keeping bugs off the bumper

anybody have any good tips/tricks for this? i do a lot of highway driving and end up rubbing bugs off of my front bumper quite a bit. worried about the paint...any good way to keep them off?

 

I've heard of people spraying cooking oil on their front bumper...not sure if this really works and if it will harm the paint after extended applications?

 

or is it just better to leave them be, and get them off when i wash the car once a month?

 

any advice helps,

thanks

Wash your car more than monthly! Jeeeez...

Apply a coat or two of Rejex after a good cleaning, it will make the bugs much easier to remove.

How often should I wash my car? I feel like the more I wash it, the more I put wear and tear on the paint. I get it waxed twice per season

i wrap it with painters tape on road trips...looks silly but its protected

but then i think if it gets damaged...the wife would let me do JDM conversion...nah kids kids are in the planning

Maybe try a clear bra. Never had any personal experience but at least the debris wouldn't be on your paint or clear coat...

...nah kids kids are in the planning

 

Maybe try a clear bra.

That really help IM SLO?

As goofy as it sounds, clear contact paper works for long trips. I used to use it on my motocross bikes to cover the plastic for a muddy race. Once the race was over, wash the bike, peel it off, and the plastic still looked new. I kept the plastic new for an entire season for about $10 worth of contact paper and then kept doing it for 6 more seasons. Worked like a charm.

um, cleaner wax.

 

/end thread

3m came out with spray on clear bra try there website

Pam works great.

keeping the car maintained with proper washing, clay, polish, sealant, and wax will make bugs much easier to just rinse off, versus scrubbing every time. The new 3m clear spray on bra is nice stuff for road trip use, the contact paper is also a cheap solution.

Stoner's Tarminator works really well on bugs. And Tar. And tree sap. WD40 works pretty well too, but Tarmintor works better. You could also invest in a bug sponge. It is a yellow foam block designed to scrub bugs off. I keep forgetting I have one and usually think about it a week after I spend an hour scrubbing bugs off the front of a 5th wheel trailer or something like that. I need to keep that out so I can see it. Typically I don't run into situations where I need it, but trailers and cars that get washed once a month after driving through clouds of bugs would be good reasons to use it. Cleaner wax isn't going to help too much. Clay would probably be a better solution, but even that isn't necessarily going to pick up all the damage. The best suggestion is to soak them in a bug/tar remover product for a minute and then scrub away. Don't use a kitchen scrubber or anything like that. There are plenty of bug scrubbers available at places like AutoZone you could use.

 

As far as washing your car goes, that is something that should be done as needed. I'd say at least once a week if you are having bug issues. Bugs are extremely acidic and can burn the hell out of your paint. You really don't want them sitting there very long. If you go on frequent road trips then you may want to get something protecting the front end of your car. Some might say get a clear bra type deal, but that only looks good if you get it the day the car is painted pretty much. Once you have rock chips and road rash on your bumper it doesn't look very good preserved under a clear bra. You could get a black vinyl one which can be removed when you don't need it, but those are kind of 1997 and I don't see them very often anymore. If you do get one then start with Colgan Custom. Skip the cheap ones at the part store. Those are crap. Get a nice one if you are interested in protecting the paint.

 

So bottom line is get a bug/tar remover at AutoZone or wherever you get your cleaning products. Possibly look for a bug scrubber there while you are at it. Then start washing your car once a week to stay on top of the bug issue and protect your paint. Once a month is just asking for damage if it is covered in bugs.

i put on a decent layer of Rejex on the front bumper, hood and mirrors and let it sit for 8 hours before driving. so far so good. i go on a 1 hour road trip at least twice per week but that's about it. now it is winter in Colorado so bugs aren't as much of an issue as snow and snow removal chemicals

 

am i the only one who is convinced that washing my car once a week will strip off the $65 wax job that i have done every season??

am i the only one who is convinced that washing my car once a week will strip off the $65 wax job that i have done every season??

 

That is called....compulsive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...every season? If you are just getting your car waxed then that wax is going to vaporize in less than 6 weeks whether you wash it or not. With a typical wax you should probably plan on waxing the car every four or five weeks regardless of how often you wash the car. The wax is going to wear off faster if you aren't keeping it clean anyway, so weekly washing is definitely a good idea.

 

If you are paying to have a sealant applied then again, you should be good for several weeks regardless of how often you wash the car. Most sealants will give you at least 8 to 12 weeks of protection even if you wash once a week, so wash away!

I would go to a motorcycle parts store like Cyclegear and get a motorcycle detailing product. Many of them are specifically formulated to dissolve bugs without harming paint or clear coat. I use this one and it works pretty well, There are many others out there though...

http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/Accessories/Cleaners/Detailing/brand/S100/Detail-%26-Wax/p/36480_29169