Im just curious, and this may be a real stupid question...but this is my first BMW and of course i want to maintain the esthetic.

Does it matter how long bugs stay on the bumper/paint, or is it a good idea to get rid of the mess as quickly as possible. I would usually just use a spray and wash at an up close and personal distance, but i read on the forums that it could diminish the clear.

whats the best approach/method to getting rid of the lil bastards.

Thanks.

I would also like to know.

i use a pressure washer and blast those suckers off.

yeah, thats what i have done in the past...but apparently up close and personal with those things arent good for the clear, so you can use it from a distance and youre A OK, but what about those real stuck on sonuvabitches?!

I dont want to rub them in any, way, shape or form in fear of scratching... Im headin to the car wash today after work, and ill try the pressure washer again, but i dont want to make a practice of it, if its not good for the car.

:D

Poorboys bug squash.

Bugs are acidic and they will eat into the clearcoat if left on too long.

yeah, thats what i have done in the past...but apparently up close and personal with those things arent good for the clear, so you can use it from a distance and youre A OK, but what about those real stuck on sonuvabitches?!

I dont want to rub them in any, way, shape or form in fear of scratching... Im headin to the car wash today after work, and ill try the pressure washer again, but i dont want to make a practice of it, if its not good for the car.

:D

you could use a small shot of a citrus based degreaser. that would dissolve the bug. just dont let it sit on the car for too long.

Poorboys bug squash.

Bugs are acidic and they will eat into the clearcoat if left on too long.

+1

i like Surf City Road Trip Grime Destroyer

havent had anything it couldnt take off :D

turns out it can fu@k up your clear in about 24 hours...what a bunch of crap. I paid for that paintguard too from BMW thats supposed to protect against stuff like this. If this is all it does for bugs, I can imagine what it will look like when a bird shiats on my car.

Poorboys bug squash.

Bugs are acidic and they will eat into the clearcoat if left on too long.

So whats the consenus for too long? Two days, two weeks, two months?

turns out to be LESS than a day or two, at least for me... now every time i get outta the freaking car im getting those lil buggers off.

turns out it can fu@k up your clear in about 24 hours...what a bunch of crap. I paid for that paintguard too from BMW thats supposed to protect against stuff like this. If this is all it does for bugs, I can imagine what it will look like when a bird shiats on my car.


When you buy those 'dealer applied paint guards, you are not paying for the product itself to protect your paint, rather for the warranty. The product itself is no better than a $10 tin of wax that you can buy from Wal-Mart. If the bugs have indeed etched into your paint, than you can contact the dealership, and they will have their detailer fix it for free and re apply the sealant; this is what that warranty is good for along with if you have a lease, it will protect you from them saying you owe them money due to surface damages.

Now, as far as the question of 'how long is too long' all depends on many different factors; how acidic is the containment itself, what type of containment (tree sap, bug, dust, hard water, acid rain), the environment with UV rays and acid rain, and even what type of clear coat is on your car. Factor in the variable amounts of protection each wax/sealant has, and obviously it can be very hard to judge just 'how long'. Generally, the rule of thumb is to take it off within a few hours. Leaving anything on your paint for generally more than 12 hours even in a garage at night, will provide even something as simple as hard water a chance to etch into the paint. Now this does not mean it has 'destroyed' it; unless the containment has sat on there for months on end and an improper technique was used to remove it, chances are it hasn't eaten through the entire clear coat and can be polished out.

This is why a wax or sealant is so important; it acts as a sacrificial barrier between these containments and the paint itself. Basically, the idea is that the containment can just eat away at the wax and not go past it, making the containment easy to remove, and the only thing you need to do is simply re apply the wax in that one area.

Now as far as 'what is the best way to remove them', this is a much easier subject. Simply use a bug and tar remover, and wipe off with a soft cotton terry cloth or microfiber. The idea is that these products are made to re-liquify the little buggers to make them easily come off. Now, after this, it is also a good idea to throw a quick coat of wax or sealant on the area again as these products will remove any protection that was there as well as the bugs eating away at the protection. If you have a lot of bugs, than you can even soak a big towel in some car wash soap, and set it on the area for a few minutes, and than wipe them off.

If you're in the Southeastern US, beware of lovebugs - they'll eat the paint down to the primer, especially on new or dark-colored paints - my wife's Volvo S60 (previous owner didn't wash 'em off) and my ex-wife's VW Beetle, both had very severe lovebug etchings.. Keep at least two coats of sealant/wax on, and wipe off the bugs after every drive.

Another vote here for a citrus based cleaner. I use P21S Total Auto Wash and it works GREAT if they are stubborn.

As Wolfstong said, use a good sealant, it makes it easier so that you don't have to use a cleaner to get them out.

Im in Orlando and am scared to death of Love Bug hell... 2 weeks out of the year you can't roll 50ft without getting them EVERYWHERE on your front bumper/hood/windsheild... I thought about keeping a MF towel in the car and some other products, so when I drive to work I can take care of it in the parking lot before letting the car bake for 9 hours in the hot sun (Im still searching for a shady spot I can steal full time when parking at work.. that doesn't involve under trees) =/

The degreaser and bug squash is nice, but I wouldn't have a way to clean them off after application/wipe down. I suppose I could go with a car bra or something during those times, but im always scared of those things scratching my paint and they just plain look bad to me.

Any options for this situation? Maybe just keep a bottle of water/MF towel and use that to wipe the front down and hope its enough during the day, and then do a good removal job at night? (I fear for my paint!)

Any options for this situation? Maybe just keep a bottle of water/MF towel and use that to wipe the front down and hope its enough during the day, and then do a good removal job at night? (I fear for my paint!)

That's pretty much what I do... fresh wax and/or sealant at the beginning of the Lovebug infestation is an absolute must - that way, they come off easily when you wipe 'em off, you don't have to scrub at 'em.

At least it's only two weeks at a time, twice a year.