Britons, especially Scottish women who drive black cars and park under trees, should watch out - because they’re most at risk from bird poo (1). And the birds are not the only thing that’s dropping, with eBay Motors estimating that the effects of bird poo could cost their sellers £6.5million (2) a year, and British motorists a potential £24billion (3) worth of damage across the UK.

The research by eBay Motors, the UK’s most visited automotive website, shows that 56% of us are hit by the dreaded droppings at least once a month, with nearly half (44%) of cars in Britain pelted with poo at least once a fortnight, and an unlucky one in six (16%) splattered every single day.

But bird poo is more than just an unsightly nuisance for British drivers; it can also cost us dearly. A quarter (25%) of used car buyers expect a discount of at least £100 if a vehicle has been used as a dumping ground by our feathered friends.

Dirty weekend
Despite the possible financial implications of having their cars soiled by birds, it seems British car owners can’t be bothered to wipe poo off their bonnets. Even though bird excrement can be ugly and corrosive, nearly a fifth of motorists (18%) rarely clean it off their cars. Those that do bother to wipe off the waste tend to let it fester for a few days, only getting round to cleaning it at the weekend (31%), regardless of the effects of long-term damage to the vehicle. 

Bird droppings can be acidic as they contain uric acid. The corrosive compounds in the poo can eat through the paintwork and discolour cars, leaving a bleached effect. Birds also swallow grit and small pebbles to aid their digestion, which can scratch the paintwork as the poo hits the car. Motorists are warned to watch out for pigeons and gulls as they are the worst offenders.

eBay Motors conducted the research to uncover just how much the corrosive crud could cost car sellers.  Jody Ford, Senior Manager at eBay Motors, points out that “for many car buyers, bad maintenance on the bonnet can mean bad maintenance under the bonnet. Simple details such as making sure your car is fully cleaned can have a direct impact on the number of people interested in your car, and ultimately the final selling price.

Ford continues: “eBay Motors allows sellers to display up to 12 images of their car to ensure the best and most honest depiction. With an average of 3.5 million unique visitors every month (4), sellers can’t afford not to make sure their cars look their best.”

Key research highlights include the following:

• Black cars are the most likely to be hit – over half of them (54%) are hit at least once a fortnight and nearly a fifth of them (18%) are hit every day!
• Scots are the most unlucky car owners in the UK with 64% finding their cars covered in crud at least every other week and nearly a quarter of them (24%) frustrated to have their cars attacked every day
• Female drivers’ cars are more likely to suffer from bird poo attacks (only 8% of women’s cars never get targeted opposed to 12% of men’s cars that are never hit)
• Two thirds (66%) of cars owned by those who live by the sea are targeted at least every other week and over a quarter (27%) of those cars in coastal areas are hit every day
• The roof of the car is the easiest place for birds to do their business with a third of all droppings (33%) landing there

eBay Motors top tips for cleaning up your car and dodging those droppings:

• The best way to protect your car from bird droppings is to use a car cover.  You can pick one of these up on www.ebaymotors.co.uk for under £50
• Make sure you regularly wax your paintwork to minimise the corrosive effects of bird poo
• To remove bird droppings, always make sure you lubricate the area first to avoid scratching the car as you clean it off.  Search on www.ebaymotors.co.uk and you will find lots of washing and waxing kits
• Look out for poo hot spots and avoid parking your car under trees
• Buy a red car! They are least likely to be hit by droppings, with 15% of owners saying their cars never get hit at all

1. Research carried out by eBay Motors and ICM on February 13th-14th 2007, with 1002 respondents

2. 65,700 (25% of car buyers, based on a car being bought every two minutes on eBayMotors.co.uk, who would expect £100 discount) x £100 = £6.57million cost to sellers

3. 16.42 million (49% of people who leave bird poo on their car for at least a few days x 33.52 million cars in the UK) x £1500 (average cost of respraying a car roof) = £24.6billion worth of damage

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