It Wasn't Bird Poop!

[Seeker <rfg@xxxxxxx>]

    Since several folks answered with a variety of suggestions when, earlier
this year, I discovered some mysterious substance on the hood and top of my
'96 328i, I feel obliged to report back on what the outcome was on that
problem.

    One respondent suggested that, as I was parking the car in my driveway
under a Sycamore tree, that an insect known to be infecting (?) Sycamore
trees this season might have been eating the leaves and pooping on the car.

    I tried all suggestions for removing this stuff and none worked.  The
stuff just wouldn't budge.  So I took it to a detailer in Rockville, MD,
suggested by a fellow BMW owner.

    First one guy came out and looked at the car.  He tried a clay bar:  no
luck.  Then he tried some solvent:  again, no luck.  So he called out the
owner.  After a thorough inspection came those words you never want to hear
when they are talking about _your_ car, _your_ health, _your_ whatever:
"We've never seen anything like this before!".  Oh, great.

    "Leave it with us.  We'll try some things and we'll call you with our
best estimate of what we should do."

    Call came several hours later.  They felt that they would need to wet
sand it, then compound it, then polish it, then wax and buff it.  They did
all these and it cost me $180 bucks and while it does look better, it does
_not_ look like it did before the problem.

    In some places you can still see pits in the clear coat and in other you
can see many little pin heads of discoloration.  The owner explained that it
was _not_ bird poop or anything organic.  He feels that I got  behind  some
vehicle that was splashing or dripping some sort of acidic chemical and that
it just ate right into the clear coat and paint of the .  He said if they
wet sanded any further, they would have gone right through the clear coat so
they had to stop where they did.

    The only way I can get rid of it is to have the offending parts sanded
and painted, for which they estimated I would have to pay in the vicinity of
$1,200.

    Anyone have any idea if a good insurance company would cover damage like
this?  I have USAA and have only made one claim in almost twenty years - for
hail damage during a trip to Nebraska.

    Cheers to all,
    Seeker

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