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Quick question- whats the best way to prep your car before driving through a very bug-filled area? I just spent a heck of a weekend scraping and washing (washing and scraping) the bugs off my car after this road trip. I have drive through this place again next week. Anything short of putting a bra on the car, whats the best way to prep so the bugs won't stick as much? I waxed a couple of times- do any of you have special products to recommend (pre or post bug)?
Use a silicone based wax which minimizes adhesion of the bugs.
Bug removal is easiest when they're softened up with warm water/soap solution.
I use Pledge to remove bug residue, or a slice of pineapple (a trick I learned from an aircraft detailer .... something about the mild acidity and enzymes in the pineapple that works really well to remove bugs).
Depending on the kind of bugs you're driving through, wax may or may not be adequate. Last time I drove down to see my buddy in Tampa I put fresh wax on my car but when I got back the lovebugs had etched lots of spots through my clear/paint, the plastic on my mirrors and the faring on my Yakima rack (essentially, all forward facing areas).
If you're driving through bugs this acidic/harmful then I would suggest looking into a 3M clear bra. I think they run around $100 but if it's a nice car then it may be worth the investment.
what's wrong with front end covers? (the correct term for a bra)
it is SO much easier to scrub them with a stiff plastic brush and they'll protect about 95% of your car from the bugs. I used to drive San Angelo - San Antonio when I was in school and would get back to San Angelo and spend at least an hour scrubbing bugs. the drive was so bad at times that it was almost like it was raining bugs, seriously disgusting.. I also keep front end covers on my cars to protect them from the gravel trucks. They add another step to washing, but I personally find them a great investment.
and I only get the factory kind, not the garbage from an auto parts store..
what's wrong with front end covers? (the correct term for a bra)
it is SO much easier to scrub them with a stiff plastic brush and they'll protect about 95% of your car from the bugs. I used to drive San Angelo - San Antonio when I was in school and would get back to San Angelo and spend at least an hour scrubbing bugs. the drive was so bad at times that it was almost like it was raining bugs, seriously disgusting.. I also keep front end covers on my cars to protect them from the gravel trucks. They add another step to washing, but I personally find them a great investment.
and I only get the factory kind, not the garbage from an auto parts store..
Yeah but once you put that cover on, all the little rocks, pebbles or whatever gets up inside underneath the cover and scratch the heck out of your paint. I bought a factory one for my car and i can't take the thing off anymore because it looks horrible.
I understand the OP's concern. I was in Florida (Fort Myers area) back in late May. It was Love Bug season.
Love Bugs look like lightning bugs in appearance. During mating season, they mate in the air, hovering over the ground and roads in clouds. I'm not exaggerating either when I say clouds. It sounds similar to driving in a hail storm when passing through a cloud of these danged things, they COAT the windshield of your car, your grill, anything that you hit them with. Billions of them down there, in-season.
We had a rental car, so we let them mess with it. But I did see pickup trucks down there that were so coated with love bugs that a white paint job was black. Yuck.
Thanks for the advice on the bugs, guys- I'm back from my trip. I decided to wax a few times (concentrating on the front of the car and the back of the mirrors) and everything is fine. Bugs slid right off! I actually have a factory front end cover for my mazda 3 but I don't keep it on the car. I've used it in the past (but didn't have time to put in on for this last trip- I left the day after I originally posted). And I agree with the person who mentioned scratches-- when I take the cover off, there are tons of sand grains, grime and all kinds of junk underneath it. I won't leave it on my car on a daily basis. I think it's probably worse on the paintjob than dealing with the bugs.
hmmm, I've used front end covers for years and have yet to get a scratch from one.. matter of fact, I washed my car this morning and looked at it up close to make sure I wasn't missing any scratches; I wasn't..
but to each their own, I know mine have saved my cars from a lot of gravel truck dings, which are far worse than bugs and wax won't do jack for protecting a car from them
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