Birds pooping all over car!

ripplyuk

There's lots of starlings nesting here and they seem to be constantly doing their business all over my car. I'm literally cleaning it 3 times a day minimum. I even ended up getting openreach to move an overhead cable further away from the car as the birds were perching on it and that helped a lot but it's still a problem. I'm worried my paintwork will be ruined.

I've thought about a plastic cover for the car but I'm in and out all day and it isn't really practical. Is there any sort of bird 'scarer' I could buy, or even any home made ideas? They're driving me crazy!

Also, what should I be using to clean it? I've heard car shampoo is best but I'm getting through the bottle rather quickly and it's expensive. Would a mild detergent be ok? Sometimes it's hard to remove and I'm worried about causing scratches by scrubbing too hard.

fivetide

Just pour warm (not boiling) water on it.

Kettle will do. If you get to it early enought it'll soften and move off with the water. Pour from a greater height to get more impact.

If there is a mark left, a wipe with kitchen roll should be ok as it should have softened up

scotsbob

Put a stick into the ground and tie a 20 foot length of sisal string to it. Tie the other end to a cat's collar. The cat has enough string to wander around and no birds will come near the car.

NeededToChooseAUsername

How about CD's? Sure that I read the reflections from the sun scare of birds but could be an myth...

Shaolin_Monkey

Can't help with a bird scarer but if it's isolated spots of it then a spray of a quick detailer (like this) and wiping off with a microfibre cloth is a safe way to get rid of it without scratching the paint. It seems expensive but a bottle contains thousands of 'squirts' and you don't need much to wipe off droppings. If you really do need a lot of it you can buy highly concentrated 'trade' versions you dilute with water.

If the car is peppered then a hose down (or even better, pressure wash) to remove the bulk of it and a wash with a good shampoo is the best way. Shampoo isn't really expensive especially if bought in bigger packs. I quite like Autoglym shampoo as you only need about 20ml of it per wash and it gives good results. Admittedly it's not the cheapest but a 2.5l bottle lasts me a couple of years so good enough.. Sometimes you get good deals on car shampoo in Aldi/Lidl and it is usually not bad stuff.

colino

No cure unfortunately (and a neighbour that not only feeds the !!!!!!!s but allows them to nest in their decrepit roof) but to remove, "bird lime" place a paper towel over the area, soak it with water and it will lift off with another splash of water in 20-30 minutes.
Definitely a time to keep a good layer of wax on the car.

ripplyuk

Thanks everyone. I think I'll get some of the quick detailer spray to make the cleaning easier. It does worry that that this mess could well have been sitting on the car from dawn until I check it in the morning. Does anyone know how long it needs to be on the car before the paintwork is damaged?

I've been reading up on using CD's to scare them and then found you can buy decoy birds eg: hawks, owls etc. that scare the smaller birds away. Don't know if they're any good but might be worth a try.

InsideInsurance

scotsbob wrote: »

Put a stick into the ground and tie a 20 foot length of sisal string to it. Tie the other end to a cat's collar.

Just a collar or an actual cat in a collar?


To the op - can you not set up a temporary carport or awning of some description to shield the car?

Norman_Castle

scotsbob wrote: »

Put a stick into the ground and tie a 20 foot length of sisal string to it. Tie the other end to a cat's collar. The cat has enough string to wander around and no birds will come near the car.

This assumes you have a cat available and, if so, that it will be happy being tied up from dawn to dusk. I'm calling the RSPCA.

ripplyuk

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Just a collar or an actual cat in a collar?


To the op - can you not set up a temporary carport or awning of some description to shield the car?

Can't do the carport. It's parked on what is actually the landlord's property, beside my house. It's hard to describe but it wouldn't be suitable for any kind of 'structure'.

There are quite a few feral cats round here. The birds seem very relaxed about them and the cats seem oblivious to them!

Shaolin_Monkey

ripplyuk wrote: »

Does anyone know how long it needs to be on the car before the paintwork is damaged?

"It depends" really. From what I've read it's worst in hot sunlight as the heat softens the paint lacquer. It also depends on the paint itself, whether it has any protective layer on it (wax, sealant etc.) and probably even what the bird has eaten before depositing it on your car... This is what Autoglym had to say on it - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8495819/The-real-reason-why-bird-droppings-damage-your-car.html

From personal experience I've had visible marks (hazy marks where the dropings had been) left on paint after a few days. I've been able to mostly polish out these marks, although its not always easy.