Paint is terrible!

[westcountry boy]

I made a post sometime ago about this - and still grumpy!

Watch out if you have Black Magic (as I have on my ST SE LUX). I have kept the thing waxed up to death with Autoglym HD wax and still, within 3-4 hours of deposits landing (Friday lunchtime), to get home Friday evening and wash it off and find bird poo has eaten away at the lacquer top coat.

Have made an appointment with Seat on Tuesday - their warranty guys are going to take pictures and send away to Seat.

Just don't believe it! Alright, it has been warm and being black the paint gets hot and so I s'pose acidic poo will eat away at the paint much quicker - but imagine leaving the car for a week in an airport, say - only to come back to find the thing covered in the stuff!

Is it just me? When you wash the poo away, you can clearly see where the splats have been, no amount of soap and car polish will shift it - it just leaves a rough orange peely finish to the glossy top coat.

Urrgghh - grumpy.

 

[tyrer]

Bad news mate, there is no chance that it should mark so quickly.. I mean do the birds have thinners in their poo?

Good luck with SEAT mate and I'm sure something will get resolved.

 

[fuzzy232]

If it's no resolved, couldn't you get it clear protect vinyld on roof and bonnet? Just a suggestion

 

[mcdonald]

NEW RESEARCH DISPELS MYTH OF WHY BIRD DROPPINGS DAMAGE PAINT


Research from Autoglym reveals bird dropping ‘acidity’ has no effect on paintwork

Damage results from cooling paint lacquer contracting and moulding around deposits

Autoglym warns motorists to act fast and with care to prevent lasting damage


New research from Autoglym, the UK’s leading car care experts, suggests that the familiar sight of car bodywork ‘etched’ by bird droppings are not the result of any corrosive property in the deposit, as is commonly believed. In fact, damage instead results from the paint lacquer contracting upon cooling and moulding to the uneven texture of the hardened deposit.

As paint lacquer warms – in the direct summer sunshine for example – it softens and expands. At the same time, that heat dries and hardens any bird droppings on the surface. Autoglym’s researchers discovered that as the paint lacquer cools, overnight for example, it contracts, hardens and moulds around the texture of the bird dropping. To the naked eye, this moulding at a microscopic level appears as dulled or etched paintwork. The light’s reflection is interrupted by the imperfect surface, unlike the undamaged paint surrounding it which gives a clearer reflection.

Autoglym’s tests with strongly acidic, neutral and strongly alkali bird dropping substitutes highlighted negligible differences in the damage caused. However, differences in paint damage were noted when the substitute bird deposits had varying degrees of grain-to-liquid content. A grainier texture caused greater light distortion (dullness) when the paint moulded around it.

Wax and polish treatments – that protect against chemical attack from acid raid and UV sun damage, for example – provide limited protection from the paint moulding to bird droppings, although they will make them easier to remove. The longer the deposit remains on the bodywork, and the higher the temperatures, the harder the dried deposit will be, and the greater the propensity for the paint lacquer to mould to it as it cools. Bird dropping damage can only be prevented by motorists remaining vigilant and removing the deposit as soon as possible.

Autoglym’s has outlined some tips for minimising the risk of damage from bird droppings:

- Remove the deposit at the earliest opportunity

- Motorists should use a moist cloth – Autoglym’s Bird Dropping Wipes are ideal – to gently lift the deposit from the surface

- If the deposit is dry or doesn’t lift easily, place a moist cloth over it for ten minutes to soften the deposit

- Dispose of any cloth or wipe used to remove bird droppings immediately and carefully wash your hands, as bird lime can harbour diseases​

Paul Caller, CEO of Autoglym, said: "It's a great shame when an otherwise fabulous-looking car is blighted with a tell-tale patch of dull paint. As a result of this new research by our R&D team in Letchworth, we now understand why bird droppings are a frighteningly potent hazard to bodywork."


Source: http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/News-latestfull.asp?v06VQ=HIK

 

[az 197]

My dad's 1 series is terrible for it. Paint seems really prone to bird poo stains. He can't get some of them out either.

 

[OLDOILER]

westcountry boy: Some of it is due to the EU rules in change of paint application ie water base - it is not has robust as the old style paint applications, my EXEO black bonnet is full of stone chips and its only 6 months old was considering one of these clear vynal coatings. ...................................... M Benz and Porsche are using a more robust clear laquer to get over this problem!!

 

[Philwowo]

can any one help me as ive got a chip on my bonnet and and I'm looking for galia blue touch up paint but cant seem to find any.

 

[mcdonald]

can any one help me as ive got a chip on my bonnet and and I'm looking for galia blue touch up paint but cant seem to find any.

It's available from the SEAT dealer for appr GBP 9,00.

See page 11 of the accessory brochure: http://media.seat.co.uk/pdf/EXEO_access_broch_2011.pdf

The codes of the touch up paint can be found on the Spanish website here: http://www.seat.es/es/generator/su/es/Exeo/site/accessories/maintenance/main.html#article10

 

[Philwowo]

Thanks for that!

 

[mcdonald]

After washing the car I apply three layers in total:
1st layer: Poorboys World Black Hole
2nd layer: Poorboys World EXP Pure Sealant
3rd layer: Poorboys World Natty's Paste Wax Blue

This protects pretty good. Further I try to avoid parking the car in the sun for the reason mentioned in the article from AutoGlym.

 

[Simon H]

Good to know!