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<E36> Paint Problem



Fellow Digesters:

	I somehow got bounced off the Digest right after posting this letter, so I
never got to see any of the informative, witty, or downright nasty
responses.  Despite the LOA (lack of acronyms), this is a significant issue
to me:
	I recently bought a '97 328i sedan in Montreal Blue (dark blue).  Every
time a bird goes on the car, it leaves a stain.  I wax the car regularly
and wash it every week (or as soon as I see that a bird decided Montreal
Blue looked like a good spot to squat).  I spoke to BMW-NA who informed me
that I could see if my insurance covers it, but they sure don't.  When I
brought the car back to Motor Werks in Barrington, IL, they kindly buffed
out one of the stains.  They also advised me that the only way to protect
the paint is to get one of their $700 paint and interior protection
packages.  They say that since all car manufacturers went to water based
paint in the early 90's, none of the finishes can withstand the rigors of
bird poop.  I called back BMW and they basically reiterated their prior
"it's not our problem" story line.
	My questions are as follows: 1) How do I get these stains out of the
paint?  I tried HD Cleanse and Zymol wax with no luck.  2) Do others find
that this color in particular or BMW's in general are unable to withstand
such ordinary abuse as bird droppings?  3) Is it really worth getting a BMW
dealer paint sealer for $400-$700?  This is my first BMW and while I love
the way the car drives, the paint seems to be just slightly below what I
would expect from a Yugo.
	Thanks for any help you can offer.

Donn York
'97 328i sedan (slush box)
'93 Camry (just for fun)
'89 911 Carrera

PCA (5 years)
BMW CCA (new member)

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