Bird droppings on carbon roof and spilled coffee!

[hondaaccordv6]

So I returned to my car after 4 days of sitting outdoors and found these two lovely stains linked below (another small one has developed now..) on my carbon fiber roof.

Probably caused by bird poop and being out in the sun for several days. I've tried claying and polishing, but no dice. Does anyone have any advice on how to fix this? I've been told to try wet sanding but the damage is into the clear coat.

Also, spilled coffee onto my center console and now one of the buttons is very sticky and often gets stuck when I press it. I've tried using electronics cleaner (zero effect) and seeped a bit of 91% isopropyl alcohol into the button (loosened it up temporarily, but overall no effect).

Would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to tackle these two.

View post on imgur.com

[dparm]

It's true that if the bird poop sat for a while and was baked in by the sun, it probably did etch the clearcoat a bit. I would take it to a professional detail shop to be fixed.

Have you ever considered getting a clear bra and/or ceramic coating for the roof?


As for the button, I would disassemble the console, pop the button out, and clean it thoroughly.

[hondaaccordv6]

Originally Posted by dparm

It's true that if the bird poop sat for a while and was baked in by the sun, it probably did etch the clearcoat a bit. I would take it to a professional detail shop to be fixed.

Have you ever considered getting a clear bra and/or ceramic coating for the roof?


As for the button, I would disassemble the console, pop the button out, and clean it thoroughly.

Solid advice as usual. Do you have any insight as to how to remove that?

[EnVe46]

My button was sticking when I got my E90 so I used some alcohol like you did but used a metal pick, like a dental pick, and gently cleaned around it and it's a ton better. As far as the roof goes you'll need a decent cut to get that out. Like wet sand would do it. Highly suggest some type of coating to protect that from happening though

[gfisher99]

That button is pretty easy to remove from the console, I'm pretty sure you don't even have to fully remove the console to get it out. Even if removing the whole console, its literally a 5 minute job to get it completely off.

1. Pull the shift boot towards the back of the car at the front and pull up. This will pop the shift boot up. Good to know how to do this if you ever need to be towed with a dead car since the parking position release is in there.

2. Open the console armrest and use a platic trim pry tool to separate the console top from the rest of the console. From here, you can either use the trim pry tool around the edges or just use your fingers to pull it up all the way around.

3. Once the piece is loosened up, you can move the shift boot to an angle to which it will go thru the console opening, then there are a few plugs (iDrive, DCT, EDC/Power/DSC panel) to unplug. Don't worry about which goes where, they are all different so you cant mix them up.

4. Once the console is free, flip it over and the DCT button comes out very easily with two clips that you pry outwards.

5. Clean up the hole where that switch goes and you should be good to go. Also check that the switch operates fine when outside the hole. If it's sticky too, try to clean it or determine if it needs to be replaced.

It took me longer to type this than it takes to remove it. I've done it several times.

Hope this helps.

[dparm]

Hard to say if wet sanding is necessary. If you can't get it out by hand with something like swirl/scratch remover, I think the pros will want to take a shot with polishing compound on a buffer -- wet sanding will be the last resort.

If you don't want to spring for a ceramic coating or clear wrap, you should try to keep it waxed/sealed at the very least. It will provide a barrier and slow down any sort of contamination.

[hondaaccordv6]

Really appreciate everyones advice.

Out of curiosity - will the stained/etched areas spread assuming I leave the area as is? I will definitely wax/seal the roof at the very least.

[hondaaccordv6]

Originally Posted by gfisher99

That button is pretty easy to remove from the console, I'm pretty sure you don't even have to fully remove the console to get it out. Even if removing the whole console, its literally a 5 minute job to get it completely off.

1. Pull the shift boot towards the back of the car at the front and pull up. This will pop the shift boot up. Good to know how to do this if you ever need to be towed with a dead car since the parking position release is in there.

2. Open the console armrest and use a platic trim pry tool to separate the console top from the rest of the console. From here, you can either use the trim pry tool around the edges or just use your fingers to pull it up all the way around.

3. Once the piece is loosened up, you can move the shift boot to an angle to which it will go thru the console opening, then there are a few plugs (iDrive, DCT, EDC/Power/DSC panel) to unplug. Don't worry about which goes where, they are all different so you cant mix them up.

4. Once the console is free, flip it over and the DCT button comes out very easily with two clips that you pry outwards.

5. Clean up the hole where that switch goes and you should be good to go. Also check that the switch operates fine when outside the hole. If it's sticky too, try to clean it or determine if it needs to be replaced.

It took me longer to type this than it takes to remove it. I've done it several times.

Hope this helps.

I'll give this a shot once I get the proper tools. Thank you!

[hondaaccordv6]

Originally Posted by EnVe46

My button was sticking when I got my E90 so I used some alcohol like you did but used a metal pick, like a dental pick, and gently cleaned around it and it's a ton better. As far as the roof goes you'll need a decent cut to get that out. Like wet sand would do it. Highly suggest some type of coating to protect that from happening though

I used a fine tipped paint brush but no luck haha. Regarding the roof - will the damage spread if I leave the area exposed? (I plan to wax/seal)

[gfisher99]

Originally Posted by zerohedge

I used a fine tipped paint brush but no luck haha. Regarding the roof - will the damage spread if I leave the area exposed? (I plan to wax/seal)

In my experience, the etchings do not change after the damage is done and the cause of the etch is removed.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by zerohedge

Really appreciate everyones advice.

Out of curiosity - will the stained/etched areas spread assuming I leave the area as is? I will definitely wax/seal the roof at the very least.

No, they won't spread, assuming you removed everything -- which you probably did by using any sort of chemical.