hello
i have a 2006 ford fusion and it has a bullseye painted on it that only birds can see. and yesterday a bird hit it in the perfect spot. between the doors there is a shiny black strip in between the windows. well my mom is driving it because my brother-in-law hit a coon and knocked the radiator out of his colbalt, but anyway she had it at work and i washed it tuesday night so i know it wasn't on there that night so it happened yesterday in a matter of 8 hours it ate into the paint.

well sad to say this is not the first time this has happened to this car in the same spot. last year the weekend of memorial day i left it home and we went to a bbq and in 4 hours the paint was trashed in this spot. i got it fixed at the dealership for right around $100.

so this is kind of a warning to those of you that hate birds out there and have fords that have the shinny panels in between your windows.

does anyone know a way to keep this from happening. i know i wax it all the time so i know it has wax on it so that wouldn't keep it from happening but any ideas to keep this from happening would be helpful.
matt

 

I don't know of anything specific other than constant waxing.

Bird poop is pretty nasty stuff. I have seen it "wrinkle" paint and fade it or color it. Usually the damage isn't bad enough to spot right away but to finicky people they will spot it. I have never been able to adequately remove the damage other than maybe the color change can be buffed out or sun faded over time.

I keep a spray bottle of detailer and a rag to wipe these stains up as soon as I find them, but sooner or later a bird with some heavy acid or whatever it is, is going to torpedo your paint.

If anyone does know of something, please post it.

Jim Henderson

 

The best advice would be what Jim said, get it wiped off as soon as possible. A good wax job would be your first line of defence. Use a liquid synthetic wax, apply it over the plastics and whether strip around the window, allow it to sink in everywhere.

keep a bottle of quick detailer, or a bottle of bug and tar remover handy. also keep a micro fiber cloth near by. If your like me you'll spot bird crap right away, don't waste anytime get right to it. Spray down the crap pile, allow it to soak for a few seconds. Blot it at first to remove the worst of it, then soak it down a little more and wipe the rest off. If possible apply a coat of wax to the clean area right away.

 

i wax this car after every wash and i have eagle one wipe and shine that i keep with me in the car.the wiping off right away, i know it happened in a matter of a couple hours while at work so i couldn't go and wipe off. and microfiber towels are the only way to go. after the first time i used them i got rid of all my terry cloth towels.

i know this molding is trash so i can't change the past. so i guess to those of you out there who own a ford with the shinny black molding in between your windows watch out for birds.