# Clear coat protection "bird droppings"



## carolinacruze (Feb 24, 2013)

I use meguiar's ultimate liquid wax on our new cruze,I usually wash once a week and wax it every 3-4 weeks which might be too often,I think the manual states once a year which I might be wrong "I just like a clean car" Bird droppings have been a issue on my clear coat,seems like it etches or eats it away,If I see it I'll get it off asap but it still leaves a spot in the clear even after one day,is the clear coat thin or weak on these cars? Do I need another wax to protect it better? The car is cyber gray metallic and it shows everything


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## carolinacruze (Feb 24, 2013)

By the way,how often should I wax the car?


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

carolinacruze said:


> By the way,how often should I wax the car?


The recommended time to wax your car is every 3 to 4 months or when a good quality detailer like mothers or meguiars takes too long to wipe off. the best way to get the max protection is to clay your car first to remove all the defects sitting on top of the paint. This will allow the wax to perform at its best and give you the results your looking for. any other questions you may have, just pm me=]


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

carolinacruze said:


> I use meguiar's ultimate liquid wax on our new cruze,I usually wash once a week and wax it every 3-4 weeks which might be too often,I think the manual states once a year which I might be wrong "I just like a clean car" Bird droppings have been a issue on my clear coat,seems like it etches or eats it away,If I see it I'll get it off asap but it still leaves a spot in the clear even after one day,is the clear coat thin or weak on these cars? Do I need another wax to protect it better? The car is cyber gray metallic and it shows everything


The clearcoat is fine on these cars...what you probably need to do is invest in a dual action polisher from meguiars and get their 2.0 buffing pads..id get their cutting pad and their finishing pad. Thee cutting pad is to get a little deeper in the clear coat to remove defects a lot better. The finishing pad is for applying a wax or polish evenly and is less time to apply.I recommend using meguiars ultimate compound on the cutting pad to remove the defects. Ive used it on my cruze and it really does work. NO doubt. Im a beginner/professional detailer, so I know quite a bit of things about detailing lol.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Clear coat is for the most part the same for all manufacturers.
Bird droppings etch.....but some colors show it more than others.....and I'm sure you agree, one looks much closer at the finish on a new car than a old car.
All that aside, the issue is moisture......say a bird gotcha yseterday afternoon...lateish......the next morning, heavy dew on the car.
Every time bird droppings get wet, they re-energize the acidity and it mars the finish.
So, even if the car is grubby, a gentle wipe off with a wet microfiber at the poo point will keep it from leaving a mark and you can even things out at the next wash.

Troublesome spots will come out with a gentle application of a cleaner wax at that area.

The darker the color, the more often waxing is required....blacks, dark blues...usually about every 4 to 5 weeks.
Lighter colors, like the light blue....you can probably stretch out to maybe two/two and a half months.
White....depending on were it lives overnight it could be stretched ot to twice a year, maybe longer.

Although I use a D/A polisher I don't think it is a requirement for simple waxing (wax only, like Meguires Yellow....not a cleaner wax)......claying as determined by the 'Palm Test'

Rob


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Robby said:


> Clear coat is for the most part the same for all manufacturers.
> Bird droppings etch.....but some colors show it more than others.....and I'm sure you agree, one looks much closer at the finish on a new car than a old car.
> All that aside, the issue is moisture......say a bird gotcha yseterday afternoon...lateish......the next morning, heavy dew on the car.
> Every time bird droppings get wet, they re-energize the acidity and it mars the finish.
> ...


I agree with you for the most part.....I didnt say it was a requirement to use a DA....my point was to use a DA for much fast better results than doing it by hand. A DA will cut out a third of the time than doing it b hand. He probably would want to clay it anyway before using any other paint cleaner like meguiars ultimate compound...Plus if you apply a wax, the wax will be more affective due to you wont be applying wax on surface contaminents. If you do that, the wax wont do its job right and will not stick to th paint surface.The baggy theory is correct robby. However, another way to tell if your car is needing to be clayed is just by rubbing your hand lightly over the paint and if its rough, its time for clay =]. Good details though man.


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## deerebilt (Apr 6, 2012)

carolinacruze said:


> I use meguiar's ultimate liquid wax on our new cruze,I usually wash once a week and wax it every 3-4 weeks which might be too often,I think the manual states once a year which I might be wrong "I just like a clean car" Bird droppings have been a issue on my clear coat,seems like it etches or eats it away,If I see it I'll get it off asap but it still leaves a spot in the clear even after one day,is the clear coat thin or weak on these cars? Do I need another wax to protect it better? The car is cyber gray metallic and it shows everything


I use Polyshield Products on my '13 1LT RS Victory Red, and Bird droppings are not a problem. Polyshield is a sealer/protectant not a wax. Only available online or froam a distributor. It leaves thee paint smooth and glossy wet looking.


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## dfwcowboy (May 11, 2013)

You can wax your vehicle as often as you want. You should do it often enough to maintain a coat of wax on the vehicle at all times. How often that is depends on what product you are using and the environment your car has to endure. For my primary vehicle, I can get by with waxing once per year, but my vehicle is garaged both at home and at work. I also use a multi-staged process with a wax that is designed to be layered. The more your vehicle is exposed to the elements, the more you're going to have to wax it. When the surface beads water larger than a quarter, it's time to wax it. I can also tell by how slick the surface is.

Even when the surface has a good coat of wax, you need to remove contaminates as soon as you can to keep them from harming your clear coat. I wash or quick detail my vehicles at least once per week and for things like water spots or bird droppings, I remove as soon as I find them with a quick detailer and a high quality and clean microfiber towel.


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## Rocky87 (Apr 28, 2013)

I normally wax my car every weekend before I go out.


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

I always the keep a detailing spray handy and get the droppings asap. 

One of our old cars had etching from bird droppings sitting on the paint too long. 

If you get them off fairly soon you shouldn't have any problems.

Just use a micro fiber cloth when removing them and it should get everything up the droppings left behind.


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