Stupid and expensive mistakes - feeling like crap tonight

[forgodssakes]

A bird shit on the bonnet of my car a few weeks ago in the work car park, I then took ill and I have been off sick from work and I have had various other personal stuff going on and I just didn’t get round to taking it to the car wash until today. I got home and I have realised it has eaten away at the paint, took it the local body shop and it needs a full bonnet respray at £500+. It’s a lease car and goes back in 2 months so I have no choice but to fix it but I feel like such an idiot. Someone please tell me your stupid and expensive mistakes and make me feel a tiny bit better.

I really can’t afford it either, I feel like shit is falling on me from a great height at the moment (literally!)

How does one dollop of bird shit equate to your entire bonnet needing a paint job?! I think you should get a second opinion!

Probably from a seagull - their poos seem to be closely related to the blood in Alien, in terms to the damage it can do to paintwork.

Can you post a photo, OP? I cannot see how this would cause such a big fix to be needed.

I find it very hard to believe it needs a complete respect. How big is the area?

Smart repairs are quick, easy and relatively cost effective. Somewhere like chips away can help if true size is small enough.

Also, if it’s a lease car through work there will be an excess presumably lower than that. If it’s through your own PCP scheme then put it through insurance which again will have a much lower excess surely.

Please try these first.

Apparently it’s eaten into the paintwork

Car polish from Halfords would sort that out!

This.

Unless the pigeon was shitting sulphuric acid someone is trying to have one over on you. I’ve driven nice cars for 15 years and never, ever had bird poop damage a car like this.

No chance do you need a new bonnet re-spray.

Get a 2nd opinion. Those look very superficial (as in, they haven’t penetrated layer upon layer of paintwork), so should be buffed up easily.

I think you’ll be looking at about £60-80 to get that done.

ETA - you could even try over the counter stuff. I’m quite sure if you go to the likes of Halfords, the guy will come out and look at it then recommend a product that might help.

I’ve sent the pictures to a couple of other bodywork specialists and they’ve all said the same so I don’t know what to do .

Could you pay seagulls to shit on the rest of your car so it matches? I'm not sure how much they'd charge but surely less than £500. Or just cover your car with bread and fish and chips and let them do their worst.

Try a bit of t cut might shift it

Seems a bit crazy. Surely a respray isn't needed every time a car is hit by a bird dollop.

I agree with above - rub it with T Cut!!

Do the ts&cs of the lease car really hold you responsible for acid bird shit? Have you checked?

It might be worth trying a car detailer first. Mine gives good advice about paintwork and is experienced in using things like wet sanders and machine buffers that might be able to get a better finish. If you’re looking at a respray, you’ve nothing to lose and if it doesn’t get your car good enough to hand back, you’ve got that as a plan b

I have to park under trees. If this is an issue with lease cars it certainly means I'll never be getting one! But, I'd try something like Chips away or t-cut first. Otherwise, why not just see what happens when you return it?

If a little Halfords trip doesn’t sort it, maybe just return the car dirty and hope they don’t notice?

Try a local independent garage rather than a specific bodywork person.

@forgodssakes I’ll make you feel better with my stupid mistake. We hired a van to move stuff from our flat to house to save costs.

I ended up reversing into a post which I didn’t see in the rear mirror.

Ended up costing a fortune to fix, would have been cheaper to hire a removals company.

To cheer us up, I got us wine and chips, handed the bags to my husband thinking he could see there were bottles in the bag and would carefully put them down but no he threw them on the floor!

I heard them smash but that wasn’t the end somehow we were left with a hole in the floor tile from where he dropped the bottles xx

Why would you go to a bodywork specialist? Their entire business is resoraying.
Go somewhere that specialises in cheap fixes like a chip repair place or a nice local garage

You can get identical coloured undercoat, paint and finish for the car on the internet for £50. Just Google it. I dinged my wing 2 days after I got my car and was so embarrassed I went for it and it's perfect.

@forgodssakes we did the same with the car bonnet, bird shit on it at the seaside, didn’t get it cleaned off soon enough and also needed a bonnet respray.

I was once convinced the reverse sensors were lying, reversed into a bollard and needed a whole new rear light (about £200).

We’ve lost not one but two car keys that cost a couple of hundred each time to re-programme.

I’m sure I’ll think of more soon as well.

I spent £25 on a small bag of lychees today from a greengrocers - and didn't have the confidence to say WTF no when the cashier weighed and rang up the price. I know it's nothing compared to £500... But how about

Was dumb enough to panic buy our house two years ago (not the right location) and now we're trying to buy a place closer to where we need to be.

Surely if you’re leasing a car things like birds pooing on it come under normal wear and tear? It’s not like it’s been damaged it’s just been… outside.