I have been researching what product might best help me get/ keep bugs off my Xfire. A lot of the articles I've read for various products and home remedies mentioned thay remove not only the bugs, but also your wax...any comments?

Brian

 

Sorry I can't comment on the wax coming off with the various bug and tar removers. Mike from Orange is the expert on the chemicals. I will tell you how I do it. I have a ton of wax on my car, it gets waxed once a month even in the winter, sometimes more. I also use a detail spray weekly after the car is washed. There are very few weeks it doesn't get washed. So my car has a pretty good wax base on it to start with. On those occasions I do have to go out to the local soft ice cream place which is a ride through farm country, I do get some bugs. When I get home, basically asap...... I get a damp to wet cotton towel and I lay it over the bug guts (this also works with bird droppings) and I let it sit for about 10 minutes. It loosens things up to the point they come right off. I also have a wash mit that I got at Advance Auto. One side is like a thick cotton fleece, the other side has a nylon type mesh that works on tar and bugs and doesn't scratch the finish. I think the thing that's important about removing bugs is you soften the remains up before you try to remove it otherwise you risk scratches. Like I said earlier try and get them off as soon as possible. I have never had to use Bug & Tar remover on my car.

 

As far as I know, the harsher chemicals will remove your wax, but they are the only ones that work on stubborn bugs

 

I have never had to use Bug & Tar remover on my car. I use Menzerna FMJ (Full Molecular Jacket) as a preventative measure. It's a water-based, polymer paint protectant made in Germany and lasts about 6 months. I usually apply a couple coats, twice a year, before waxing. This stuff works great, I can wash any bugs off with a regular car wash.

 

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe fabric sofener works verywell to get bugs off.

 

Thanks. Since reading the detailing sticky I have been using the method of draping towels soaked in warm water and gold class car wash and, while it has helped a lot, it certainly didn't get them all off. That being said, I have not scrubbed at them with anything more than my microfibre wash mitt.

 

Ok. You asked for it!

I believe that another bug works better to get the bugs "off".

 

Hahah!

I'm imagining dropping maggots all over the bumper

 

Could be worse!

 

Looks like a job for Mike from Orange, he could get that nice and shiney!

 

Now that's a crappy job....

 

Bug & tar removers will take the wax off, plain and simple.

Pat's suggestion of warm, wet towels laid over the area and allowed to dwell is very good and sometimes about the best you can do. Obviously the sooner you can address the issue, the better, but sometimes you just can't get to them as fast as you'd like. Once fully dried things can actually start etching into the paint. If you've cleaned as much as you can yet you still feel tiny little remnants of the bugs you can usually get rid of those with a clay bar. Either way, a fresh application of wax to the effected area is a good idea.



As for the crap-mobile H82BL8 posted, I'd hate to take on a project like that. I can only imagine the etching that's been done to the paint. Good job for a pressure washer, that's for damn sure.

 

Mike, as long as we have you on-line, I have a question regarding the Megs Plastic polisher. Do you know if it's effective on AR Polycarbonate.

This is what my Windrestrictor is made of, and needs serious polishing.

 

FP, yes, PlastX is fine on that surface or any other clear "plastic" with "plastic" being a very broad and general term. The problem can be finding an applicator that doesn't mar the surface. You can apply baby oil with a terry cloth towel and scratch the surface, and it sure ain't the baby oil doing the scratching!! It can sometimes be difficult to polish scratches out of some types of plastic and still achieve an optically clear finish. A soft foam wax applicator pad is going to be your best choice, using moderate pressure to start and lighter pressure as you go.

You have the wind restrictor from windrestrictor.com (King Penn Ind.) same as I do, don't you? Mine is getting scuffed on the surface that contacts the rear bulkhead due to very slight movement over time, but the main piece that actually blocks the wind is still fine. I have yet to play around with the lower half to see if I can pull out the scratches without inflicting any light marring caused by the applicator. It ought to work but it can be tricky.

 

That's exactly my issue Mike. The top half is great, but the bottom, you can see all the scratches, especially when it's lit.

 

Mine isn't illuminated and I only noticed the scratches when I removed it for a track day - I didn't want to get to the track only to find they wanted it out and then not have a safe place to put it.

Before you do anything with yours give me a few days to take a look at mine and see if I can do anything about those scratches. With yours being illuminated I don't know if trading the scratches for some finer marring would actually make things worse or not.

 

Thanks Mike....

 

I have found that the best time to remove bugs is after a nice drive in the rain, the continuous rain hitting them removes most of them and what remains are softened up.

 

Drier sheets (fabric softner sheets) do work and they smell pretty to !
In Florida we have are annual love bug festival sometimes twice a year!
I generally wash the effected area then wet out a few drier sheets to get the tough stuff off. Works like a charm!

 

The best I have ever found was - as washing the car use a little baking soda to make a paste on a cloth - takes off every last bit of bug guts.

I have a few cans of this stuff but have not used it yet: SHEILD
Watch the demo