The Car Thread ... !

[circatee]

Curious, what’s the best way to get rid of bird poop, from your car?

A while back, there was bird poop on my car.
Silly me, I wet a napkin, and worked on getting it off. It was dry and stuck on the car.

Now, after washing the car the other day (did it myself), I noticed some scratches on the hood, near the windshield (where I removed the bird poop).

Also, black car, with tiny white scratches. Any way to correct this?

Thanks all...

 

[0388631]

Clear coat etching due to acidity in the bird poo I'm afraid. Best course of action to minimize the look would be clay barring and hand polishing of a fine compound. Possibly using a compound to offset light via some property containing additives to minimize the look unless you looked at it up close.

The pricey option is hiring a professional to come to your house and correct the paint unless it's far too damaged. A regularly waxed vehicle will minimize damage from bird poo or tree sap.

Edit: Anyone fancy a heavily discounted Jaguar electric Pace?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Curious, what’s the best way to get rid of bird poop, from your car?

A while back, there was bird poop on my car.
Silly me, I wet a napkin, and worked on getting it off. It was dry and stuck on the car.

Now, after washing the car the other day (did it myself), I noticed some scratches on the hood, near the windshield (where I removed the bird poop).

Also, black car, with tiny white scratches. Any way to correct this?

Thanks all...

Too late now, but next time if you aren’t about to wash the car, put a wet sponge on top of it and leave for 10 minutes. Then wipe it off.

But the key with bird poo is deal with it as quickly as you can by washing the car.
[doublepost=1565847168][/doublepost]

A good place will try and remove the dent as much as possible while using as little compound filler. Bright side is that VW of yours looks like a flat red so it shouldn't be hard to blend in.

Have you considered throttling said co-worker off a mountain cliff or into a pond full of much with him attached to cinder blocks?

He sent me a link to some scratch removal product. I’m not sure if he was joking or not.

 

[0388631]

He sent me a link to some scratch removal product. I’m not sure if he was joking or not.

Is this the same guy who damaged those lenses?

 

[44267547]

Also, black car, with tiny white scratches. Any way to correct this ...

See attached. Griots Garage Complete Compound. You’re welcome. I’m on my fourth black car now, for light surface scratches into the clear coat, this is an outstanding product in my detailing lineup of professional products.

How I would apply this:

Make sure paint is clean prior. Use a quality microfiber towel slightly damp (Like, spritzed with water damp, you don’t need much), apply compound remover to cloth, apply lightly on scratched surface area, let it sit for approximately a minute or so, buff off with dry/clean microfiber cloth. Then, reapply choice of wax to surface area once complete with compound remover.

Depending how deep the scratches are, this should minimize/remove them.

Side note:

Don’t use a napkin to remove dried bird waste = Bad idea.

 

[0388631]

Yeah, use your tongue like a normal human being. It's what Sean Lock recommends. Nature's candy to you right there it is.

 

[D.T.]

Griots makes some excellent products, I've been using them for a long time (even before "boutique" type products became more mainstream, before a bunch of you were driving ) Definitely read the application directions carefully, while it's an extremely mild polishing compound, it is very slightly abrasive (otherwise it wouldn't do anything).

The other issue with bird poop: it can contain all sort of particles that can scratch paint if you rub it too hard - the best thing is to just rinse it off, keep applying water till it softens. a little detergent, anything to break it up.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Is this the same guy who damaged those lenses?

No. Worse he’s a cyclist.

 

[0388631]

No. Worse he’s a cyclist.

Oh, they're all jackasses.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Oh, they're all jackasses.

They should also stay off my road!

 

[bunnspecial]

I guess the day comes in the life of every British car owner where you ride home in a vehicle much larger than the one you drove to the place in...

 

[Apple fanboy]

I guess the day comes in the life of every British car owner where you ride home in a vehicle much larger than the one you drove to the place in...

View attachment 853160

Oh dear. Nothing serious I hope?

 

[bunnspecial]

Oh dear. Nothing serious I hope?

Well, the good news is that the $1.50 can of carburetor cleaner the cooling fan decided to suck up came out totally unscathed. The radiator and cooling fan sacrificed themselves for it.

Aside from that, I'm looking at ~$275 for a new radiator and fan, plus about two weeks for them to get here. The repair should be straight forward-my least favorite part of changing a radiator is draining the coolant, and at least that part has been taken care of for me.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Been quoted £190 for the dent. Hope it looks okay.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

What are we all about cars? let's talk about motorcycles!

Why not start a motor bike thread?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Why not?

Off you go and start one; it was your idea or suggestion, and, if you have an interest in the area, why not start a motor-cycle thread?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-bike-thread.2193975/

Wasn't aware that this existed, as bikes aren't really my thing.

In any case, I merely thought that you wished to start a discussion about motorbikes.

However, this particular thread happens to be about cars, for those who wish to post about that topic.

 

[0388631]

Well, the good news is that the $1.50 can of carburetor cleaner the cooling fan decided to suck up came out totally unscathed. The radiator and cooling fan sacrificed themselves for it.

Aside from that, I'm looking at ~$275 for a new radiator and fan, plus about two weeks for them to get here. The repair should be straight forward-my least favorite part of changing a radiator is draining the coolant, and at least that part has been taken care of for me.

Because I'm curious, just how did that happen?

 

[bunnspecial]

Because I'm curious, just how did that happen?

I pulled the carbs/heatshield/intake manifold last week to replace the oil mist separator(an operation that was successful, since I'm no longer misting oil out the side of the engine).

For a while, I was using genuine Burlen Fuel Systems(SU branded) carb mounting gaskets-there are 6 of these total(3 per carb "stack"). These are impregnated with a waxy adhesive that melts the first time it heat cycles to theoretically make a tight seal. Even though they seal well, every time you remove the carbs they have to be replaced(especially since they usually get torn up when separated) and are usually reluctant to come loose. I'll usually end up using generous amounts of carburetor cleaner to get them loose. Incidentally, I'm now using plain rubber that gets a light coating of grease, but most places still had the Burlen product.

It was after dark when I finished up that job, and my light out in the garage is poor(plus I have no power to do better-I work mostly with flashlights) so I'm GUESSING that I left the can of carb cleaner laying on the inside of the fender after I was done. With the air cleaners in place, it's also not super easy to see this spot.

From there, as best as I can figure, it got disloged and knocked into the engine fan. This is a direct drive fan bolted to the front of the water pump pulley.

 

[0388631]

I pulled the carbs/heatshield/intake manifold last week to replace the oil mist separator(an operation that was successful, since I'm no longer misting oil out the side of the engine).

For a while, I was using genuine Burlen Fuel Systems(SU branded) carb mounting gaskets-there are 6 of these total(3 per carb "stack"). These are impregnated with a waxy adhesive that melts the first time it heat cycles to theoretically make a tight seal. Even though they seal well, every time you remove the carbs they have to be replaced(especially since they usually get torn up when separated) and are usually reluctant to come loose. I'll usually end up using generous amounts of carburetor cleaner to get them loose. Incidentally, I'm now using plain rubber that gets a light coating of grease, but most places still had the Burlen product.

It was after dark when I finished up that job, and my light out in the garage is poor(plus I have no power to do better-I work mostly with flashlights) so I'm GUESSING that I left the can of carb cleaner laying on the inside of the fender after I was done. With the air cleaners in place, it's also not super easy to see this spot.

From there, as best as I can figure, it got disloged and knocked into the engine fan. This is a direct drive fan bolted to the front of the water pump pulley.

I'm familiar with those types of gaskets albeit for other applications. This makes a lot of sense. I'm sorry that you opened up another line of expenses for yourself. On the other hand, this may inspire you to seek garage lighting or a work light. I once broke a radiator fan by accidentally tugging on it while wearing a long sleeve sweater. Which is considerably more silly if you think about it.

 

[Bug-Creator]

I guess the day comes in the life of every British car owner where you ride home in a vehicle much larger than the one you drove to the place in...

Most people just call these "Friday"

 

[0388631]

I believe that's daily for some people of a particular isle.

 

[LizKat]

Here in my county it's Fair Week, which also means Demolition Derby time! It's the culmination of another year's painstaking efforts to turn a bunch of parts from assorted wrecks into one roadworthy one that when fitted with the now mandatory steel four point cage and halo for the driver, can pass inspection and make it into the fair for a hoped-for spectacular crash on Demo Derby Day.

File these under "watched one, doing one, en route to teaching one":

The local paper ran a piece on the longstanding traditions of getting cars ready for a demo derby. Here's a kid watching Dad show how it's done, probably same as Dad watched his dad when he was the kid. And the same kid then helping Dad get a car ready... There's certainly an art to converting a collection of parts into something can pass the inspection and make it into a candidate for a spectacular crash on Demo Derby Day.

​

 

[0388631]

I've always wanted to see monster trucks in person. The closest I've been to that is watching bits of the Baja race a long time ago in person. I've done Nascar, F1, Indy and GT racing as a viewer. It's all fun, but monster trucks are insane and they look like a lot of fun.

 

[44267547]

Ok, so.....

Here is a scattered/not very well thought out game plan on what I want to do, but don’t know quite yet what I will do.

I recently Watched the local unveiling of the new C8. I’m gonna be honest, I really want it, [like kinda obsessively]. I always make very calculated moves when it comes to purchasing my cars, taking months of making sure I’m making the right purchase that’s best suited for me. But this car would be an impulse buy (Yes, I have a problem), but what I think I might contemplate in doing, is selling the Mustang GT outright for the new C8 with money down.

But here’s the caveat, I don’t like purchasing the model year of any new car when it first comes out, because of obvious issues that may arise and I like to wait a year (or two) for the vehicle to mature and problems to be rectified.

The other caveat, is I put a lot of time/money into the GT to make it ‘my own’, and even though I won’t have a problem selling it, I’m not sure if that’s really the best decision given it’s not a stock car that I don’t care about, because it is a great ride.

I’ve never owned a Corvette, so this would be a first. I considered the Stingray back in February, but ultimately passed because it sold under me. Either way, I’m actually surprised how many deposits others are putting down on this car, and I get the price point for what it’s offering is fairly competitive, but this is the one Corvette that actually stands out to me among other models that I see Grandpa’s driving daily, that I may jump in on at some point.

Also, kinda cool, my local dealer has a really unique ‘flow chart’ set up how you can choose all the fittings/customization for the car from seatbelts/colors/wheels, etc.

Anyways, I’m leaning in favor of doing this, but it’s more of a timely factor of when.