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I'm retired so my car is parked for bug season. however my wife drives 33 miles one way to work and believe me she brings home her share of bugs every day. So in the evening I get out my rolling seat and my simple green spray her car let it set then after a few minutes I clean the bugs off fairly easy.
One thing I did notice if you ever wounder what our cars do in a wind tunnel just look at the bugs. As in my wifes car she drives one of those cadillac suv I think its a XR5 anyway it has a pretty much flat front end. big bug catcher.
True story if its a short trip. I would not drive for an hour or more with these beggars clogging up the radiator. I could care less about them on the paint and who cares about how the bra looks if its only to prevent radiator clog???
I don’t think we’re seriously disagreeing, but I think keeping an eye on the coolant temp gauge and/or noticing whether the AC remains cool are more reliable indicators of radiator/bug status than length of trip. The only time I’ve ever seen those budge was on a drive from Houston to Corpus down the coast road. For the 2.5 hours from Houston to Port Lavaca, there were plenty of love bugs, but temps stayed normal and washers kept windshield at least semi clean. Then I ran through an incredible swarm in the 15 minutes through the river bottoms between Port Lavaca and Tivoli. Coolant temp rose by 20 degrees and the AC condenser was also getting plugged as evidenced by the AC struggling to keep the interior cool even though ambient temp was only in the upper 80’s. I stopped at a place in Tivoli with self-serve car wash bays with those wand-type things and blasted enough of the bug crust off that the temps came back down and I could see through the windshield. That was enough to get me down to Corpus and back to Houston without further engine or interior temp issues, though I did take the interior route rather than coast road going back. Once back in Houston, I did a better condenser/radiator cleanup and used the dryer sheets on the paint.
The bugs on my radiator just burn off and turn to dust. Hot radiator > Dries dead bugs > Clean radiator
Now, this may be something to do with the area I live in. The type of bugs and warm temperatures. Mostly butterfly type and bees. But I'm always cleaning the front of the car to get them off there the past few weeks, but when I view the radiator it is just the fresh one stuck to it.
Ordinarily we have very few bugs to hit around here, but because of the additional moister we go this year there is considerably more of them. Usually from this time of year on I can sometimes drive a hindered miles and may not have one bug hit.
Last edited by joemessman; May 13, 2019 at 12:43 PM.
The bugs on my radiator just burn off and turn to dust. Hot radiator > Dries dead bugs > Clean radiator
Now, this may be something to do with the area I live in. The type of bugs and warm temperatures. Mostly butterfly type and bees. But I'm always cleaning the front of the car to get them off there the past few weeks, but when I view the radiator it is just the fresh one stuck to it.
Ordinarily we have very few bugs to hit around here, but because of the additional moister we go this year there is considerably more of them. Usually from this time of year on I can sometimes drive a hindered miles and may not have one bug hit.
LOL, down here I feel like Im in the Ten Commandments movie with the Friggin swarms of love bugs! LOL
WOW! What a video! Looks like something out of a horror movie...We use to live in West Palm Beach, Fl. and also in Largo, Fl.... both areas were really bad bad bad...the stench of smothered love bugs on my vehicles use to make me want to puke...and the thought of them on my Vette is even worse...hope you guys that say they should be gone are correct. I already have a bra and mirror bras too....just ordered the Rejex...Thanks to you all!
On more trick from a Florida guy; arrange your trip to drive mostly at night . More bugs, but their guts won't bake in the sun and turn to acid on your clear coat. Hose most of it off with a with pressure cleaner at a coin self-wash before you go to sleep. The next morning, take care of the rest..
There are lots of ways to remove love bugs if you get 'em while they are fresh. But from my long time living in FL I recall that it quickly gets old trying to stay ahead of it by cleaning your car every day. Not sure I would drive my Vette much during the season if I lived there now.
This may not be the best short-term solution to the OP’s concern, but thought it was worth mentioning how liberating it is to drive through those nasty critters when I have XPEL Ultimate Paint Protection Film on 80% of my ride. I’ve been driving my C7 now
for 41k+ miles in NE Florida. During lovebug season it is my vehicle of choice because it’s protected.
I’m not a salesman or in any way connected with the manufacturer, but this stuff is amazing. It’s like having a bulletproof vest on. I don’t ever sweat the bugs. In fact, they don’t even leave blemishes on the film days after the attack. In fact, their remains are still there after a club ride on Saturday. ...and they’ll come right off without hurting the XPEL.
On more trick from a Florida guy; arrange your trip to drive mostly at night . More bugs, but their guts won't bake in the sun and turn to acid on your clear coat. Hose most of it off with a with pressure cleaner at a coin self-wash before you go to sleep. The next morning, take care of the rest..
Love bugs "sleep in" and don't start to really get active until around 10 am. Also, after 5 pm EST they should start winding down. So if you have to travel during the season remember that.
They are worse this year than in recent past. May and September are the bad months. As someone said, the only way to get these things off your car is when they are fresh. If you wait more than a few hours, you will have to really scrub hard.
Based on 15 years living in Florida the best advice I can give is to use the Novistretch to stop them getting in your radiator and to use a wet cloth to get them off your windshield and paint where the Novistretch does not protect. I take a bottle of water with me and use that to wet a soft cloth. They rub off fairly easily that way. The key is to not let it get out of control. Those that wait too long will have a major frustrating job and I find that it is better to do it easily many times instead of having one massive tough to remove clean-off
If you stay home, the bugs win! However, when they are out in force like they have been the past few days, where it is like getting hit by a machine gun fire, I take my DD.
Love bugs contain acid. Let them sit on unprotected paint for very long and it starts pitting. They really did a number on my Black Honda Accord years ago. I'm sure the radiator is no exception either. Better to keep them out / off using the Novistretch Bra and clean them off when possible. Son in Orlando said "Do not drive the Vette to Florida anytime soon!"
Last edited by 427C62013A; May 14, 2019 at 01:11 PM.
Anytime we drive on vacation I take a squirt bottle of water and a bunch of microfiber towels. When I stop for fuel (or whatever) I clean the car. I have a NoviStretch bra on the Corvette and it helps a lot. Also, I apply a fresh coat of wax on the front end as well as side view mirrors just before I leave for vacation.
Here is some proper information about the the critters. The message being....wash them off ASAP and you are good for another batch!
"The white splatter they leave on the cars is their eggs, Leppla says. "They aren't acid and they aren't basic. They're fairly neutral. So what causes the problem is leaving those on the car, until the sun and the heat, and perhaps microorganisms cause them to be damaging."
Over several days, bacteria increases the acidity and etches the paint. So IFAS recommends soaking the surface with water for about five minutes, then scrubbing within 15 to 20 minutes to remove most of the lovebugs without harm to automobile."
Last edited by joemessman; May 14, 2019 at 01:21 PM.
Well I use Zaino and have for years. plus I live in SW Florida and have driven back and forth to PA many times in my Corvette. I bought a Novi Stretch bra and the mirror bras and always carry dryer sheets which when wet will take them right off plus they're dying down now. Usually by July they're gone. Just saying that's my experience. I just take it off, wash it in a sink and let it dry and use it on the next trip.
Well I use Zaino and have for years. plus I live in SW Florida and have driven back and forth to PA many times in my Corvette. I bought a Novi Stretch bra and the mirror bras and always carry dryer sheets which when wet will take them right off plus they're dying down now. Usually by July they're gone. Just saying that's my experience. I just take it off, wash it in a sink and let it dry and use it on the next trip.
Hey Mike, looks like my car and that's all white with me!~
. More bugs, but their guts won't bake in the sun and turn to acid on your clear coat. Hose most of it off with a with pressure cleaner at a coin self-wash before you go to sleep. The next morning, take care of the rest..
