Ford is working on a car paint that can protect your vehicle from bird poop

If you park your car in the open in India, the odds are that you will do it under some tree to keep your away from direct sunlight. But this tactic comes with its own set of problem: bird droppings.

To find your car covered in bird poop is an annoying experience. Sometimes cleaning the car off bird droppings becomes a hassle too. The uric acid in bird poop can cause damage to the paint, especially if left on there for any length of time.

Ford Motor is reportedly working on a new paint for its vehicles that can protect cars from bird droppings. Using artificial bird poop – that can replicate the acidity of poop from different birds around Europe – Ford’s paint engineers are trying to ensure the protective coatings on its vehicles can withstand any amount of bird poop.

The idea is to find the right ingredients for such car paints to resist pollutants like bird droppings. The company is using a solution that has phosphoric acid and soap detergent as ingredients to carry out this experiment. The body of the vehicles are sprayed with this solution along with synthetic pollen. They are then baked in ovens at 60 to 80 degrees Celsius to age.

Andre Thierig, Manager of Core Engineering Paint at Ford Europe said, "With so many cars parked up at the moment as people stay at home, it’s likely birds are leaving their mark more than usual. It’s wise to remove it before it gets too baked on, but our customers can at least take some consolation in the work we do to keep their paint protected."

Bird waste is not the only thing that damages paintwork on your car. Long exposure to harsh sunlight, especially in tropical weather conditions, also has its impact on the coating of a vehicle. Ford is also working on a paint solution to protect car paints in such extreme weather conditions. The company is reportedly experimenting on such a paintwork by exposing car panels to ultra-violet light for months to find out what it does to your car. Ford is also testing cars in weather conditions ranging from sub-zero to high humidity levels.