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I'm looking for some advice. I want to put together a first aid kit to keep in the car to use to clean off bird poo as soon as I notice it, this way I can get it off when I'm out and not at home ready to do an involved clean up.
What should I put in this kit? Something to wet? Something to wipe with? I'm thinking the poo is acidic, and I'm wondering if baking soda will help neutralize that? I've used some of these foil packaged antiseptic wipes that we keep in the cars but I'm sure they have a lot of alcohol which takes off the wax.
So what's a good idea to keep in the car for this?
I always carry a few microfiber towels and some small spray bottles of various detailing liquids - including Slick QD which I use for bug and bird poo removal. And I have a bottle of Hydro - so if I feel the need to add a spritz of that to re-wax the spot, I can...
FWIW, my mobile detailing kit has little spray bottles of:
Meguiar's Interior QD
Meguiar's Rich Leather
Clarity
Slick
Hydro
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I'm Paul, The car is Blimey--- BlimeyCabrio's Blog--- 2006 MCSCa w/lotsa mods and Union Jacks
Ten-time Dragon Veteran - Occasional Trackrat - Extreme Twisty Addict - Rhymers Ferry Road Fanatic
I've had good luck with Speed Shine from Griot's Garage - either the spritz bottle with a MF towel, or a pack of Speed Shine wipes (really convenient).
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Rich M. - New Hartford, CT
'06 MC, HB/S, Chrome Inside & Out, Xenons, Premium & Cold Pkgs, Blue Leather, Front & Rear Fog Lights, S-Lites, MCAW, Deluxe Tow Hook, M7 Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates, aFe Cold Air Intake, Megan Racing S/S Cat-Back Exhaust, JCW Alcantara & Leather Steering Wheel, JCW Shift Knob, Chrome A-panel Side Grilles w/ clear lenses, MCS stock rear sway bar, LightInSight
__________________ Disclaimer: No claim is made that the quality of the MINI-related advice offered by Yucca Patrol
is greater than the quality of MINI-related advice offered by other NAM members.
Personal preference. I find bird crapola to be a nutritious and tasty snack. Especially with some dragonfly parts mixed in for texture. Mmmmm.... crunchy.
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I'm Paul, The car is Blimey--- BlimeyCabrio's Blog--- 2006 MCSCa w/lotsa mods and Union Jacks
Ten-time Dragon Veteran - Occasional Trackrat - Extreme Twisty Addict - Rhymers Ferry Road Fanatic
- some sort of detailing spray - QD is mentioned. Whose product is that? Or a bottle of slick that can double as a clay lube sounds like a good idea.
- Paper towels
- trash bags
- hand disinfectant
You cloth tops need something special for that, don't you.
for QD, carry a polymer based one like slick or NXT QD so that you
can use it in the sun a little more than natural wax based QD. i carry
Speedshine in my hobby cars cause that's wat i use mostly but on my
commuters i have the NXT QD.
papertowels...any of them will do as long as it is the soft kind. make sure
you wet it down completely when you wipe off the bird crap. try to
minimize contact with paint as it will swirl it.
zip lock bag is nice cause it doesn't take much space, you can carry
your fresh paper towels and MF cloth in it and easy to seal trash after use.
i use DP's platnium MF towels on my hobby cars and just have a brand
new package in there in the ziplock type packaging it comes in.
hand disinfectant - walmart/target has traveler sizes.
I was told never to use paper towels on the car because those can definitely cause scratches too so I carry MF towels with me.
it will haze if you press too hard, but if you're scratching the surface
the person's putting waaaay too much force. the trick is to penetrate
the crap, not the paint.
I agree...I use plenty of QD and super plush polishing towel. That's it. However, if the "infraction" is severe, I do use a Viva paper towel to gently remove (not exactly wipe) the worst "stuff" away. Otherwise that crap would be all stuck in my polishing cloth...which I use again for the remainder of the cleanup.
You may have to douse the poo several times before it is all gone. Funny thing, even after cleanup there can be come visible etching in the clearcoat, but dousing even more QD (and even water) will remove even that. Don't ask me how, but it seems to work.
I've had good luck with Speed Shine from Griot's Garage - either the spritz bottle with a MF towel, or a pack of Speed Shine wipes (really convenient).
Thats what I use. I have a full mobile detail kit from Griots. I didnt buy it, I just got all the gift with purchause bottels.
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03 MSC BRG/W
97 Jeep Wrangler. Sold
I keep an old bottle of water (marked not to drink) and some bounty. I wet the bounty, press it over the poo, until it softens, then using it to gently wipe away. Get another wet bounty and repeat until all gone.
I keep a box of the disposable wet baby wipes in my car. What ever is in them won't hurt a baby's butt so it shouldn't kill my paint. They do a good job getting the poo off the paint. What ever is in them is not as bad as what's in the wipes. The wipes also work good for oops inside the car. Doesn't seem to have hurt anything in there either.
__________________ 2006 Astro Black Ragtop, pure stock, for now. #138 GWR
I would just use QD to get it off - whatever kind you normally use. All that really matters is that you get it off ASAP.
I agree! It's most important to get it off quickly, regardless of what you have to use to do it.
QD (quick detail spray) is usually the product of choice because:
-it packs well
-contains mild cleaners to help lift the bird waste
-contains lubricants to help with scratch prevention
My personal favorite QD is Slick, but as you all know I'm just a wee bit biased on that.
Re: Using a non-MF b/c it may scratch
While this is true, I would revert back to point #1 which is to get it off your paint ASAP before it can do major damage.
Keep in mind that bird droppings can etch paint... this is typically much worse than a few slight scratches which can be buffed out (often by hand if you don't have a polisher). Some etching is very difficult and sometimes impossible to remove.
Also, we like to keep wee versions of our QD on hand in the car. One of these days we hope to have "official" wee versions of some of our products.
In the meantime, our Spray Top Plastic Bottles (2 oz) are very handy for this purpose. (A bonus is that the tops never leak! They have a great seal)
2006 Astro Black Ragtop, pure stock, for now. #138 GWR
