Bird droppings are destroying my paintwork and BMW rejected the warranty claim. What do you think?

What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Bird droppings are destroying my paintwork and BMW rejected the warranty claim. What do you think?

I own a MINI Countryman - which I purchased new in September 2017. As well as the usual warranty, the paintwork is guaranteed for three years. The car is garaged and kept in pristine condition. Two weeks ago I noticed flaking of the paintwork on the leading edge of the roof. I took the car back to the dealer for inspection. Today they said the flaking was due to bird droppings and the claim has been rejected in its entirety, no good will offer. The quote to repair the paintwork is in the region of £800. In all the years that I have owned cars I have never seen that sort of result from the acidity in bird droppings. I have registered an official complaint with Mini Customer Services. I would appreciate your expert opinion on my problem as I feel let down by BMW.

Asked on 22 July 2020 by stewart h

Answered by Dan Powell

Bird droppings can easily and quickly damage a car's paintwork. No matter the make or model. The nitrogen in the bird dropping eats away at the paint and strips away the protective layers. If left untreated, it'll quickly corrode all the way to the base layer. All vehicles are susceptible to this (not just BMW) because carmakers use water-based paints (as opposed to the harmful lead-based paints from years ago). I do not think you will be able to hold MINI liable.

Tags: paintwork warranty claims

Similar questions

Has a gearbox fault damaged my car's clutch?

I have a car that is 17 months old. I've owned it since new and covered 8000 miles in that time. A month ago, the car developed a gearbox grinding/crunching. The dealer diagnosed a problem with "first...

Is air conditioning covered by my car's warranty?

The air conditioning on my 2021 SEAT Tarraco recently stopped working. I took it back to the dealer that sold it to me and was informed that air conditioning only carries a six month warranty. Surely in...

Does it matter which garage does warranty work?

I bought a low-mileage three-year-old Volkswagen Polo from a Volvo dealership in Yorkshire. I was told it was covered by a warranty. As I live in Sussex I asked whether I would have to bring the car back...

Related models