After a trip down the highway this past weekend to visit friends, I wasted a lot of time removing the bugs from the front of my wife's car using a regular wash pad, car shampoo and elbow grease. The process was time consuming and I feel like I also was using way too much pressure on the paint to remove the buggers. As it is the beginning of the summer and the frequency of this task is going to increase, I thought I should ask for some tips for removing the bastards sooner rather than later. A few options come to my newbie mind: 1. Dilute my Adams APC and spray it on the bugs as a pre soak then wash car normally - Is this safe? - I feel like this will strip the LSP - I feel like I may introduce APC in to my wash mix and do more damage to the paint 2. Make a mix of car soap and APC to get rid of bugs first - In my mind, this will increase lubricity of the bug remover and have a bit of the APC cutting power - I think I can do this with my Adams Shampoo or ONR 3. Purchase a product specific for bug removal - Two products come to mind. Poorboy's Bug Squash and CG No more bugs and tar - If these work really well it may be worth the cash - I read that diluted Bug squash doesn't strip LSP. Does it still work well? - Is there wash media that work well with this kind of product? Any thoughts on these options or other options are appreciated.
Meg.'s APC 10:1 or OPC 3:1 will eat the bugs off! Buy a Boars Hair Brush from Phil. I haven't found anything strong enough to remove bugs an not remove LSP. Just re-apply is those areas. The next you need is the "THE MASK" from Wolfs. Stuff is awesome! Spray it on a clean front end and when it gets dirty with bugs just wash it off, bugs will rinse away! Phil's got that too!
The Poor Boy's Bug Wash works GREAT! I had been using the 1Z einszett Anti_Insekt spray, and the Poor Boys just knocks it out of the park. I have two solutions: diluted and full strength. Before a wash, i rinse the front and mirrors, spray the full-strength, let dwell, then agitate with a detailing brush (lighrtly). Rinse, and the bugs are gone. I keep the diluted in a small bottle for on-the-road if my diluted ONR doesnt take care of them. Great stuff.
Thanks for the feedback. I am going to give the squash and OPC a try. I'd never seen 'the mask' before. Very intriguing product. I will have to add to my list of things to try.
I learned the 'soaking' method several years ago on a forum and I will pass it along. It uses regular car wash, so you don't remove the LSP, and requires some thin MF towels. I I pretreat the bugs with ONR in a pump-up sprayer or with pre-mixed car wash solution in a bottle with a foaming sprayer. Prepare you car wash solution at your normal dilution, and soak the several towels (4-5) in the bucket. You may need to wring them out a couple of times to get them completely wet. Take the damp towels and place them over the bugs. If the mirrors are bad wrap the towels around and tie them on the glass side. Leave them in place for 5-10 minutes - I usually do the wheels while the bugs soak. I did this recently on my son's car after a trip through love bugs, and they came off with without scrubbing. BTW, I have found that Adam's Quick Sealant is a fast way to add extra protection before a road trip.
I just got some 1z Anti Insekt and it is amazing. The bugs almost fall right off, and it does not affect your protection. Also, very very little goes a long way. I have not been that obsessed with bug removal methods, but I have tried a few in the past and this is the easiest one I have come across. I particularly like it because I don't have to use any pressure to take them off. I cannot comment on the poorboys since I have not used it, my only concern would be if one would need to constantly reapply protection after using something that powerful I should clarify that the little I used on select bugs did not need to dwell and seemed to have no effect on the lsp. I would imagine if left to dwell it could affect the protection
+1 for PB Bug Wash. Another good one is Surf City Grime Destroyer. You can use it straight or dilute it 1:1. It's still effective when diluted.
I tried the bug squash on Sunday and it made bug removal trivial. The bugs and their guts came off the car with almost effort. All it took was some light agitation with a brush and a rinse. before my normal wash. When I run out of my current all purpose cleaner I will purchase some OPC and experiment with it too. Thanks everyone.
I use the poor boys too. But my wife now has a car with some clear film on the front end. The bugs mostly come off but there seems to be some bug residue left. Does anyone have advice on getting the last bits off without harming the clear bra?
+2 for PB Bug Squash! I agitate lightly with boars hair brush, let it dwell and proceed with foaming works like a charm!
