I washed my black 6MT this weekend and wiped down the car till all the water drops were gone. It was beautiful! Took the car out that night and discovered in the morning that there were dead bugs all smashed up against my car! It was the nastiest thing I have ever seen. The dead bugs were splat all over my windshield with their internals all visibly shown. There were at least thirty of them suckers. Okay, enough of the gory details.

Here’s the scenario. I didn’t find the buggers until the next morning and by that time the corpses had hardened and seem to be glued to my car. I’m cautious about how I wipe my car, since I don’t want scratches showing through the black paint. What can I do? I heard from a coworker that some bugs are acidic and if I don’t take them off ASAP, they’ll eat right through the paint!

[img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img] Love my Black on Black G35 Coupe! [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

 

Any mild soapy stuff works.. it helps let the soapy water soak into the dead bug carcasses to soften them up so they come off easier. If the car is covered, it may be easier just to wash it again. If not, Windex or similar for the glass, and maybe some sort of quick detailer spray for the paint -- I wax my car with Meguire's Cleaner Wax, so I use their Quik Detailer to get small bug spots off an otherwise clean car. The advantage of using a detailer spray is that it reinforces whatever wax may have been eaten up by the bug goo. The key is to let the liquid soak in and blot the bug goo off. Of course, I eventually give up and wipe a little.. but then my Desert Platinum paint doesn't show such minor transgressions. [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

hahaha ... corpses and carcasses... those are funny words for bugs ...

but a serious issue, none the less.

What I find is the best thing to do .. is first and foremost SOAK their little bodies and SOAK em some more and then some more.. until a good blast of water takes em off.

Even better ... soak em forever and use those pay car washes .. not the gas station ones, but those ones where you do it with the handheld super powerwashers... That'll fix them "buggers"

and of course a nice wipin and wax never hurt too.

later G'ette

 

This works....




03 G35
02 Sequoia

 

That stuff probably removes wax, too, though.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

That stuff probably removes wax, too, though.

<hr></blockquote>

From the TurtleWax website:

"The #1 complaint about Bug & Tar removers is that it strips the wax as well. Turtle Wax® Bug & Tar Remover is an innovative product formulation that removes bugs, tar, tree sap, and road grime from your car's finish and restores a deep gloss shine. This is a gel formula that clings to vertical surfaces, thus allowing it to penatrate for better cleaning performance. Not only will it clean, this product also leaves a shiny protective wax barrier that helps prevent future bugs and grime from sticking to exterior surfaces."

My thought is that is you rub hard enough to remove the bugs, you will also remove any wax as well. So after removing the bugs, I've always applied another coat of wax to that area, usually every 2-3 weeks.


03 G35
02 Sequoia<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by chinee on 04/11/03 09:00 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

Thanks for all your advices. I'm going to give it a try tomorrow!

[img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img] Love my Black on Black G35 Coupe! [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

 

i don't see why you cant' just wet them and scratch them off with your fingers...

 

Slow down and you won't splatter so many. [img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I have the same problem. I just wash it again, and yes, soak the heck out of the corpses.

[i]<font color=red>BoneDaddy
2003.5 Garnet Fire, Premium, Aero, Sport & Debadged

 

That Turtle Wax Bug N Tar Remover comes in a handy dandy wet wipes version that I keep in my trunk at all times. Works great, and it has wax in it!!!

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

i don't see why you cant' just wet them and scratch them off with your fingers...

<hr></blockquote>

That's what I ended up doing. It was the nastiest thing!


[img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img] Love my 6MT Coupe! [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Slow down and you won't splatter so many

<hr></blockquote>
Come on, where's the fun in that!


[img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img] Love my 6MT Coupe! [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

 

I wind up having to fingernail some of the tough ones, too.

Plus, there's this tree near my parking spot that drops yellow sappy stuff. That stuff turns to powder and blows off if you scratch it while dry with a fingernail, but if you get it wet, all you can do is push it around on the car.. it won't lift off!

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter