6G Celicas Forums

So i assume this will be under this topic

I've noticed that my car has whats called 'crows feet' (minor cracking in the clearcoat) from bird droppings Everytime I get any on my car i wipe them off as soon as possible, but still this happens. It did this on my last car also.

My question is...
Is it likely to start 'peeling'? Because this is my worst fear. I don't want my car to look hickery

In my personal view, its minor. At the moment. But is there any products to protect my paint from doing this further? Because i've been told wax isn't enough.

Thanks

Could always glass coat it, but I'd only have that done to a car with new or mint paint. Wax should be enough, at least it has for every car I've had. Maybe the birds in New Zealand have super acidic waste material. Another option is to install a laser guided rifle that'll shoot down any bird within a mile.

Wax is good, but newer polymer or acrylic sealants tend to last longer.

Paint defects aren't removed by protectants. First you have to fix the defect, then preserve your work with a protectant.

Additionally, paint dries out over time. To maintain the paint in good condition you have to refresh the oils it loses.

A pure polish is meant to restore the paint's chemical composition as you work it in. An abrasive polish will contain polishing oils as well as some sort of material meant to remove a small amount of paint, levelling the surface. A smooth surface not only looks better, but is easier to seal properly. Similarly, paint with the proper balance of oils looks better (preventing that dried out, oxidized appearance) and will withstand abuse better.

If you want to keep your paint looking good, use a pure polish before you protect it. If you want your paint to look better, use an abrasive polish before you protect it. I'm personally fond of Meguiar's products for their performance and reasonable price. They have both a professional line and a consumer line, and happily are willing to put the results of product research from the pro line into their consumer line, though it usually takes a little time to trickle down. I'd suggest their latest consumer line for your purposes, the Ultimate Polish (a mild abrasive polish) and the Ultimate Liquid Wax (it's actually a polymer).

You can of course do a more intensive restoration job, but those two products properly applied should make a notably difference.

Thanks for the quick replies

Yes the birds here are very lethal. But then again, i have had two Dark cars, and both has shown defects

I plan using a polish/wax compound after i next wash the car and see if it protects it better. Because recently i've only been using wash n wax (turtle wax brand) and it seems to protect the car from most other stuff.

I've also been told that wash powder (stuff for washing machines) Is best to wash a car because its very gentle and doesn't scratch paint. But you must wax it again because it strips wax. Although, I'm not keen enough to try this haha

Only use automotive soap on cars! Other soaps strip off the wax protecting the paint, or even worse can cause discoloration. Prime example when my grandfather worked as a fireman the station bought a new fire truck. The first shift(he wasn't on it) had truck washing duty. They washed the fire truck with Tide detergent, and it faded the paint to pink! Needless to say they were in much trouble and received much ridicule from the other two shifts. That and the station had to pay for the truck to be repainted. That being said, using Dawn is great for stripping a car down before applying a new coat of polish and wax.

Hence why i NOW plan to never do this haha

Use car wash soap -- it's meant for cleaning paint. Dish detergeant -- not clothes detergent -- can be used to strip the paint, but it also dries out the paint and requires a fair amount of polishing to restore the proper chemical balance.

I prefer to manually remove wax with a clay bar, though the primary reason for using the clay bar is to remove bonded contaminants such as brake dust.

Combination polish/waxes are compromises, and do neither job as well as they should. Moreover, they're rarely proper polishes, instead mostly being a cleaner wax which removes chemical contaminants (basically stains) and provide a level of protection. However, dedicated cleaners, dedicated polishes, and dedicated protectants will give superior performance and durability.

A full paint procedure consists of several steps: wash, clay bar, paint cleaner, polish, protectant. The cleaner and polish step can be combined if you use a good (good =/= harsh) abrasive polish.

plastidip your car, that way it preserves the original look and protect it from bird droppings, also you can try different colors and always be able to go back to the way it was without having to repaint it

I shot the birds that rested above my car with a air gun.... they have never pooped on my car since...

I found this post to be way to entertaining.