I enjoy cleaning my TA and invariably do my OH's Pop at the same time. Keeps me in the good books and sometimes I get a bonus payment in my pocket money!!

However after completing my round trip to Torquay, I was presented yet again, when cleaning today, with numerous red an black insect splatterings over the Front/Bonnet and Wings.

BNW shows them up very well indeed. I am not adverse to hard work and using elbow grease, but is there a good propriety product anyone can recommend to make my life easier in the future or maybe self concocted remedies that you have been successful with?

This problem is avoided if you drive in reverse.

RobinPJ said:

This problem is avoided if you drive in reverse.

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Robin, why would I expect anything different from you ?

Just make sure you have a good quality wax on your car and they will wash off with warm water.

Baby wipes!

Actually they are very good at getting bugs off, they seem to grip very well and the fact that they have very few chemicals means that you aren't going to damage the paintwork either. Boots own brand ones are around a quid for 72 wipes, can't go wrong!

I found they were very useful prior to properly washing and waxing the car, certainly worth a punt. Also handy to have a pack in the car anyway!

chas379 said:

Robin, why would I expect anything different from you ?

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Seriously, if you want to do it super-properly, then you need one of these:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=183611

Basically it soaks all the crap off so you don't have to work at it and scratch everything.

Mine got delivered today and is sitting on my desk right now. It's gorgeous.

RUI is right about wax too.

That does indeed look like a top bit of kit

Mind you, baby wipes will always come in handy if you fancy cleaning up straight after a long trip (maybe whilst in the services for example). Cheap and cheerful option of course

Super Uwe said:

That does indeed look like a top bit of kit

Mind you, baby wipes will always come in handy if you fancy cleaning up straight after a long trip (maybe whilst in the services for example). Cheap and cheerful option of course

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Definitely - and especially to get rid of bird poo which needs to be got off asap.

wet bath towel soaked in car wash water, leave on front of car for 10 mins then wash car as normal

RobinPJ said:

Seriously, if you want to do it super-properly, then you need one of these:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=183611

Basically it soaks all the crap off so you don't have to work at it and scratch everything.

Mine got delivered today and is sitting on my desk right now. It's gorgeous.

RUI is right about wax too.

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I love my foam lance

Wife was spying on me a while back when I was foaming both of our cars

RobW said:

wet bath towel soaked in car wash water, leave on front of car for 10 mins then wash car as normal

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This is a nice easy way to do it without buying anything new or special. Helps soften the bugs so they come off easier when you wash it properly.

Snowfoam and a pressure washer won't get the stubborn bugs off without using the force of the pressure washer which can damage the paint if your not careful or lucky.

Venters said:

This is a nice easy way to do it without buying anything new or special. Helps soften the bugs so they come off easier when you wash it properly.

Snowfoam and a pressure washer won't get the stubborn bugs off without using the force of the pressure washer which can damage the paint if your not careful or lucky.

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I tend to wash my cars when it's been raining for a bit and any dirt or bugs are soft from the rain.

As for damaging paint with a pressure washer, definitely something to be careful of. I've got a Nilfisk P150 and it came with two nozzles. One which is adjustable and one which I found (much to my amusement) will strip paint off our gate which has a zillion layers of flakey paint on it. You can guess which one doesn't get used around the car!!!!!

306maxi said:

I tend to wash my cars when it's been raining for a bit and any dirt or bugs are soft from the rain.

As for damaging paint with a pressure washer, definitely something to be careful of. I've got a Nilfisk P150 and it came with two nozzles. One which is adjustable and one which I found (much to my amusement) will strip paint off our gate which has a zillion layers of flakey paint on it. You can guess which one doesn't get used around the car!!!!!

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I have a pencil nozzle for my petrol pressure washer. Should see the damage it can do. :devil:

would love to see

Car sized peel off strips like used by F1 drivers on their helmet visors.

Autoglym active insect remover! spray it on and they dissolve, designed for use on cars and does a good job best used with a bug sponge which is a sponge with a net round it.

Pressure washers on stubborn bugs stuck to the front of your car can end in tears if you catch a stone chip with too much force, I like the towel idea though!

You should avoid anything that needs a lot of abrasion (scrubbing) or pressure (jet washers).

Soak the bug-splash off. The hotter the water and the waxier the paint is, the easier they are to remove. The hot soaked towel and the foam lance would be my approach.

You can also use a bit of paraffin or white spirit on a cloth since the bugs are slightly oily and these solvents will dissolve them. They will strip any wax though, so after you dissolved the bugs, give it a squirt of Quick Detailer and a bit of wax again.


Ralf S.

RobinPJ said:

Seriously, if you want to do it super-properly, then you need one of these:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=183611

Basically it soaks all the crap off so you don't have to work at it and scratch everything.

Mine got delivered today and is sitting on my desk right now. It's gorgeous.

RUI is right about wax too.

Click to expand...

Got one earlier this week and did both cars today, impressed by the result