I just bought a brand new 2008 Toyota Highlander on Thursday July 17th, 2008.
Left it setting in the driveway where one bird pooped on it, about the size of a quarter.
When you wash this spot off, the paint is permanently damaged under the bird poop. "CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT." When I was at the dealer, they were trying to sell me something to protect the paint from Bird poop, but I did not know that I needed protecting.
I guess the new paints are water based and really suck. This is what our government wastes their time on today.
IF ANY OF YOU ARE BUYING A NEW CAR, AFTER YOU GET ALL DONE TALKING, TELL THEM THAT IF THEY DO NOT PUT THE PAINT PROTECTOR ON FOR FREE, YOU WILL NOT BUY THE CAR.
I can not believe that such a basic item is not standard on a car paint job today.
Are all the manufacturer's getting so cheap that they believe the buying public will accept this??
Also, make sure you have a full spare tire on whatever car you buy. This is not standard either. The Highlander DOES have this.
Can you guys tell that I am pissed!?

And why can I not say Bird S**t on this web site. I had no idea that S**t was a REALLY bad word?
Is there a difference between poop, S**t, Manuer, feces, dodo, dung, droppings, Crap, drop a load, lay a pile, etc. I am amazed that someone actually wrote in the program to change Sh*t to ****. I can not stop laughing!!!! I guess I needed a good laugh, and again Team Camaro has delivered what I need. LOL!!!

I wrote this thinking that other "car guys" would be as pissed and surprised as me about the paint. I still can not believe it.

When I was at the dealer, they were trying to sell me something to protect the paint from Bird poop, but I did not know that I needed protecting.

A good coat of wax will accomplish the same thing.


And why can I not say Bird S**t on this web site. I had no idea that S**t was a REALLY bad word?


Personally, I think it is a lousy word and should not be used in a public forum. Guess the management thinks the same :) Why do we have to cuss anyway ?????

I agree Gov't Work Place Health and Safety intervention Laws have resulted in water based Urethane Paints that are needle to say crap compared to the old Iso-Cyanide Carthaginian Toxic based Epoxies like Imron and Epoxy Base coats. An Epoxied based paint will last for 20 years; whereas, these water based urethane's will literally fall of after 3 or 5 years. Shops can't even pass Gov't laws to use Vinyl Wash anymore.

The only way to get an Imron Paint job today is to do it yourself and accept the responsibility that you are endangering your health. I believe the day is coming that you will not even be able to buy Imron or oil based acrylic urethane enamels because of Gov't Health regulations.

Birds poop on my new chevy truck all the time and has set there for a few days and whashes right off and no danage at all. I think the dealer should fix it!

Well crap

Just bought a Chevy HHR for my wife a Christmas time, we have washed off alot of bird poop and have found no damage. I know Chevy will fix environmental damage to the paint for one year. I would check back at the dealer to see if they will fix it.

Careful on the dealer "fix"

Just curious...How long did the bird mess stay on the paint until it was washed off? Any estimate of time? If the sun is beating down on the steel, and the mess was able to sort of "bake" on, its tough for any coating to stand up to this. The acids in the stuff just eat through wax, then the clearcoat.

Just asking here, because thats what the dealer might ask. Toyotas are not exactly known for crummy paint quality- to the contrary- they do know how to paint a car.

If at all possible, it'd be best if the car was not repainted. See if they can gently sand the clear and buff the problem out first.

thats what you get for buying a toyota

Bob,
It was just overnight. It rained most of the night also.
Next day it was in the sun for a few hours.
I wold say it was on the car 10 hours.
It does mostly rub out. But leaves small bits of damage, that don't rub out. A few years will be very hard on the paint.
I will talk to dealer about it also.

thats what you get for buying a toyota
Friend of mine has a Saturn, not even a year old.
Bird crap tearing it up also. Got any other great suggestions??

It's funny i was just talking about toyotas with some other techs today, and apparently toyota has had to ramp up production on their trucks so much to keep up with the demand that their overall quality control has gone down the toilet. Not to mention their gas mileage isn't very good (for what you would expect from a toyota anyway). They also have a problem with the frames rusting out pretty bad after a few years. The one tech said one of their customers had a toyota and had a 5th wheel hitch installed, but found out with the trailer hooked up any time he would hit the brakes even lightly the whole frame would flex and bow. Apparently they aren't boxed like the domestic frames. As far as paint goes I don't care what brand you buy the paint jobs suck.

Gee whiz, golly gee, gosh durn, he said sh*t. Probably burn in h*ll for all eternity. Try typing in Google:"George Carlin 7 words" hit enter and right there for all to see is the list.
Sh*t, p@ss , f#ck, c+nt, c?cks^cker, motherf#cker, and t%ts. I woulda typed it all out but, wouldn't want to offend anybody that didn't know what they were.:rolleyes:

Just so you know the base is water based not the clear.

Friend of mine has a Saturn, not even a year old.
Bird crap tearing it up also. Got any other great suggestions??Quit feeding the birds acid. I would suggest changing their diet to lead!:D
Had same problem with the wifes Ford, used Meguiars cleaner then wax about three times a year seemed to end the issue

They also have a problem with the frames rusting out pretty bad after a few years. The one tech said one of their customers had a toyota and had a 5th wheel hitch installed, but found out with the trailer hooked up any time he would hit the brakes even lightly the whole frame would flex and bow. Apparently they aren't boxed like the domestic frames.

I'm shocked!! :clonk::clonk::beers::beers:

Has anyone else noticed how BAD the orange peel is on some of gm's newer darker cars?
My cousin bought a new black s.s. cobalt and for a some what pricey/rare car (compared to other models) I would expect the paint to be in good shape (better than most but not vette quality or anything) but my black 97' z/71 has waaay less orange peel. Not cool.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the responses.
But, I really am disappointed that I even have to think about this paint issue. Buying and owning a NEW car should be fun and exciting. Not a depressing and a pain in the A................
I wish I really new what to do.
The dealer has offered 2 options:
1 - buy their PROTECTOR paint option.
this does not set right with me. It would be like buying a roof and having to get a warranty that it won't leak.
2 - get the PROTECTOR paint option without paying for it, and NO Warranty.

I see that some of you are as surprised by this as I am.
I would like to know if more people are surprised by how bad this paint is. I also want to state that I don't know much about this problem.
Is it a black paint problem?
Is it a dark paint problem?
Is it a Toyota problem?
I know nothing about it. If ANYONE does know more about this problem, please tell us.

It's called new car syndrome. Give it a week and you will have forgot all about it. It won't stay perfect regardless. I be a good body guy buffs it out in 2 minutes flat. Take it as the first ding and move on.

Once upon a time I used to work at a company that made film vehicles and prototype cars for some major car manufacturers. Someone there once told me that bird droppings are very acidic. Plus they eat tiny stones to help in their digestion. So when cleaning this stuff off... never try to wipe it away... at best it will scratch the paint. At worse the acid will bond the droppings to the paint and will actually peel the paint right off. You need to neutralize it first. Soak the sucker with a mix of water and baking soda to neutralize it. Then after it becomes loose dab at it with a wet cloth or sponge until it starts to dissolve away. I tried this several time and it worked like a charm. Be aware that even though it might not rip the paint away, you still may have some pitting or marks left on the paint. Like someone said earlier... wax heavily and often.

All these post assume that all bird poo is equal. I say not so. The birds diet has a lot to do with the acid contained in it's poo. Take me for example, on a Wednesday afternoon my poo would not hurt a fly but on Saturday morning my poo can damage the porcelain. Look around some of your neighbors yards and see if there are any half full beer cans around. This could be causing your issue.
BTW if the cans are Old Milwaukee wax ain't going to help!

All these post assume that all bird poo is equal. I say not so. The birds diet has a lot to do with the acid contained in it's poo. Take me for example, on a Wednesday afternoon my poo would not hurt a fly but on Saturday morning my poo can damage the porcelain. Look around some of your neighbors yards and see if there are any half full beer cans around. This could be causing your issue.
BTW if the cans are Old Milwaukee wax ain't going to help!


LMAO!!!!!!
ROTF LMAO!!!!!

l:)

You are poopin' me, right? You got some nasty poop out your way. And that ain't no poop. Poop does happen though.

All these post assume that all bird poo is equal. I say not so. The birds diet has a lot to do with the acid contained in it's poo. Take me for example, on a Wednesday afternoon my poo would not hurt a fly but on Saturday morning my poo can damage the porcelain. Look around some of your neighbors yards and see if there are any half full beer cans around. This could be causing your issue.
BTW if the cans are Old Milwaukee wax ain't going to help!

That is hilarious man!!!!

The one tech said one of their customers had a toyota and had a 5th wheel hitch installed, but found out with the trailer hooked up any time he would hit the brakes even lightly the whole frame would flex and bow. Apparently they aren't boxed like the domestic frames.
Check out this video..
YouTube - Ford F150 vs Chevy vs Toyota - Bed Bounce

Birds poop on my new chevy truck all the time and has set there for a few days and whashes right off and no danage at all. I think the dealer should fix it!
What color??
I don't know if different colors are affected differently.
Mine is black, and for sure a problem.
I am sure wax will help, but not what i expected. Sucks!

Good Tip Dario.

Fred, maybe the spot on my car is part of your hand print. LOL !!!

It is not the feces (bird poo) that is acidic. It is actually almost neutral pH. Birds do not make urine like mammals, instead their kidneys make uric acid; a white paste that is excreted with the feces. So it is the white part of bird poo that is acidic. Sometimes there is a lot of white uric acid in what is excreted on you car and other times there will be little or none.
OK - probably more than you wanted to know about bird poo.

Can't the government or some bird rights group intervene and pass legislation that will define what a bird can and can not eat so as to protect our man made environment? If acidic foods are outlawed, then the birds will have to comply thereby solving this problem.

:D :D :D :D

alan

OK You Clowns, here is an update:
First of all I am meeting with Toyota later this week.
2nd, Took a trip to Missouri and a trip to Bloomington Illinois.
Bug Guts does the same thing. Is really messing up this paint on brand new car. I don't know, I would think about buying a Toyota. They may NOT have the paint thing figured out. Does anyone work for Toyota want to respond???
My Guess is NOT !!!!!

The car is NOT even a month old !!!

Ok, here is an update:
Don't really want to write one and for sure don't want the problem. But, that is the way things are today.

Toyota Dealership gave me several choices:
1) They would buy the car back.
2) Swap the car for one with similar options in a different color.
3) Or, Install the "Protector" Paint Protector at NO charge to me with the 7 year
warranty.

I picked the Protector. We will see if it haunts me in the future when NO one except me will care.

Been there, Its their funky clearcoat, I've had toyotas for years as daily drivers, and currently have a solara convert (wifes) and a Landcruiser, and the clearcoat on any of them will not tolerate bird poop or lovebugs. Toyota gives you a bottle of special wax when you buy one. At least my dealer does. I had 2 4runners before these, one black and one metallic green, both had stains from bugs and poop. The black 4runner had to have a hood repaint from love bugs. The paint otherwise holds up great and stays shiny for years, but if a bird flies over and leaves you a token, wash it off as quickly, otherwise the spot will be there for life.

Manufactuers paint formulations vary widely and even high end european cars such as BMW and Volvo have piant issues which ARE 100% water based.My wife's Volvo 2006 S40,which is Silver,the piant is horrible and requires constant waxing to bead water and I use the good urethane enriched wax.My 2001 Silverado's paint,which is white,looks brand new still with a once a year wax and it's sits outside all the time.I don't think it's based on Color whether light or dark or matalic or whatever or any kind of paint sealer or how often you wax.I believe the OEM are finding more ways to cut costs now and I think the hight of OEM paint quality peaked around 2003 or 2004.Just look around at any new car dealer of any brand and you will see what I mean with a very limited number of exceptions.

Im not sure if anyone mentioned this before but people have always complained about car paint. The paint on my dads 1990 ford truck literally fell off. He was supposed to take it in for a brand new imron paint job and never did. Oh well it was just a truck.