If it were up to me I'd get a rifle and start hunting :rolleyes:

    How do you deal with bird droppings on your car? Or with birds in general.
     
  2. Gelsemium

    GelsemiumWell-Known Member

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    LOL, funny thread title!

    My advice? Clean it as fast as possible or else they will damage the car painting permanently. As soon as I am attacked by birds I always clean it because if it runs dry it's much harder to be cleaned, so some water and paper usually do the trick.
     
  3. lindbergh

    lindberghWell-Known Member

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    Hahaha! I just had to click on this thread. I love the title!

    If pigeons love your car and you're concerned with the paint why not purchase a car cover? Just cover your car if you're not going to use it for a long period of time, say maybe 6 hours or so.

    If not, just get a wet tissue and wipe the poop as soon as you see it.

    Oh, and thanks for the tip on poop of birds being acidic. I didn't know that.
     
  4. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    A couple of my neighbors have those fabric car covers that they just drape over their cars when they're not using them. Even my ex used to cover his car.
    When the car cover gets too dirty, you have to wash it, but I'd rather have to deal with laundry than ruined car paint.
     
  5. Athenagdlyt

    AthenagdlytActive Member

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    There is this new car paint protector on the market known as plasti-dip. You can buy them in rattle cans which provides a layer of protection against elements. This can be peeled off when they get ugly and re-applied again. Although we don't often get bird poop on my husband's car, he uses this plasti-dip to protect the chrome parts of the car so that when re-selling time comes, these would look brand new, which helps push a higher resale value.
     
    #5Aug 30, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2014
  6. shother

    shotherMember

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    Ok, I have to admit I didn't know that. I guess the only way for me to deal with this problem would be to always keep my car in the garage when I'm at home. When I'm out I'll try to park it somewhere it will be protected as much as possible.
     
  7. MrsJones

    MrsJonesActive Member

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    We don't have a garage so my vehicle is exposed to bird droppings 24/7 weather permitting. I keep a container with soapy water in it and a rag in my vehicle. There are a lot a good tips that I'll be using after today. I think that's why I love the winter so I can have a few months of relief from cleaning every day.

    Good thread. Thanks.
     
  8. LeopardJones

    LeopardJonesActive Member

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    Ack, I’m having this problem. Haha. I have to park under trees at work and every time I leave the office, bam, there’s bird crap somewhere on my car. It’s pretty inconvenient to clean it there, so I wait until I get home. I’m also thinking of getting a car cover since we don’t have a garage, and I’d like my car’s exterior to look nice for as long as possible.
     
  9. doctah

    doctahNew Member

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    Make sure that's soap designed for cars. If you're using a dish washing soap (think: dawn), then you're just stripping the wax that's helping to protect your clear coat and paint.

    A few thoughts about the topic:
    I'm stuck parking in the hot sun for 10+ hours a day. I've found its a lot easier to wash off the bird 'presents' when I keep my Jeep clean. 'Clean' is relative here. I'm talking fully detailed, and not 'run through the gas station automated car wash'. The process takes forever. Wash, deep clean using a claybar, wash again, polish (if needed), wax, seal. The process is an all day affair.

    ...BUT...

    You only need to do it once or twice a year. I'll do a quick wash when needed (stupid birds). I'll do a full wax once every few months (takes me an hour or so). Honestly, I do it mostly because I'm a guy and enjoy working on my truck. With some of the newer waxes, I find water still beads months after the first application. I use Klasse Polish and Sealer. Awesome stuff.

    When I keep up with the maintenance, cleaning the bird droppings is really simple. Even if it has dried and baked onto my paint, a 50 cent carwash can take care of it.