Dead bugs on the front bumper
 

I have to take a canyon home to work and back so my car have quite a scary amount of tiny dead bugs sticking onto the front bumper and grill.

anyone have any tips to get rid of them without washing the entire car? i come home late in the weekdays so i cant wash it frequently.

any tips are appreciated!

Get on it ASAP. The longer you leave "dead bugs" on the front, the harder it will be to get off. Especially once it's into the paint/past the clearcoat

you can use QuickDetailer type sprays with a soft plush microfiber towel to remove. next time you wash the car put some wax or polymer sealant on the front bumper and side mirrors (if you're lazy to wax the entire car). that alone will make your quick detailer session go a lot faster.

i too recommend you take bug guts off as soon as you can so that it does not stain the finish. :)

if you're going to wash it, i use Wizard's BugRelease spray after the initial wetdown. let stand 2min and just wash with your mitt.

How about some ONR? If they are fresh and you have good coat of wax, they should come right off...

Edit: I wouldn't use QD to clean any real dirt, just to bring the luster back out...

It's a car. In a pinch a wet paper towel is fine.

If you can invest in a clear bra of some type. In addition to helping protect the front from rock chips and the like, it makes it easier to clean dead vermin off as well. Just let whatever you use soak into the bugs to soften their little dead bodies up and they'll wipe off much easier.

I agree with kenchan. I use Meg's Ultimate Detailer to quickly remove bugs without washing. Make sure to start with a clean cloth to avoid scratching. Get those bugs off quick to make sure they're not baked in by the sun! :)

Although I haven't used this on my Z yet (bug season hasn't begun in Florida), last year the Pinnacle Safe Scrub did a great, SAFE job of removing bugs, even the notorious Florida "love bugs".

It LOOKS dangerous, but if you follow the directions, it's completely safe. autogeek.net sells them (as do others), and autogeek has a personal review of it's use.

Keeping the car well-waxed helps for bug (and bird crap) removal.

This. ONR is the easiest way to wash a local area and will be easier than using a QD/waterless wash with tougher bugs. Quick detailer can remove it safely as long as you remove all the bug remains after each pass and work in small areas.

Will the Adams all purpose cleaner work well for this? Need to be diluted?

I just used Goo-Gone to get a ton of dead bugs off of my brothers Prius.

Word to the wise, don't let the bugs stay on your car too long it's really bad for the paint.

Problem with sponges is that sometimes the hard shell of bugs and grit drags at the surface of the sponge causing scratches to the paint where as plush MF towels or wash mitts pickup the bug and you just use another clean section to wipe the rest of the guts off.

You do not need to use such an aggressive cleaner, that would be overkill and will strip whatever wax/sealant you have on the bumper even at a high dilution.

dampen your bumper with water and just use fabric softener sheets to wipe em off.

:icon14: used fabric softener sheets can be used as shoe polish... :icon17:

I don't know why you guys are wiping your car with all this stuff,after I get home the first thing I do before I put my Z away is spray the front bumper with a garden hose and all the bugs and junk comes right off.

No wiping needed I'll save that for the bathroom.:bowrofl:

I use rubbing alcohol it seems to work pretty well.

Why are all you guys doing all of this elbow work?

i live in Texas and your right.those love bugs will ruin a paint job in a hurry!!!!

That also strips away ur wax...

No hose available here at my apartment complex..

I've not tried Bug Off!, but Griot's has been selling it for a while (it was under another Griot's product name).

What type of wax/paint protection do you use?

meguiars liquid gold

Meguiar's NXT

This is not really a sponge. It's like a block of foam with deep cells like a 3D honeycomb. It seems very coarse and something that you wouldn't want to use on the surface of a prized vehicle, but when you soak it, it becomes soft and safe, and the bug bodies get lifted off by the honeycomb construction.

As I said, not used on my black Z yet, but last season it did the job on a Ruby Red (medium maroon) Subaru Outback with no scratches at all.

On my dd Griots Paint Sealant maintained with Prima Hydro. For my Z and G I only use Griots SprayOn Wax and SpeedShine as they are garage queens. :)

I know I'm going to show my age with this great solution but here it goes.

All you need is a can of 7up and some panty hose (Preferably clean)

Use the panty hose as a rag dump the 7up on the bumper and lightly wipe the bugs they come off better than anything you can buy.

Just remember to wash the car when done.:tiphat:

Asian Paint
 

I don't know what to think about Asian paint it seems to be hard and brittle. Although I haven't had too many paint chips, certain types of bird droppings can be fustrating. I was at the gym thur. and when I came out there was a real large bird dropping on my roof [passenger side] it didn't look especially bad but when I got home and removed it I found etching in the clear coat in the areas that were harder to remove. I have several coats of good wax but they didn't protect the paint long enough. Domestic paint seems to be softer than asian paint and more forgiving to clear coat etching. Its really kind of sad that Nissan's paint can't resist this type of contamination for a longer period of time. This bird dropping only took an hour to penatrate where I would of had maybe 6 or more hours with my domesticlly painted car:mad:

hey billybob :icon17: it's not the Asian paint. it's the crap your local birds are eating that's creating very acidic poop. there is a huge variation between bird dropping damage. some crap you can leave on for weeks and no issue. some crap you leave it for a few hours and it etches the paint.

Your wax may not be as good as you think. I have zero problem removing bird poop, tree sap, bugs, etc. I can take off these things with a damp microfiber easily. My paint (except for rock chips on the nose) blemish free.

Meguiar's Direct NXT Generation® Tech Wax® 2.0

getting rid of dead hookers off your front bumper is harder than bugs imo

:icon18:

If you think that's tough try getting them out of the passengers seat :icon17:

I'm fully aware of what your saying, birds that eat berries produce a very acidic form of waste I just felt that I should had more time before the etching took place. There are fundamental differences between asian, domestic, and even german paint. My Z sat on two different car lots for a year before I found it and the spyder scratchs were numerous. I took a blue sponge pad with perfect it but didn't get down deep enough, so then I used my black pad and that almost did it but I'm going to have to go down a little further. The black paint on my GM car never needed anything more than the black pad.

Fill a bucket with HOT water and soak a towel in it for a minute...then place towel or towels on the "bugged area" for a couple of minutes. Will come off easily with a nice spray or wipe.:tup:

Very good.

I just use "Gunk Bug Remover w/ Wax". Works like a charm. All you have to do is spray it on your bumper, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and with a sponge wash with warm water. Removes all the dead bugs and their guts effortlessly without the risk of scratching your clearcoat.

Amazon.com: Gunk BUG33 Bug Remover with Wax - 33 fl. oz.: Automotive

:iagree: