Removing bugs
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,046
Likes: 13
From: Central Florida
Removing bugs
Does anyone have a good way to remove bugs from the front of the car with out buying a bra. In the past just washing worked, but now it seems I have a few more stubborn remains.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: sterlling heights MI
Bugged
I usually use off the shelf bug removes work well. For the really stubburn bugs, those nylon disk scrub pads work great. Wet down the area with soapy water and scrub ever so gently. Works grat on windows. Kinda like the squeeges at the gas station
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,923
Likes: 1
From: The Corner of No and Where Arkansas
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'10
If you put several coats of Zaino, NXT, Regex on, they will wash off with just water. I am always afraid to use tar and bug remover on my car as, what else is it removing along with the bugs.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,786
Likes: 0
From: Pleasanton California
I wash first with a soft damp towel, and then get the stuck ones off with Turtle Wax tar & bug remover (in the black spray bottle). I usually just spray a little bit on a sof cloth instead of directly on the car. It is not abrasive to the clear coat finish.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,412
Likes: 1,295
From: Bluffton, SC
I use a very old technique for removing bug splatter. Get a piece of your wife's old nylon stockings and roll it into a small ball. Then wet it with a liquid dishwasher soap...something like Dawn works well. Just rub the bug juice off. It works very well and I've never seen it harm the finish of any car I've used it on.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 1
From: Heaven, for the climate; Hell, for the company
Love bugs.
Wash as much off with just water -- soft spray, not jet. Then spray detailer -- I use Meguiars, but any should do -- onto a soft cotton cloth, lay it over the buggy areas -- no scrubbing. Leave it on for a couple of hours, respray if it looks like drying. Remove cloth, water spray again, and wipe with micro or soft cotton. Then re-wax. Always has done the trick.
Wash as much off with just water -- soft spray, not jet. Then spray detailer -- I use Meguiars, but any should do -- onto a soft cotton cloth, lay it over the buggy areas -- no scrubbing. Leave it on for a couple of hours, respray if it looks like drying. Remove cloth, water spray again, and wipe with micro or soft cotton. Then re-wax. Always has done the trick.
Last edited by rosemaryburm; Jun 5, 2006 at 12:51 PM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,670
Likes: 9
From: Rochelle Illinois
C6 of Year Finalist (stock) 2019
Originally Posted by Zymurgy
Use tar and bug remover to get them off. Then use Rejex and bugs won't stick anymore.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 798
Likes: 0
From: Dana Point CA
First wash the car with slightly soapy water as you would usually do, then use a claybar with soap/lubricant to remove remaining bug guts. I have found the claybar is much less likely to scratch the clearcoat than a nylon scrubbie. Follow up with a good polymer sealant like Zaino (my favorite) or Rejex. Last week my fiancee had paint (from the highway dept having just painted lines on the road) spewed all over the lower half of the car. Claybar removed it with incredible ease and no visible damage to the paint. If you have never used this stuff before, try it out as I know you will love it!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. Good to clean windshields too.
P.S. Good to clean windshields too.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,588
Likes: 7
From: Port St Lucie Florida
I have offered this suggestion before but I don't think anyone has tried it. It works great and is so easy. I took bugs off my wifes car after 6 days with ease.
Buy the cheapest store brand dryer sheets. The ones you put in the dryer with your clothes. Dampen it and the bugs come right off. You have to use water after to get the little residue off. I use them on my wife's QX56, my C6 and my Cobra
Buy the cheapest store brand dryer sheets. The ones you put in the dryer with your clothes. Dampen it and the bugs come right off. You have to use water after to get the little residue off. I use them on my wife's QX56, my C6 and my Cobra
Last edited by 6speedC6; Jun 6, 2006 at 07:54 AM.
CF Senior Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,262
Likes: 21
From: Palm City Florida
Here is what happened to my wifes BMW 3 days ago going across Florida SR70. The car was perfectly clean and waxed 4 hours earlier. It eventually washed off using lots of soap and water. For the ride home, I sprayed the front of the car and side mirrors with "Pam" cooking spray. The bugs rinsed off with just water from a hose. Everyone in St Pete was waiting to see my Vette. Not during Lovebug season.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 1
From: Heaven, for the climate; Hell, for the company
Originally Posted by xcutter
... I sprayed the front of the car and side mirrors with "Pam" cooking spray. The bugs rinsed off with just water from a hose.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 748
Likes: 373
From: Fargo, ND
Even with Rejex or Zaino, you are still going to get bugs stuck to your car (I do). All depends on how big a bug and how long its been on there. If its just a few bugs, I'll use some quick detailer and a micro fiber cloth to wipe them off. If you have the situation like the BMW above, you have to wash with soap and water and a good bug sponge. Using Dawn will strip the wax off the car, so if you use that be prepared to wax the car afterwards. Same with dryer sheets.
Pam non stick spray also works, but I don't know how long it remains effective and what effect it eventually has on your finish.
Pam non stick spray also works, but I don't know how long it remains effective and what effect it eventually has on your finish.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 122
Likes: 0
From: FAT Female Vette Owner
Spray with plain old warm water, let sit a minute, wipe off, then spray repeat til they are gone. You don't need any chemicals, just moisture will rehydrate the little dead bug bodies and cause them to release from the paint. Especially if you keep a few coats of any wax on the vehicle.
Once you're done, just add a little gloss wipe-on-wipe-off kinda stuff (I use zaino z7 I think it is--the gloss enhancer) and they will continue to come off easily in the future (as long as you have wax on car). If you have some Harley Gloss laying around, use that.
Out here in the 110 degree summer heat, the bugs cook on the paint (especially after driving thru them all day long). A bra was an absolute necessity, and has the added benefit of protecting against all the birds and rocks I frequently encounter. And the bra is easy to clean off, despite what bra naysayers opine.
I'd rather have baked on bugs on the bra and not have to babysit the front end paint all the time. Nothing worse than getting home at midnight from driving all day and having to give the car a wipe down. No thanks. Tired of that. Since installing the bra, those 30-minute wipe downs are now just 5-minutes, and can wait til the next day.
I wanna spend my time driving the vette not bathing it.
Dead bugs STINK when you clean them off. Yuck.
Once you're done, just add a little gloss wipe-on-wipe-off kinda stuff (I use zaino z7 I think it is--the gloss enhancer) and they will continue to come off easily in the future (as long as you have wax on car). If you have some Harley Gloss laying around, use that.
Out here in the 110 degree summer heat, the bugs cook on the paint (especially after driving thru them all day long). A bra was an absolute necessity, and has the added benefit of protecting against all the birds and rocks I frequently encounter. And the bra is easy to clean off, despite what bra naysayers opine.
I'd rather have baked on bugs on the bra and not have to babysit the front end paint all the time. Nothing worse than getting home at midnight from driving all day and having to give the car a wipe down. No thanks. Tired of that. Since installing the bra, those 30-minute wipe downs are now just 5-minutes, and can wait til the next day.
I wanna spend my time driving the vette not bathing it.
Dead bugs STINK when you clean them off. Yuck.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,046
Likes: 13
From: Central Florida
6speedC6 you are the man. I took your suggestion and used Bounce. Incredible, it worked like a charm. Afterwards I washed the area with car soap and bug guts were gone. Thanks.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,020
Likes: 0
From: Dade City Florida
I just put on several coats of Rejex after washing my car and then any bug or love bugs (live in florida) just rinse off with a hose. Any thing left (which is not much) comes off with a little soap and water. 
