v8bertha Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Having progressed from "Hard-core off road/overland enthusiast" to "Purple freelander driver" I now have a very real issue with ... wait for it... Paintwork! You see, I used to be worried about which huge lump of steel work I was next going to bolt on to my wagon... now though the biggest worry I have is damaging the paint work on my luuuuurvly daily runabout. The freelander seems to have become a Bird Poo Magnet. This morning I went to clean off the poo from the windscreen but the wiperrs made no difference. I then got my squeegy thing out and hacked at one lump of poo for a couple of minutes before giving up. So my question to you lot is.... What is the best way to get bird poo off? Any old wives tales that I could try? All opinions or ideas greatfully recieved as I have a real need to spend the whole of sunday cleaning and polishing it!! Cheers guys Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 You sad sad man hairdresser! Have you tried a cold chisel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Brake fluid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSi110 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Plenty of water to loosen it. Soak the poo well and it should, mostly, wash off with a sponge / cloth / hose. Bird poo is highly acidic, so time spent on the paintwork will attack the laquer / wax / finish, so be sure to keep the paintwork protected with your favourite brand of polish. Also, the cleaner the paintwork (by this, I mean lowering the surface friction by liberal application of the shiny stuff), the easier it is to remove the poo / dirt / detritus. Never pick at the poo with your finger nail as this will create tiny scratches in the paintwork, unless you're VERY careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Tar remover? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Warm / hot water and plenty of it. If you're really worried get yourself a car cover that the birds can defecate on instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top90 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Soak a tissue in water, leave it stuck over the bird poo for 5 to 10 minutes and then it will wipe off. This works well on crusty dried ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Solve the problem at source - buy a shotgun. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8bertha Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Thank you for the comments so far. Bish... chisel? windscreen? paintwork? You west country folk! Eighpot... I want to try to keep the paint on the car! BigSi... hmmm clean it isn't, having been thrown around Brickiln Farm the weekend before... D'oh! So at the mo it looks like a nice soaking with warm soapy water or tar remover... Watch this thread for more excitemnt!! Cheers guys D B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Wetwipes work as well (well that's my excuse for having some in the car!). But definately the wet soapy water on a bit of kitchen towel or tissue and left to soak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8bertha Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Solve the problem at source - buy a shotgun. Not sure how the neighbours would take to the local nutter running round with a shotgun!! Nice thought tho! This works well on crusty dried ones. Ahhh haa.... this opens up another interesting question... how many different types of bird poo are there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 mmm Dan i would get one of those sponges that you get to take of flies . These work well with a bit of water. BTW you should try Bat sh**. That stuff works better than paint stripper. Hence why the 12 year Disco and the 12 year 90 are sat in the garage and the 6 month old Toyota Camry company car sits out side on the drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveG Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Never pick at the poo with your finger nail, unless you're VERY careful. The Quote tool is great for picking sentences out of context! For when I had a car that I cared about the paintwork, any cloth that has a mesh fabric is good for getting off flies, bird poo etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Mm... so you're posting a thread about Paintwork and I'm posting a thread about Welding... something's wrong here... (Do I admit now or later that it got covered in my works car park and I meant to clean it off yesterday night but forgot... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corrode Finger Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 . BTW you should try Bat sh**. That stuff works better than paint stripper. Knowing Dans luck, he probably has got bats, they have moved into Bertha as she has been untouched for soo long!! Hat, coat, bat proof cape...... gone!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Bet you don't know why shiny cars are a magnet for bird poo? Apparently birds like to poo above water - so preditors cannot find their nest by following a poo concentration gradient. From the air, anything shiny looks a lot like water. Thus, the more shiny, the more poo! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8bertha Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Bet you don't know why shiny cars are a magnet for bird poo?Apparently birds like to poo above water - so preditors cannot find their nest by following a poo concentration gradient. From the air, anything shiny looks a lot like water. Thus, the more shiny, the more poo! Si Yet again Simon, you astound me with your knowledge! I'll be remembering this amazing fact for the next party I go to!! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 So, the answer is to take a brillo pad to your roof. Clean the poo off and stop more appearing in one go Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 So, the answer is to take a brillo pad to your roof. Clean the poo off and stop more appearing in one go Si ...or just go the shotgun route. Si, what a great fact! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 angle grinder? For when I had a car that I cared about the paintwork, any cloth that has a mesh fabric is good for getting off flies, bird poo etc eg old pair of tights ideal for flies etc. If you need any Walfy has some kicking around (apparently) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas90 Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Bet you don't know why shiny cars are a magnet for bird poo?Apparently birds like to poo above water - so preditors cannot find their nest by following a poo concentration gradient. From the air, anything shiny looks a lot like water. Thus, the more shiny, the more poo! Si Which is probably why I hardly ever get a bird poo problem with a black soft-top nas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Which is probably why I hardly ever get a bird poo problem with a black soft-top nas now i come to think about it i don't have it happen on my black soft top either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WALFY Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 angle grinder?eg old pair of tights ideal for flies etc. If you need any Walfy has some kicking around (apparently) I can't believe you're giving my good gear away James. I won't have any to lend you in the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mortus Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 this might sound stupid... but why dont you park where there is nothing over head, like no trees or power lines.. then birds wont poop on it so much, or build a garage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perv Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Like the shotgun idea......... OR dare i say it...........Grt Jen to do it. am i bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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