How to clean off bugs
 

This is really bugging me.
I like driving my 8 late at night since this is about the only time I can push the engine. The problem is that when driving at night, you get all the night bugs crashing onto the car's front bumper. I was washing the car yesterday and had a hard time cleaning off the bugs from the bumper. I had to scratch off each bug mark one at a time using my fingernail since using a sponge & soap does not do it.

Any tips on how to clean off the bugs? Would a kitchen non-scratch kitchen scourer scratch the plastic bumper?

Have you considered a Clear Bra? Don't have my 8 yet but apparently bugs are easy to get off this material, and if you do have to scrape, at least you're not putting the paint at risk.

Spray a paper towel with WD-40, put it on the affected area, spray some more WD-40, and let it sit for an hour. Wash well. No more bugs.

Re: How to clean off bugs
 

Do you have wax on your car? That is the first step because thw 'wax' will help keep the bugs from sticking. If you do get bugs stuck on, use your cars wash soap full strength (do not dilute), put on a sponge, soft cloth or better yet, a spary bottle and let the soap 'soak' on th ebugs for a few minutes, then just wash off with water.

My best tip is do it ASAP, with a wet towel before they get a chance to bake onto the paint in the hot sun. Left on too long, the bug juice stains your clear coat.

Use a product called "Bug and Tar remover, it works really well. To me the best product. Just spray on , let it soak a bit and wipe off.

I knew there should be a product like this. Thanks mmm, I'll go look for it. If I can't find it I'll try the other suggestions. The WD-40 solution seems like it should work but I am a bit worried that it may be too harsh on the paint work.

Where do you get this from?

Maximus - Get it at any auto store. It works like a charm. :)

The Wd40 and the bug and tar removers are all petroleum products and remove your wax. Try this. It won't remove your wax. Take some of your regular car washing product NOT dish detergent. Use it straight or mix it gently 50/50 w/water - you don't wnat the suds. Take a small piece of paper towel and wet it thoroughly with the solution. Put it over the bug splatter and gently smooth it down. Let it soak about 10 minutes and lift the splatter right off. Use a clean cloth with detailing spray to remove the soap film.

I use a combo of the above suggestions.

1. A good wax job on the forward facing portion of the car. I make an effort to re-wax this portion of the car regularly.

2. If the bug doesn't wash off with normal car wash detergent I use the Bug and Tar remover. It may take several passes to get the bug stuff off.

3. I go back over the newly cleaned bug area with some more wax. Usually the bug or bug/Bug and Tar remover etch the wax finish. The re-waxing restores the smooth finish.

Unfortunately this does nothing for rock damage, which is equally irritating :) .

I go over my car daily with Meguire's quick detail, if you catch the bird $h!t and the bugs right away, they come off pretty easily. Also works well for the dirt you pick up between washes which happen to come every weekend for me. For the stickers that were on the car from the dealership, I used bug and tar remover, available at Wal-Mart, let it set for 30 seconds, followed it with clean water, the Quick detail, and then a little wax to cover whatever the B&T remover might have pulled up.

The best solution to this is to clean off the bugs as soon as possible as Ned N said above. After some late night driving yesterday, There were tons of bugs on the bumper, windscreen and bonnet. I sprayed on some Windex a couple of hours later and the bugs came off very cleanly.
I tried the tar remover, but it did not work out too well. Still had to scratch off the bugs that had been stuck too long.