Love bug season...

[Alan]

Love bug season is upon us here in Florida. For those that don't know, about twice a year they pop up in the millions and enjoy fornicating while hovering over warm roads and highways. A drive down the highway during peak season at the hottest parts of the day could yield you hundreds of these little bastards splattered all over the front of your car. If you don't wash them off within a day or so their guts will eat through your paint (witnessed this first hand on a brand new Explorer owned by my parents).

So yesterday during my daily de-bugging of my wife's Sonic I came to the realization that the lovely style of this vehicle also makes it difficult for bug removal, particularly in the little crevices of the headlights. There are so many different surfaces and seams where those little bastards splatter their insides.

So far I've done okay with detail spray and a microfiber but I'm curious if anyone has used something to reach back to get to those bugs that get in the impossible spots in the headlights or some of the tighter seams.

 

[TurboTechRacing]

LOL so thruthful of a post!

 

[SSpeckerwood]

they'd throw me in jail if i used whipped out my tool to reach deep into crevices

 

[rdss]

Yeah, I am not a fan of them either. Makes driving unenjoyable anywhere you go in Florida. Cleaning the windhsield when you get gas is more than just a must.

 

[Alan]

Didn't know cleaning a car was considered an "exterior modification". Thinking there should be a separate car care sub forum where we can share detailing, cleaning, and other misc tips on keeping our cars clean/new, no?

 

[xtremsonic]

I use Bounce dryer sheets to get the bugs off. no special tools, just dig in with my fingers.

 

[silversurfer]

I use Bounce dryer sheets to get the bugs off. no special tools, just dig in with my fingers.

Bounce dryer sheets for bugs, yes....a trick i learned while spending some time in love bug season around NOLA a few years back...it works!

 

[Wolfhound]

Definetly dryer sheets, been using on the car, motorcycle & motorhome for years. One sheet will do the entire front of a motorhome.

 

[sonic007]

I hattteeeeee bug season. They are freaking everywhere......

 

[Aldakoopa]

I don't live in FL or deal with love bugs, but ever since Hurricane Irene the mosquito population has exploded where I live, and I thought the headlights were covered with a plastic housing like most composite lights, but after I bought the car I noticed all the crevices and realised that it would be nearly impossible to get all the bugs out of there! I haven't gotten many mosquitoes on it yet though. Can somebody elaborate on the dryer sheet thing? I have never heard of it before. I use a sort of rough sponge (still safe on the paint) that scrubs them off very easily. Do you use soap and water with the dryer sheet just like it were a rag or a sponge? I'd like to see how they compare to the rough sponge I've been using...

 

[xtremsonic]

I just wet the car and start wiping, no special tricks. I used to use the Mr. Clean magic eraser pads until I heard those weren't good for the clearcoat. I started using the dryer sheets and thats all I use now.

 

[FIMS]

High pressure water, not only does it get the bugs out of the headlights, the water that sprays back cools you off while you wash the car

 

[briganteavita]

gonna try this "dryer sheet" trick tomorrow on my car up here in NY. i do alot of highway driving and the "bugs" are plentiful. thanks!

 

[boony]

Should use a sort of rough sponge that 's good way with water to take them off,I agree with Aldakoopa

 

[sonic007]

Wtf?

 

[mowcowbell]

Keep the front of the car waxed, and use a detailing spray to loosen up the bug guts for a few minutes before wiping. It should get the bugs in the crevices out.

Here in the Great Plains, the bugs here are huge grasshoppers. Some are over 2" long. They sound like rocks hitting your car when you get nailed by one.

Darin

 

[jabberwocky]

new or used?

dryer sheets