Mitigating and Repairing Bird Dropping Damage in Extreme Heat

Never attempt to treat bird droppings on a panel that is hot to the touch. In Australian summer, a black car can reach surface temperatures of 70°C. Move the vehicle into a shaded garage or wait until dusk. If the paint is hot, the cleaning chemicals will flash (evaporate) instantly, potentially causing more staining than the dropping itself.

Don nitrile gloves and inspect the affected areas. Identify if the dropping is fresh, baked-on, or if it has already caused a 'wrinkle' in the paint. Fruit bat droppings are particularly dangerous as they often contain seeds and fibrous material that will scratch the paint if wiped prematurely.

Prepare your solutions. If using a concentrated bug remover, dilute according to the manufacturer's 'heavy duty' ratio (often 1:5 or 1:10). Ensure your microfibre towels are inspected for any trapped red dust or grit from previous uses; even one grain of silica can cause deep marring during the removal process.

For 'baked-on' droppings, you will need to perform a hydration soak. Saturate a microfibre towel in a mixture of warm water and pH-neutral car shampoo. This preparation allows the organic matter to soften safely without mechanical agitation.

Liberaly spray the affected area with your Quick Detailer or Lubricant. Do not use plain water yet. The goal is to surround the acidic particles with a lubricating film. Let it dwell for 60 seconds, ensuring it does not dry out.

Place a heavily saturated microfibre cloth directly over the dropping. Leave it for 3-5 minutes. This 'poultice' method uses capillary action to pull the acids out of the paint pores and into the cloth, while softening the hard outer shell of the contaminant.

Do not wipe in a circular or back-and-forth motion. Reach down, pinch the softened mass with a clean section of the microfibre, and lift it vertically away from the paint. This minimises the contact between the abrasive seeds/grit in the dropping and the clear coat.

Once the bulk is removed, spray the area with an enzyme-based bug remover. This targets the microscopic biological proteins that remain in the 'valleys' of the paint texture. Agitate very gently with a soft-bristled detailing brush if necessary.

Rinse the area thoroughly with distilled water. It is vital to neutralise the pH of the surface. In coastal areas, this also ensures any salt spray that was sitting on the panel is removed before you proceed to any polishing steps.

Pat the area dry with a clean microfibre. Use a high-lumen LED torch (or the sun, if at a low angle) to inspect for 'etching'. Etching looks like a dull patch or a textured 'crater' where the acid has physically eaten into the clear coat.

If you see a faint 'ghost' of the dropping but the surface is smooth, the paint has likely contracted. Carefully use a heat gun on a low setting (approx. 50-60°C) held 20cm away, moving constantly. Often, the clear coat will 'swell' back into its original flat state, removing the mark without abrasives.

If heat doesn't work, apply 3-4 pea-sized drops of finishing polish to a foam pad. Work a 30cm x 30cm area using light pressure and moderate speed. You are removing microns of clear coat to level the surface with the bottom of the etch mark.

After polishing, wipe the area with your 15% Isopropyl Alcohol solution. This removes polishing oils and allows you to see the true state of the repair, ensuring the damage isn't just being hidden by fillers.

The cleaning and polishing process will have stripped any wax or sealant. Apply a high-quality ceramic sealant or wax. Given the Australian heat, a ceramic-based spray (SiO2) is preferred as it has a much higher melting point than traditional Carnauba wax.