TripleBlackxThree

I recently had a 3M bra put on my '07 and shortly thereafter took a lengthy road trip (5k+). Of course I collected a lot of bugs along the way. I washed the car once during the trip and tried to clean the bugs with detail spray when possible, but it was pretty bad when I got home.

Most of the bugs/stains came off with a good wash but there are still spots that appear to be stained or etched that won't come off with anything I've tried (QD w/microfiber towels, alcohol, dawn, etc.).

Should I try a polish like Plexus? The literature that came with the bra said not to use abrasives, but it looks so bad right now I'm ready to fire up the PC with some DACP or something.

Should mention the car is black... the problems might not show nearly as bad on a lighter color.

Anyone have any suggestions (other than using a real bra on my next long road trip)?

J R not Ewing

I really hate to hear that as i just set up an appointment with Auto Designs to do an install my car the 17th. They are right on I-35 very close to you.Why don't you give Mike a ring and see if he can help www.autodesignstexas.com . I got this from a 3M post on the forum. I'm in east tx and the bug deal is really bad.
Let us know what you find and how it works out.

TripleBlackxThree

First, thanks for your reply. Mike did my install and you will be VERY happy with his work. First class all the way. I'll be checking with him next week for his thoughts, but wanted to check with the guys on the forum also.

I think my problem may be that I didn't get the bugs removed soon enough. My trip was 13 days, and as I mentioned in the first post, I cleaned it up some along the way, but there were several days where the bugs stayed on the bra. Just like paint will do under those conditions, I think the 3m stuff may have etched. It isn't horrible, but the black paint makes it show in some lighting conditions.

I had an 04, and let the condition of the nose get out of hand and it looked really bad. Just determined to keep this one as perfect as possible.

Good luck with your install. Again, I don't think anyone in the area can do a better job.

TripleBlackxThree

Bump... Okay, one bump for this.

Does anyone have any ideas on this.

agentf1

I use Z-AIO on mine and have been using Zaino on it for years with no problems. You can also use something like Plexus but it seems to wash right off. I treat mine just like my paint.

TripleBlackxThree

Thanks for the reply. Will Z-AIO have enough 'cut' to polish out the etching? I have Z5 but didn't even try it as it's more of a glaze than a polish (I'm a noob on Z products... so please correct me if I'm wrong).

TIA for your response.

daddoe

I had some bug guts and bird droppings on my clear bra. I washed it with car wash soap and water and noticed it left what looked like etching. I tried some Plexus, but I could still see the marks. Then I went to the installers website and found the following statement;

"Bird droppings and bug splats should be removed as quickly as possible by flushing the area with lukewarm water. Some bugs may leave stains that normally bleach out in the sun after a few weeks."


Sure enough, after only a few days, the marks were completely gone. Hopefully you will have the same situation.

TripleBlackxThree

Well that's great news! Thanks for posting.

I'll start pulling it out for some sun asap. That is if we ever get any... nothing but rain and more rain for the past 6 weeks