Need help - Bug & Tar remover

[Cardinal]

Hi, I need some advice on bug n tar remover for my car. I have a can of Gunk brand bug and tar remover. It looks just like this:



Has anyone tried this before? Is it safe to use? There are some warnings on the back, and I really don't feel like experimenting on the Elise. I also have some Turtle Wax brand bug n tar remover in a black Windex-style bottle, but it's total crap. It barely works better than water from the garden hose.

Does anyone know of a particular brand that actually works well without doing paint damage? I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

[Demonized]

If there are excessive bugs on my car, I claybar.

[mhouston23]

I've used that stuff on my non-Lotus cars, but would NEVER bring it near the Elise. It's basically just lighter fluid in a spray can.

Wash the car, then clay bar, then a good coat of wax. After that, bug residue will slide right off.

[shadowhusky]

I have been using the bug and tar remover from Turtle Wax for over a year on mine and it works great. I use in on the starshied and non starshield areas and I have no complaints. I am using it mainy for bugs however. It is probably just as easy to just use hot water and a towel, I have done that also. ...again , just for bugs, I havent had the need to get any tar off the car yet

[kestrel74]

Turtle Wax.

[Dead Duck]

Baby oil works and it's gentle to the finish.

[RoadDad]

Rain-X Bug &Tar Pre-wash Gel

[iwantanelise]

Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover brings back old memories...but there are better things out there. My favorite? Poorboy's BUG SQUASH. But before I go into that...

WHOOOAAAAAAAA
If there are excessive buggies on your vehicle you should NOT go STRAIGHT to the clay bar or wax (I am not sure if this was meant). Excessive buggies require lots of lubrication to prevent the harden bugs from scratching the paint.

BEFORE YOU GRAB THE CLAYBAR
If you use a clay bar on a bug, some of its hard fragments will get stuck into the claybar, and then once you move the clay bar around the surface for additional passes those fragments stuck in the clay bar will scratch your paint.

WAXING
Waxing a surface to remove bugs sounds terrible, sorry. Wax is not designed to do this, it's designed to protect the paint. Just like the clay bar situation, your wax applicator will get contaminated with hardened bug guts and once that contaminated applicator gets on the paint...SCRATCHES!!!!

The CP Car Detailing Recommendation:
1. I know it's a pain but for the ultimate in prevention you should really wash the area, and do it gently with some lubricated car wash soap to get most of the bug residue off the surface. DO NO SCRUB

2. Once rinsed off, determine if you are satisfied. If not, spray some Poorboy's BUG SQUASH (I like a dilution of 1:3 with water), let dwell for a about 3 mins, then re-agitate gently and RINSE.

3. If NOT satisfied at this point, go ahead and try the clay bar with your car wash soap as lubrication.

4. Once rinsed, go ahead and wax the area you just worked on.

5. Enjoy your bug-free finish

NOTE: Since I am not sure if the posters who mentioned waxing or clay barring meant to jump straight to those methods (a context issue), I went ahead and explained my entire process. No mean to offend, just worried that some may get the wrong idea and ruin their finish.

For the most extreme bugs, I would soak a towel in water and let it sit overnight on the areas that are filled with bugs. In the morning the bugs will be softened and easier to remove.

The best prevention to make bugs easier to remove, and hence, more gentle to your paint is having a fresh coat of wax on your paint at all times. Also, try to remove bugs from the front end as soon as you can, to prevent hardening and future scratching upon removal.

[glb]

kerosene.

[RWLott]

Originally Posted by glb

kerosene.

ditto for the tar.

I use glass cleaner/paper towell for the bugs.