cleaning off the bugs

[stumpy]

Malcolms post on the Cornwall gtg thread about fly splats got me thinking as to which method do members prefer to rid their cars of fly corpses?

We are coming into that season now where after a decent drive the car looks a mess with fly remains everywhere, including all the nooks and crannies.

 

[Dec]

What I use for waxing the car body work, Turtle Wax polish, I just apply it to the corpses and leave for a few minutes and buff off, this is usually done after washing the car.

For the glass there is nothing better than Cif, must be rinsed off afterwards as it is a corrosive and abrasive household cleaner and not good for the paint work.

Dec

 

[television]

Well I have so many coats of Mcguiers polish on mine they do not really stick that well, sure they look a mess, in the evening out of the sun I just wet them with a sponge and they come off with ease

 

[osc]

My SL has been sat around after a respray for about 4 years and accumulated a HUGE amount of sediment, tree sap, etc. I was looking to use G20 rubbing compound to get out the shine again but a friend recommended that I clay the car.

I used the McGuires Clay kit from Halfords, but I think they are all pretty good. The results are absolutely incredible and have restored the paint work to the day it left the spray shop. It is not absrasive but it lifts of the dirt to leave an ultra-smooth, mirror-like finish (which I have NEVER been able to get with polish).

 

[bigasotonuk]

My SL has been sat around after a respray for about 4 years and accumulated a HUGE amount of sediment, tree sap, etc. I was looking to use G20 rubbing compound to get out the shine again but a friend recommended that I clay the car.

I used the McGuires Clay kit from Halfords, but I think they are all pretty good. The results are absolutely incredible and have restored the paint work to the day it left the spray shop. It is not absrasive but it lifts of the dirt to leave an ultra-smooth, mirror-like finish (which I have NEVER been able to get with polish).

Hi,
An even smoother finish can be obtained (if you can believe it) after claying if you use Meguirs "cleaner wax" I clay my car approx once a year, and use the cleaner wax 3-4 times a year, Meguirs products are the best i have used, though auto glym does come a close 2nd.

 

[Matt45]

I have recently found that auto glym tyre dressing desolves bugs easily. I found out by accident after washing my wifes car and then after doing the tyres [spray and buff off with auto glym tyre cleaner] i went round the black parts with the damp cloth. I was doing the wing mirror surrounds and the bugs just wiped off. I expect that WD40 would have a similar effect as it's silicone and disolves the bugs. Can't do any harm and it works.

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

dead flies and bird droppings are slightly acidic and with heat etch themselves onto most surfaces.

hydration time is all that matters with some effect from the "surface tension" you get from waxes and certain laquer finishes. so if you left your car in the rain for an hour then the debris would just wipe off with any soft brush, cloth etc.

if you want to remone the debris quickly then there are many solvents which would hydrate the debis, some of which have allready been mentioned. the milder ones being the least likely to impair the paint work.

when i used to drive on the continent i asked the truck drivers what they were all using in their own made up squeeze spray bottles, it was a good squirt of washing up liquid and an egg cup full of vinegar, then topped up with water. within a minute they just wiped the debris off with a piece of towelling. herbiemercman.

 

[FIBAMAN]

Used a similar formula in my screenwash bottle a few cars back. Worked well but had to drop it as the smell upset some passengers

 

[ernieh]

Use Screen Wash Neat

A friend of mine who is a rep told me a while ago to use screen-wash undiluted to soften the splat from bugs on the body / windscreen of the car.
Although I tend to use the MB stuff in the washer reservoir, I keep some Halfords' handy for this purpose. As it contains iso-propanol, it softens the 'deposit' as well as the solid material. The only downside is that if you are in the habit of polishing the car, you will need to reapply the polish as the alcohol also removes any residual polish.

Ernie

 

[turbopete]

ive never heard of these clay kits before. i kinda get what they do etc tho. what kind of price are they and are they ok to use on new paint?thinking of painting where theres currently rust etc then compounding to blend as well as poss with a power polisher of some kind. could i clay and wax it after this?

 

[osc]

i had not heard of them before my friend mentioned it. basically you wash, clay then wax.

i did my research last week and you pay around £10 for a 50g clay bar and £10 for the lubricant. hence at £23 the McGuires Clay Kit represents good value since there are two 40g clay bars (plus polishing cloth and sample polish). at the moment there is 3 for 2 at halfords so i bought 3 thinking if it was no good i would return 2, but i'm keeping them all. my SL took one bottle of lubricant but it was filthy, and i went over panels a few times to get a mirror finish. lots of how to clay via google and youtube. spray on and rub clay over, folding over as you go. you will be able to hear the sediment come off, keep going until smooth and keep wetting the panel. IF YOU DROP THE CLAY BAR THEN THROW IT AWAY, else you could risk sratches

 

[roofless]

i've been looking at the number of products you can get for cleaning ect on this site http://www.kenteurope.com/uk/automotive/cataloguehome.php & they also have data sheets for every product to give you a better idea of how to use & on what