Winter roads have been lovely–cold, slushy, muddy, chemically treated–but it’s all coming to an end. What’s up next for your ride? Spring. And we are in the Panhandle so guess what comes with spring? Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs.
Aren’t these cute? I didn’t want to start off with the gross stuff. But brace yourself….
Bad bugs happen to good people.
Can bugs etch your paint? Yep. Similar to how bird droppings can stain and etch your paint, bug guts are really acidic. Acidic enough that they can sink right into your clearcoat (etch), leaving stains and tiny indentations. Yes, clear coat and paint are fairly tough surfaces, but not necessarily tough enough to withstand sharp pointy bug legs and carapaces, along with a gooey acid wash, at 80 mph. For an extended period. (If you’ve already ceramic coated your car, you can ALMOST skip the rest of this… More on that in a minute.)
Of course the first line of defense is to get this gunk off your car ASAP! I will admit, I used to go to the drive-through carwash with bugs all over the front of my car and ask them to “scrub it extra with that broom” before going through all the other abrasive stuff that was going to happen to my car in there.
NNNNOOOOOOOOOO! The horror!!
Only the bug carcasses were gone. All the etching and damage was still there, plus more finish damage from the brush. Lots of stuff out on the market says you can spray it on and the bugs just melt off. Some of them are right, but most recommend scrubbing at some point. AVOID SCRUBBING!
A friend swears you can just let your chickens clean the front of the car. I have no proof of this, but….
Again, damage to the clearcoat, ya’ll.
Adams offers a heavy-duty, professional-strength formula for softening and removing bugs from any surface! It’s safe on paint, plastic and glass and (most importantly) clear coat! It dissolves bug guts on contact and has a very high sudsing formula for more slick cleaning. For some wonderful reason, it’s bright blue and it smells like grapes–I love it!
All the products, scrubbing, chemicals, washes and yes, chickens in the world cannot fix the damage that etching does to the clearcoat. You need a professional. You need Pro Auto Spas.
With the right treatment and our expert polishing, your car can be happy again. Smooth, shiny, gunk free. If you are already ceramic coated, you already know: These bugs are going to slide off your car and no paint etching or damage.
