FYI: Ford Scientists Make Fake Bird Poop to Test Car Paint

TMI or more reason to buy an F-150?

Pigeon sitting on a ledge in new york city
The car owner versus the defecating bird, a tale as old as time.
Yu-chuan Hsu on Unsplash

You think you put up with a lot of crap at work? Then you’ve never met Ford’s boffins.

A “boffin,” for those outside the U.K., is a scientist. And according to a new video released by Ford’s European arm, the automaker employs a number of them to concoct artificial bird droppings in order to test the resiliency of their car paint.

In short, there are people who work at Ford whose job it is to brew fake bird poop.

Here’s how it works:

Why, exactly, has Ford decided to bring up the topic of caca corrosion now? 

“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,” explained Andre Thierig, manager of Ford Europe’s Core Engineering Paint, in a blog post. “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.”

While other major automakers likely do similar testing, Ford owners can have a little more peace of mind next time they notice a bird bomb on their hood. Instead of speeding to the car wash, hosing and scrubbing as best you can in your skirt or suit, you can do as Sheryl Crow does — have some fun now and leave the mess for later.

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