Torchlight

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I have this cardinal that seems to love my side mirrors. Before I got my SLK 350 this damn bird would sit on my GMC Envoy's side mirrors and sometimes peck at the mirror glass and leave bird crap that I had to clean up. Now this brid has figured out that I got a Mercedes-Benz and lands on its side mirrors (mostly the driver's side). He has already left a load that I promptly had to clean up. He hasn't started to peck at the glass yet but I'm sure that's coming next! I do not have a garage so the car stays in my driveway. A friend of mine told me about a company that makes nice covers for cars. It's called California Car Covers.

http://www.calcarcover.com/default.aspx

They claim that their "Superweave" cover is good for covering the car in the rain or sunshine. Does anyone know if it's okay to use a breathable cover to protect your car; one that can get rained on and not harm the car's finish? I need to find a solution to this ridiculous problem, short of sending the bird to "meet his maker." I don't want to kill him but if he makes me mad enough I will do just that.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Jeff

UK-C200

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ROTF - So I have a pigeon or two that love to roost over my C - I've Zaino'd it to the point that at least it's easy to remove, but I still want to kill the *#&$^@%!

I've always "heard" that it's not good to leave a "wet" cover on your car, but this may be outdated given the new materials. I asked the MB guys here in London about the "standard" MB cover, and the guy didn't recommend it - said I'd do more harm than good - again, didn't really follow up. The "C" is parked under a tree that the pigeons evidently like, and it's "assigned" parking, so I'm not really able to avoid the crappage. I do park it in a covered garage when I'm not in counrty, so at least half the time I don't worry about it - and I managed to score a parking space with nice concrete poles on both sides

The SLK sits in a garage, and is covered (MB Cover), but that's more dust / paranoia than bird avoidance.

I'm from Louisiana, my upbringing means that I'd absolutely take a more direct approach solving the problem, which would probably involve firearms

Torchlight

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I'm with you on the firearms approach. I swear this bird knows what he is doing and is just trying to tick me off. The only problem is that if I shoot him I have to catch him when he is nowhere near the car or I can bring on a whole new, more embarrasing problem. I don't want to have to tell the MB service people that I shot my car while bird hunting.

Jeff

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True! My cousin, who by the way does NOT live in a trailer park, swears by a rat trap loaded with peanut butter and birdseed, but did mention that there's a bit of a "splatter" problem if it's successful

cyberdrakon

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Yes, their covers are great. I had a 'stormcover' on my last car and it was fine for parking outdoors, though a soggy cover is a pain in the arse to roll up and keep from getting mildewy....you need to find a nice covered space to spread it out when you are using it.

Have you considered having a canopy set up to cover the car?

UK-C200

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Hey Cyber - did you ever leave the cover on the car while it dried? Oh, and I've been meaning to ask - what the hell is "'pig ear'-less"?! :P

etyu

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May I suggest an old hairbrush (something with long plastic bristles and about the same length as the outside side-view mirror). You can use a rubber band to hold this hair brush with the bristles facing upward on the rear view mirror. Hopefully it deters the bird from using the outside rear view mirror as a perch.

Of course, you may have to explain this set-up to every passer-by

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Eddy

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Pewter/Beige, PIII package, Airscarf, Hands-Free Communication System, Lighting package
Designo Black Leather Cover on e-brake handle, (
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Bill T), SmartTop v1.0, Kleyman 3BFM (NoRegret Custom), Green Air Filters, Mod. R170 ant., EuroClear sidemarkers w/PIAA PlasmaIon lamps, chromed front & rear turn indicator lamps, PIAA SuperPlasmaGTX front parking lamps, bilateral rear fog lamps enabled.

Torchlight

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Yes the splatter problem may be a bit disgusting, however it would be a one-time thing, right? Unless this antagonistic winged creature has taught other birds in the area how to do what he does. If that's the case I could be living a real-life Alfred Hitchcock movie in my own yard.

I think that I will hold off on the car cover for now until I found out a bit more about them.

The hairbrush idea is a good one, but you're right, I would have some explaining to do to the neighbors.

Thanks everyone!

Jeff

cousjcc

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A high powered air rifle would solve the problem without much chance of hitting your car as they are VERY accurate, assuming of course you can get access to one

etyu

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Is there a way to trap the bird? That way you can keep her in a large cage as a pet perhaps?

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Eddy

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Pewter/Beige, PIII package, Airscarf, Hands-Free Communication System, Lighting package
Designo Black Leather Cover on e-brake handle, (
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Bill T), SmartTop v1.0, Kleyman 3BFM (NoRegret Custom), Green Air Filters, Mod. R170 ant., EuroClear sidemarkers w/PIAA PlasmaIon lamps, chromed front & rear turn indicator lamps, PIAA SuperPlasmaGTX front parking lamps, bilateral rear fog lamps enabled.

WhiteRabbit

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I've been using car covers for a couple of decades without any problems whatsoever. You want a breathable cover otherwise you could cook your paint. I've left a wet cover on my car many times in the hot sun with no ill effects. I prefer Noah material covers as they protect in all types of weather and provide some ding protection. The M-B cover from ************* is made of Noah and only costs $150.

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2009 SLK 350, Arctic White, Gullwing Red, 7G Automatic, Premium PKG I, Lighting, Heating packages, Auto Climate Control, smartTop roof module v3.22, Clear side-marker lenses.

WhiteRabbit

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One other thing, I NEVER put the cover on a dirty car.

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2009 SLK 350, Arctic White, Gullwing Red, 7G Automatic, Premium PKG I, Lighting, Heating packages, Auto Climate Control, smartTop roof module v3.22, Clear side-marker lenses.

cyberdrakon

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Yup, that's the one thing that's really annoying, you can't cover the car if it's dirty or it'll scrub the clear coat right off the corners.

btw 'pig ear less' just mean i've taken off the tiny mudguards that were included with some AMGs. The nickname came from some German SLK website. They look really cheap, because they are just stuck on and don't mesh with the lines of the car at all.

Torchlight

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Thanks again for all the suggestions! I was actually thinking about an air rifle and looked at some websites. If I can do this w/o killing the bird I would prefer that. Besides it's not the rifle's accuracy I am worried about, it's mine. If I hit my car or another house or someone else's car I could never forgive myself. I live a in a small neighborhood where the possibilty of hitting something other than my intended target is a very real possibilty. I do have pretty good aim and accuracy, however if there is even the chance of hitting something else by accident I have reservations.

I actually found a website that deals with bird problems.

http://www.absolutebirdcontrol.com/

One of the soultions they have is a sonic device that broadcasts bird distress calls.

Here are the solutions they have for Cardinals:

http://www.absolutebirdcontrol.com/cardinals.htm

I am still thinking about what I should do. Thanks again for all the advice.

Jeff