Cleaning Off Dead Insects

[TydalForce]

Ah I tried searching to see if this was discussed before, but "bugs" brings up a lot of "software bugs", and "insects" also returns results for "bugs"...

I have a large graveyard of bugs splattered across the front of my Model 3, many from a recent cross-country road trip. I ran through the touchless wash twice in a row and it barely made a dent. They seem a bit baked on in places too.

What do you all recommend for getting these off? I've seen some sprays, but not sure if they're worth it or going to harm the paint in the process.

 

[Gbee]

clean the car really good in the front... Use a bug and tar let it dwell for a minute and wash with a mitt off. Also believe it our not a wet dryer sheet will loosen them up really good to. I live in FL with love bugs and it gets pretty bad.

 

[dstewart3]

Ah I tried searching to see if this was discussed before, but "bugs" brings up a lot of "software bugs", and "insects" also returns results for "bugs"...

I have a large graveyard of bugs splattered across the front of my Model 3, many from a recent cross-country road trip. I ran through the touchless wash twice in a row and it barely made a dent. They seem a bit baked on in places too.

What do you all recommend for getting these off? I've seen some sprays, but not sure if they're worth it or going to harm the paint in the process.

I often use saran wrap across the front prior to a long trip. Works great, and peels right off!

 

[Perscitus]

PPF and/or ceramic coatings also make this much easier. Bugs come right off and more importantly their guts dont have a chance to discolor your paint or eat through the clearcoat and their exoskeletons will not pit the paint on impact.

Saran wrap sounds like a great idea.

 

[AmokTime]

I use Turtle Wax Bug & Tar - it works great getting smashed bugs off the nose and also works great getting road tar off the rocker panels. I have a white M3, so that stuff really shows.

 

[joebruin77]

I use Turtle Wax Bug & Tar - it works great getting smashed bugs off the nose and also works great getting road tar off the rocker panels. I have a white M3, so that stuff really shows.

+1 for TW Bug and Tar. But keep in mind, because this is a very strong cleaner, it will likely remove any wax or sealant. So once the area is clean, you would want to reapply your wax or sealant.

 

[AmokTime]

+1 for TW Bug and Tar. But keep in mind, because this is a very strong cleaner, it will likely remove any wax or sealant. So once the area is clean, you would want to reapply your wax or sealant.

This is the last step of my cleaning process before degreasing and re-waxing.

 

[AmokTime]

Speaking of cleaning and waxing the cars:

I’ve tried 3 ceramic waxes now on my 2019 M3. The first year I used Hydrosilex. Worked great and lasted longer than any traditional wax I’d tried before on my previous vehicles. Waxed it in June when I bought the car, then again in September or October to carry it through the winter, which it did with flying colors.

The following year we bought a 2020 M3 for my wife and I waxed both cars with an Adam’s Ceramic wax product. It lasted the whole spring and summer, but to be fair, we didn’t do much driving in 2020. I didn’t bother re-waxing in the fall because of how little we drove and the cars are garage-kept. In the spring the wax was still in excellent shape - water beads were still smaller than a dime, but I decided to strip the cars, clean them up good, and re-wax anyway because of the amount of road tar on the rocker panels, wheel well flairs, and lower door panels.

This time I decided to try yet another product - Maguiar’s hybrid ceramic wax. It’s way cheaper than the Hydrosilex and Adam’s products - it was about $16 on Amazon. I just did it last month, so it’s too soon to tell how good it is or how it holds up. The Maguiar’s is more like a traditional paste wax product. It doesn’t go on or polish up as easily as the Hydrosilex or Adam’s.

Summary: both the Hydrosilex and Adam’s ceramic wax products seemed to do a pretty good job and seemed to last a lot longer than other traditional wax products I’ve used in the past. I’ll know more about the Maguiar’s in a couple of months.

 

[TydalForce]

I did spray with Turtle Wax Bug&Tar between the two washes, and all it did was leave a residue everywhere.
however , I found the bottle in my basement and it’s probably really really old so maybe I should try again with a fresh one lol

 

[adayley]

I spray Wash Wax All liberally on the whole front of the car. Let it sit for a while. Then drive to the touch less car wash and spray the front one more time just before going into the car wash. No more bugs on the front!

 

[GenralSpecific]

I prefer to use Wizards Bug Release. I get good results with it. It’s available locally, not sure if it’s everywhere or not.

Bug Release™

All Surface Bug Remover Part No. 11081, 22 oz, each or 12/Case. Quickly removes bugs and residue. Neutralizes acidic bug proteins. Safe for all vehicles’ paint, chrome, glass and plastics. Non Toxic — biodegradable. Use as a presoak or spot cleaner. WIZARDS® BUG RELEASE* is a powerful but...

wizardsproducts.com

 

[joebruin77]

Summary: both the Hydrosilex and Adam’s ceramic wax products seemed to do a pretty good job and seemed to last a lot longer than other traditional wax products I’ve used in the past. I’ll know more about the Maguiar’s in a couple of months.

Please let us know how Meguiar's stands up to Hydrosilex and Adam's ceramic wax. I read good things about Hydrosilex, but was a bit turned off by the higher price ($35 for 16 oz). I love Xtreme Solutions Poly Seal ($17 for 16 oz). I am curious though to try Griot's Garage Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax ($20 for 22 ounces) and to compare it to PolySeal.

 

[AmokTime]

I’ve heard some good things about Torque’s ceramic detailing product, but it’s $40 for an 8-Oz bottle. I’d also like to try the Meguiar’s spray-on ceramic product (as opposed to the thicker wipe-on formulation I used). It comes in a 32-Oz bottle for about $15.

 

[AmokTime]

I prefer to use Wizards Bug Release. I get good results with it. It’s available locally, not sure if it’s everywhere or not.

Bug Release™

All Surface Bug Remover Part No. 11081, 22 oz, each or 12/Case. Quickly removes bugs and residue. Neutralizes acidic bug proteins. Safe for all vehicles’ paint, chrome, glass and plastics. Non Toxic — biodegradable. Use as a presoak or spot cleaner. WIZARDS® BUG RELEASE* is a powerful but...

wizardsproducts.com

This sounds like it’s a more environmentally-friendly formulation that the TW product I use.

 

[joebruin77]

I’ve heard some good things about Torque’s ceramic detailing product, but it’s $40 for an 8-Oz bottle. I’d also like to try the Meguiar’s spray-on ceramic product (as opposed to the thicker wipe-on formulation I used). It comes in a 32-Oz bottle for about $15.

Brian from Apex Detail, one of the few youtube detailers I trust, did a review of the Torque. Unfortunately, I did not do well - he placed it in the same category as F11 Topcoat. Both are expensive, hyper-marketed sealants that actually perform really poorly. Here is the video if you want to check it out:

 

[AmokTime]

Brian from Apex Detail, one of the few youtube detailers I trust, did a review of the Torque. Unfortunately, I did not do well - he placed it in the same category as F11 Topcoat. Both are expensive, hyper-marketed sealants that actually perform really poorly. Here is the video if you want to check it out:

To be fair, this video review is not for the ceramic product, but their older product, however the poor performance of their non-ceramic product does make me less inclined to spend $40 to test the ceramic one.

 

[Candleflame]

Bug remover if you can reseal the car after or just spray it closely with a spraygun at a selfservice wash. I do a lot of crosscountry roadtrips and front of my car usually looks aweful.

The other thing i occasionally do is put some wax ( not sealant) on the hood and front day before you drive.

 

[TheRFMan]

CarPro BugOut or CarPro TarX will take care of that easily. AutoGlym active Insect Remover also does a great job and is less expensive, but may not be avail in the USA.

 

[DeltaOne]

I was almost ready to purchase the Wash Wax All described above but then found this on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AMJ5O22/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's called Bugs N All. Also got a microfiber mesh sponge for help scrubbing them off.

 

[PianoAl]

I also use TW Bug and Tar. I just bought Lift-1 Bug and Tar removed, and it seemed to work better.

Two tips:

1. Use the spray and wipe after each trip. They come off easier if you don't wait.
2. Expect the garage to smell like paint for a few days. We actually called my neighbor to ask if he'd been painting, then realized where the smell was coming from.