DIY: Wet-Sand Bird Poo Stain from Black Paint

I show how to remove a burn in the paint. A bird took a poo and it landed on the car and left a burn in the paint after it sat in the sun. So by following these steps outlined in this video, you can do the same to your car.
DO NOT GO RIGHT TO WET SANDING. If you have an imperfection in the paint, start off with the light polish, and then move to more aggressive tactics if that method does not work.
So if you want to remove a burn like this, start off with the following.
1. Light polish, sealant (if that works, then wet sanding would have been too aggressive)
2. Heavier polish, light polish, then sealant.
If those two methods didn't work, go continue.
3. Wet sand, heavy polish, light polish, then sealant.
It is important to attempt these detailing procedures in this way as going too aggressive too soon will simply go right through your clear coat for no reason.
To pick up any of the products I used in this video, you can click on the follow links:
3M 3000 Grit sandpaper ► amzn.to/2kRAbED
Dewalt Rotary Polisher ► amzn.to/2kkI6qU
Rupes LHR15ES ► amzn.to/2lmzbFq
Rupes LHR75E ► amzn.to/2k1sW90
Meguiars M105 ► amzn.to/2lmzkbW
Orange Cutting Pad ► amzn.to/2kqdjLO
Meguiars M205 ► amzn.to/2kqlYOh
White Finishing Pad ► amzn.to/2kqfoap
If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below.

[@allent1034]

Great job, thank you. I would just add to follow that up with a wax. Remember polish is an abrasive like very fine sandpaper. It removes the protective finish off the paint. You need to put the wax or other sealer back on that you have taken off through this process. Also this can all be done by hand but its just harder and longer and depending on your skill, it may not look as good.

[@SmashAtoms]

I just noticed a few stains in my paint the other day, and thought I was royally boned. This video saved me a trip to the dealership. Thanks, dude!

[@Mr.J2U]

For anybody with bird poop etched into the clear coat to where it's smooth to the touch, but still much visible cloudiness... If you have not first attempted to rub it out with some compound, definitely try that first. I had two really bad etches from the dealership I bought it from leaving huge bird bombs on the car in the sun for literally weeks before washing it off... wtf! Anyway, I tried using a heat gun to no avail. I figured I had to wet sand and was so nervous to intentionally scratch up my brand new (to me) ride. I had some Meg's (abbreviated to prove I'm not shilling) compound so tried that first. To my pleasant surprise, it took it right off! No wet sanding necessary! Wooooot! Good luck! If he compound doesn't work for you, you'll prolly have to wet sand, so thanks for the info in this video... I learned for next time!

[@MRhessen]

Thanks a lot for the advice definitely, I will try it👍

[@stealth5508]

Hi! I am in the same boat as you were. There were 2 moderate sized bird bombs which left etchings on my car's hood just within a day under the sun. First tried with a locally made compound (waxpol) which seemed to actually work. One of the etchings was mild and was almost gone. The other one was more severe and was reduced about 80%. However after a hot day under the sun, both the etchings managed to come back similar to before using the compound. Tried heatgun method but never worked for either. So did using Meg's compound actually remove the bird poop etchings permanently even after your car being under a hot sun? Please let me know. Thanks!

[@wfangnxd117]

sub'd love how you don't use crazy expensive products and you're brief to the point. Looking forward to watching more. Thanks man

[@obieezx11]

NEVER EVER USE YOUR FINGERS ON CAR PAINT IT WILL MAKE THE SURFACE UN EVEN AND YOU WILL BE ABEL TO SEE IT ALSO NEVER EVER SAND IN A CIRCULAR MOTION IT WILL LEAVE SWIRL MARKS IN YOUR PAINT SAND IN A CROSS FORMATION I HATE IT WHEN PPL LIKE THIS GUY SHOWS PPL THINGS AND THEY END UP DAMAGING THERE PAINT

[@milanmastracci]

Did you not see the end result? I was able to completely and safety get rid of the paint burn by hand. As long as you don't push hard and you apply even pressure, you shouldn't have a problem. Now I know that professional colour sanding requires you to either have a foam interface between the sand paper and your hand (or a foam disc on a D/A machine) so you don't get uneven sanding marks when doing this.

[@obieezx11]

milanmastracci yes but you only showed about 2 feet of it if you got down the back and looked up the roof line you would see the ripples

[@milanmastracci]

You make it sound like i'm using 40 grit sand paper. I was using 2000 grit and it remove less than 0.1 millimetre of paint. It is unnoticeable. If I did an entire panel like that, it might be noticeable however the area is too small

[@21April853BC]

milanmastracci Hey, I realize you are a DIY guy and maybe you don't do this for a living. You're brother could have paid someone lots of money at a body shop or a detail shop. I think you did an excellent job.

[@milanmastracci]

9th Roman Legion Thanks man I appreciate it!! And yeah I saved him a lot of money for sure

[@joseluisruiz3789]

I'm experiencing that right now, I park my car under a tree in my driveway as I don't have a garage or a car tent and I have this annoying pack of Green Parrots that like to sit on my car. There are times when I can catch it right away and wipe it away and there are times where I won't be able to. Unfortunately I also have several poo burns on my clear coat on my silver car. I want to trade it in in about 2 years and want to get this stuff off. I bought a car cover to prevent further damage but not even clay barring it worked. I will try this and hope for the best. Thanks man, I am now subbed.

[@stateboy80892]

Just recently went on a road trip and neglected to clean of some dropping on my back bumper and a few spots on the hood... And now after sitting in 90 degree temps for over a week, the droppings have left imperfections in the paint = (.... I really want to diy this but too afraid I might mess the paint up lol especially because I'm still paying off the car!

[@milanmastracci]

+David Estacio Well just take it easy and don't push too hard on the paint. It is a fairly simple process. Put some time aside and don't rush it because that is when you make mistakes.

[@PsyMongSki]

I love how much pain it is for you when saying poop hehe.

[@Tdkboot72]

wet & dry with 1500 to start then finish of with 2000, buff up or hand polish with some 3m fast cut or g3. finally use g10 & job done. You do not need a machine polish as long as you go around in swirls when hand polishing. You may not get a 100% result as the acid may be very deep. If you see paint on your cloth then you have gone through the clear & you will need to repaint.

[@AJ-nl8bg]

Good job but one thing I should comment is that whenever you are sanding the paint do it in straight lines. That way you avoid possible so called pig-tails when a speck of dust or dirt can get on your sand paper and possibly rub against the paint leaving behind pig tail like scratches.

[@Ctssss]

Thanks man, i have a similair poop in that paint. I never will leave poop anymore on my car shit birds. It was hot a few days and forgot to remove the poop bird. I will get this done. Thank you

[@Jonathan-pr1wo]

I was going to do the wet sanding method but then I was able to remove it with just polish and a orbital polisher

[@mattearle8937]

These are pro solutions and good ones at that...... however it was a long weekend, a massive amount of Bird crap landed on my car and I did not want to let it sit for days or a week feeling it may do further damage. I had a white car. (Not sure what the outcome would be for a dark paint car?). The chunky part of the poop I got off. Not issue there. What was left was light green stains literally that looking like ink or something. I tried soap and water and a sponge. No change. I tried Turtle wax and some buffing. Did not help at all. I tried Baking soda and water. Did not do anything. I tried Baking soda and vinegar. Nothing. I tried Goo B Gone. No change... no effect. NOTE I chose a small bird poo stain for all these down near the side front fender in the most inconspicuous spot to test all these. In case any of them left some damage or abrasive marks in the paint. I recommend the same. If the situation allows for that. Finally what worked? A mixture paste of Oxy Clean Powder mixed plain hot water. Not so hot that it burns your fingers. I mixed it to a wet version of a paste. I tried applying and rubbing the stains using make Up Remover pads (those white round ones).... I tried a cloth.... it seemed the best way to do it was using my plain old fingers. I would apply a dollop and simply firm but a gentle firm.... rub it with my thumb or fingertips around and over each poo splatter. The more you kept rubbing the fainter and fainter the stain got. It does take some elbow grease and time. It took me around 45 to 55 minutes to do around 35 - 40 splatters ranging from the size of a dime to the size of a pea. But they all came out. Every now and then I would mist the whole area with water. You do not want the paste dry or chunky.... nor too thin.... a little wetter than toothpaste consistency. After I rinsed and rubbed everything with a soft towel and you could see some of the areas where I rubbed with the oxyclean but I am sure a going over with a good car wax with hint of rubbing compound would even out the small few areas I could see a bit of a difference in shine. Would I recommend this for anyone with a prestige car or Hot rod or show car? maybe not? But your everyday homeowner with a run of the mill regular car, SUV or whatever should find this to do the job. Again it is not the work of a pro like this author here but it worked enough for my liking on our white Honda Accord. Hope this helps. Note get bird poop off a car as fast as possible. Every day or hour your leave it lets the high acid content in Birds poop permeate the clear coat and even into the paint if left long enough. Cheers

[@billvela8646]

Thx for this! So frustrating on black paint. Birds love black cars.

[@jx8959]

hi may i know does manual polish does the same thing?

[@amiralihedayati3625]

No it doesn't.... I've tried to fix it out by just simply using Turtle polish-wax,but unfortunately it didn't work properly.

[@jamescullinan6415]

Thank you for your videos, my car looks fucking perfect now!!! I literally couldnt find a guide for this anywhere

[@deadlymoonlight]

Is it permanent?

[@k.j.g.9601]

Nice work. Thanks for posting this

[@alexe_7118]

What grit did you use for the sandpaper?

[@TRiBaL1981]

was the fix permanent or did it show up again after a while?

[@Mr.J2U]

It's permanent

[@jamjamjam41689]

I don't know why he was sanding in a circular motion... This is not the proper way to wet sand since it can be harder to remove circular sand marks then linear.

[@milanmastracci]

+samuel Song Did you not see the final results. It doesn't make a big difference if you are sanding in circular motions or straight. Does a Dual Action Polisher get rid of scratches by linear motion? No, it is circular, yet it removes all scratches with ease.

[@jamjamjam41689]

+milanmastracci doesn't make a difference in that particular scratch but it's good to wetsand in a linear uniform motion. You don't see top professionals wetsand in a circular motion. That is a bad habit we as Profesional detailers view as.

[@jcordero18]

This looks awesome. I am scared to do this on my Equinox. I need to buy a good buffer, but not sure if Dewalt is what I should get. Where did you get the pads from? Can I try Meguiars M105 first before wet sanding? I have never done this.

[@milanmastracci]

Jose Cordero Yeah you sure can! You should go M205 and see if that removes the scratches. If that doesn't work, use the M105 and then the M205. If that doesn't work, start wet sanding and then use M105 and then M205. Always work from least to most aggressive.

[@GrimmOutlook626]

Can this be done without a sander/buffer? I don't have any of these tools, so was considering doing the whole process free hand.

[@mathews5545]

A few things, I'm worried I might scratch the paint, even if I do use very little force, it that possible? Also what kind of polisher did you use, I've been trying to buy one but can't figure out which one to use...

[@milanmastracci]

+Mathew Sed31 Well that is essentially what we are doing. We have to 'scratch' off a small layer of clear coat to remove the imperfection so when we polish it, it will look new again. As for the polisher, a dual action polisher is by far the best kind of paint correcting device as it will not leave holograms. At the time of this video, I did not have a dual action polisher however if I had one, I would have used it in this video for sure! I have a Rupes LHR15ES for reference

[@amutsam]

nice finish, i would of dried rubbing compound.... little story i was buying a 2nd hand STi so i asked the owner to wash the car and not put any waxes on it so when i got there like 40% of the car was in matte finish.

[@grancanariacarcare4909]

Thanks was looking for different options to remove these. Great Job !

[@stealth5508]

Hello! Thanks for the video. Can we also use 2500 grit sandpaper?

[@legioner9]

Yes. Legitstreetcars even used 1000 grit on his last BMW 540i video. But on the Alpina B7 he used 2000 grit, so 2500 should be just fine, but you have to sand a bit more as it is less harsh.

[@fastforu2]

thanks for such a easy explanation you went right to work. props man thanks!

[@TIMHOFFER]

you just saved my ass. I left my Evo parked under a tree for three weeks and the birds had a field day on my hood. I thought I would need a paint job but your video made is all go away. one thing you didn't mention was what grit of sandpaper. I brought 2000 grit. not sure if that's what you used but thanks man.

[@milanmastracci]

+Timothy Hoffer Yeah I used 2000 grit sandpaper :) Forgot to mention in the video. Glad it worked for you

[@MrDutch1e]

Just heat it or literally just leave it in the sun on a crazy hot sunny day like 30°C or more and it'll come out by itself. Have had some terrible ones on my black trucks and just clean it off and a few days in the hot summer weather and theyre completely gone. Without removing clear coat.

[@AsadKhokan]

hi which send paper i can use ? is there any number ? thank u

[@pogiewogie]

omg. what sorcery is this! worked a treat. thanks so much dude! !

[@milanmastracci]

+pogiewogie Cheers buddy!! :) Glad it worked

[@mariamarr7278]

I'm taking my black Z4 to get detailed. I'll see if he knows this procedure. If not, I'll have to take it to someone else. Thanks for enlightening me!

[@milanmastracci]

Maria Angle Not a problem!! :) Hope this helps you out! Don't be shy to ask any questions should you have any

[@MasteringHow-To]

You need to be careful when taking your car to be detailed. Especially black. Most people leave holograms and buff marks. I own a car wash and have been detailing since I was 15. Just ask questions and please be careful.

[@debbie6125]

You're Talented

[@AceITH007]

Brilliant video. Thanks and keep them coming, great job.

[@betomeza3]

My question is..does this come out again after washing my car ?? Lol

[@zakithalib2504]

@@betomeza3 I think it would after couple of week of washing your car co the wax will be gone

[@xardiannon5038]

Superb work.

[@huberft]

I liked your method. Think I am chicken to try that on my Black Honda Del Sol. Thanks.

[@milanmastracci]

hubert townsend LOL if you are careful you can get it done no problem without damaging anything

[@huberft]

Thanks Dude!

[@kazifaiz]

Is the sandpaper used p3000 or just 3000 grit?

[@PLMclovin]

Hi! Nice work! What grit sand paper did you use? I have a similar problem:/

[@sergiomunoz9874]

He probably used a 2000 grit

[@lucanf1683]

Back and forth, side to side when wet sanding by hand is what it was taught

[@luisjr1091]

Very simple yet to the point video. I assume you can do this for tree sap damage as well?? My damage looks the same as bird poo and etched into the clear coat. Thanks in advance

[@milanmastracci]

+Luis Garcia Jr. Yup you can do the exact same process and it will bring it to like new conditions :)

[@roycemarktiauzon3169]

can this work with bird poop with burns + little crack looking damage

[@ritchief4152]

nice. same problem as mine. may i know the tools/equipment u used like grit of sand paper and the pads.

[@ALEZANDAR]

Doesn't that method harm the clearcoat!?

[@AyzaG2002]

Hi, What number of Sandpaper you were using? 1500 - 2000 - 3000

[@Cirinoes]

Nice job 👍🏻

[@ThePrettyboiJones]

Good video! Also instead of sand paper, could the clay block from chemical guys work ?

[@milanmastracci]

The clay block will only remove dirt that is on top of the layer of clear coat. The damage that happened was the top layer of clearcoat, not on top of that. You can use the block to remove the bird poop if it hasn't been wiped off.

[@jasonshalt3925]

Nice job!

[@milanmastracci]

+Jason K Thanks buddy!

[@patyperez1970]

❤️gonna try it on mine thanks!!

[@m3baller675]

I've been looking into getting a rotary buffer to replace my porter cable 7424 orbital. What RPM do you have the Dewalt set at?

[@milanmastracci]

+M3Baller I think it was around 1400

[@Luislopez-yh5bx]

Awesome job thanks!

[@rocker19943]

how the sandpaper didnt scratches out the paint? or how did polishing restored the paint? om confused:(

[@User83411stwr]

I’m assuming all birds hate mini coopers because they damaged my car too 😂😩

[@jayAsparks]

🤣 this has just happened to my mini cooper in 3 places 😴

[@aaroncervantesflores5592]

Is there a case were you would use a compound first and then polish? or its unnecessary

[@StuartOliver83]

Nice job mate

[@Venger25]

Legend thanks for this

[@ukasz3375]

VERY GOOD JOB :)

[@gordonsteen5560]

What guage sandpaper were youu using

[@mishakmusic]

What kind of water bottle spray is that?

[@thatandyrose]

Hey man, great video. Same thing happened to my black car but damage looks much worse, like it's gone through the paint? How do I know sanding/polishing will be enough and/or the damage is deeper? Worth trying this technique or might make things worse? 🤔

[@legioner9]

How did you solve the problem?

[@kellyguerrero118]

Can you just wet sand with 2000 grit sanding block?

[@aaronjohnson494]

take it oot

[@mayhemofdarknessvideos2281]

Great job 👌

[@Danimator10000]

Can you please do it for me? 🥴

[@cleigh951]

Hi Milan! Thanks for all of your videos ! if I send you a picture of a very small spot on the hood of my daughter’s car , can you tell me what you think caused it and what I might be able to fix it? How may I contact you? I just bought her a 2014 Mercedes ML4Matic in lunar blue and there is a small circular paint Discoloration on the hood that is really bugging me it’s not that noticeable but I want to be sure that it’s not something that’s going to keep happening like bird poop or something I’m not sure what it is! Thanks

[@Mr.J2U]

Lol, that's literally the purpose of this video... Anyway, I'm sure you've already figured this out, bit try to use some compound and simply buff it out by hand. There's all sorts of liquid compounds with varying levels of abrasive material. Afterward be sure to polish the car to get your gloss back.

[@miguelena40]

Amazing my friend!!!! but dummy question for you, I try exactly the same before and yes after you done looks clean but after a few days the stupid pop spot come back do you know some secret for that or just have to go deeper with the sand paper ?

[@mrrobvs]

Same thing happened to me!!! Looking for answer. I think it means you used a polish or compound that contained waxes or fillers and it just hid the problem. Also, heat makes it disappear and reappear, so that might contribute. Looking for permanent solution too.

[@buckhaa1502]

Can this be done without the power tool?

[@Ms09Maria]

When that compound wears off. And the shine comes off. would you be able to tell where you wet sanded it.

[@milanmastracci]

+Maria Lopez Polishing paint doesn't work like that, only waxing does. So when you polish a car, you remove the imperfections in the paint PERMANENTLY. So overtime, that scratch or imperfection that you fixed, will not come back. When you wax a car, you hide the imperfections in the paint for a few weeks if anything. So overtime, that scratch or imperfection that you fixed, will come back and you'll be back to square one.

[@cw7746]

great video however I have one question. I cleaned the bird poop off and ofcourse the residue remains. would this residue continue damaging my paint?

[@Chaogary]

Awesome video - so in this video you used 105 then 205? Thx!

[@jamesboydriver]

what grit size sandpaper did you use? Really cool video man! I fear that if I do it myself I'll make a right pigs ear of it lol the bird stain on my car is on a small piece of plastic body panel between my bonnet and front grill.. does this same method apply to plastic? any advice is much appreciated!

[@milanmastracci]

+James Driver I used 2000 grit sandpaper. You always want to go with the least aggressive method first. If that doesn't work, THEN you move to something more aggressive. If you are worried about ruining that plastic piece, tape it off so you don't have the chance of damaging it. It depends what you mean for the plastic. Is it painted or just raw plastic? Cheers :)

[@jamesboydriver]

Should have been more specific lol its painted plastic, same as the rest of the car. Its a 2014 mazda 3. Just happens that the bit that got shit on is plastic not metal lol between the bonnet and the front grill theres about a 3 inch wide piece of plastic bumper. Thanks for the info btw

[@Zenith-ph7eb]

what if i don’t own a $185 polisher?

[@TheBioAbyssal]

I don’t know what bird crapped on my car but it ate the paint. I mean down to base. Mind you, my car is a 17 Pacifica and is very well maintained.

[@thefunyunconnoisseur2995]

The Simple Cyclist your first problem was trusting Chrysler’s quality

[@dmcannon99]

@@thefunyunconnoisseur2995 Chrysler's quality, especially on the Pacifica, is fine. Do you think they use water colors on them? If you don't like Chryslers that's fine - don't buy one...but don't be obtuse.

[@richard76rama]

I have several bird poop like this in my hood.. I have no electric polisher... will hand polishing do the job?

[@allent1034]

Yes, I did several stains by hand. It is harder work but looks great.

[@Daniel-jo4he]

Problem with this video and others is that this is not ‘simple’. How many people actually have a machine like this

[@alfredosalgado5513]

Good video but this video is no good to people if you don’t tell us what grit sandpaper you using and as well as polishing it :/

[@marchguitar331]

I have a picture of a scratch on my car that I wanted to see if I would use this same method to clean off. Is there any way to show that to you.

[@milanmastracci]

+mathews331 Send me an email at [e-mail]

[@JT-qd6uc]

I want to like the video but you never even said what grit sand paper was used -_-

[@abdullahbablgith5725]

Wow thank you so much

[@milanmastracci]

***** No problem buddy!! :)

[@raymondromero1602]

What kinda polisher? And polish?

[@LuckeeManiac]

What about removing it from the back plastic/headlight of a 16 GT Mustang? I tried everything. Its on the headlight and black plastic. Please help.

[@milanmastracci]

+LuckeeManiac If you could send me a picture of the damage I can give you a good idea as to how I would tackle it. [e-mail]

[@raymondromero1602]

How do you know when to stop sanding ?

[@Quangcurry13524]

What grit

[@autoshinemobiledetailing7060]

Your technique is completely incorrect. You should have a backing pad behind the sand paper to even out the pressure.any way.

[@iancompton5646]

Great video just wanted to say using your fingers to wet sand is a bad idea

[@001spring]

Why not use magic erase?

[@aldonious0229]

After doing this, will the work wash out and have to be re applied?

[@Mr.J2U]

Like, does the etch come back over time? No... This process literally removes the layer of the clear coat that was damaged. The layer of clear coat is gone forever, so it's a permanent fix You will need to re-wax than section of the car, especially since it has less clear coat to protect it, but you will need to re-wax the entire car periodically to keep the paint in decent condition, so it's kinda all the same.

[@atoxicscorpio1261]

What grit did you use?

[@andrewarmstrong4710]

What grade of wet sand paper did you use. ?

[@Wildstyle_aus]

Will this work on an older car? '98 to be exact. There's a stain on the hood that's been bugging me for a year now

[@milanmastracci]

+Wildstyle96 Yes it will work the same way

[@elvero666]

+Wildstyle96 oh no not 98.. 97 oder 99 would have been just perfect but 98 was a bad year for car paint .. sorry :(

[@everydayinterviews615]

What tool is that?

[@maribelarellano1275]

I need help I’m not Abel to remove it need help, do you guys know if anyone

[@PsyMongSki]

a heavy cutting polish would be a better way the sandpaper is way way way too much overkill dude

[@thealex742]

Cool video where did you buy that water sprayer from thanks?

[@milanmastracci]

I bought it from BuckOrTwo. I paid 2 bucks for it but if you can't find it, try amazon.

[@tomertzur4851]

if i have bird poop burn stain which dont come off on my car it means the clear coat on that spot is completly gone?

[@milanmastracci]

+Tomer Tzur What do you mean they won't come off? You still should be able to sand it with 2000 grit sandpaper to get rid of the scratch, and then polish it.

[@ze1snowboarder]

If the bird poop sits their long enough it eats through the clear and into the paint. Which then the only way to get rid of it completley is to re paint the panel. Their is another option right in between which will make it allot less visible is to re-clear the panel.

[@toddpratt7222]

ze1snowboarder lo

[@deadlyhydra]

I need to sand it off?

[@suavebola06]

no polish or wax???

[@solefreak2]

Dude, where did you get water bottle from? And what are they called?

[@milanmastracci]

+shah2323 Mine was 2 bucks from my local Dollar Store, however you can pick them up online. www.amazon.com/CoreGear-Misters-Personal-Mister-Bottle/dp/B007SNX7ES/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443023332&sr=8-1&keywords=water+mister

[@cnknguyen]

should never rub a dry cloth on the paint after a polish

[@sensationalC]

What grit sand paper did u use?

[@HeshamElshipli]

Can I use 3M 3000 Grit Foam Finishing Sandpaper Sheet ?

[@DavesGenny]

Yes, same thing. But follow up with compound. Then polish.