So my '18 IS350 F-Sport is rarely driven as that's my 'play' car - I bought it new and right now it sits at a little over 2100 miles. It pretty much sits in the garage and I take it out every now and then to run a few errands or just drive free spirited on the highway. As you can see, I don't really drive long distances or haven't yet in the car.

Given that it's still summer out, bugs just love to kill themselves in front of the car (even when going in low speed) - they splatter on the windshield, front bumper, side mirrors, headlights, etc. As best as I can and especially since I have a black car, I try to gently clean off these guts with Meguiar's Quick Detailer so it doesn't sit and etch into the paint. It really gets annoying to do this and each time, I worry about scratching the paint to remove the guts. Also since I have young kids, I don't have the time to clean/wash my car every week or weekend as much as I would like to... I want to keep the car clean, looking good, and not have any issues of guts/dust eating away at the paint, but I'm definitely no detailer.

Do you guys always spray or clean off the bug guts off your car every time you finish a drive? Just curious as to what most do if you don't have the time to do a thorough wash or even a waterless wash to keep your ride protected and clean.

 

I get the rant. We've all been there. But wow, ~2100 miles only!? Garage queen.

Personally when it comes to bug guts, I give myself 24-48 hours to clean the affected parts. Bug guts contain acids that will etch the paint.

However, if its bird poop (I really... really... really... hate birds...) absolutely clean that off ASAP. I learned the hard way from my first vehicle in high school that bird poop will etch the paint of a vehicle SUPER quickly. You don't want to delay cleaning cause trust me, every time you see that etched/marred area of paint, you'll be reminded of the time that that POS bird took a royal dump on your car. I keep a bottle of detailer ( I use Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash) in my vehicle at all times for situations like that.

 

I would say PPF the front bumper and enjoy the car more often. It the best protection againt bugs and rock chips worry free. You'll still have to wash it but less chance of it etching the paint if it sit longer.

 

The PPF is great because the bugs don't do much to it. Also, you can take a spray and just do a quick wipe without worrying about swirl marks as the PPF is self healing. It's the best mod I've ever done to my car.

 

^^This is your best option

 

Just buy a hand pressurized water sprayer from amazon and keep it filled with car wash soap and water and just spray your car down after you drive and rinse and wipe dry. The water pressure is strong enough to blast the bugs away. Even better would be an actual electric pressurized sprayer if you want to invest $150 or so. Way better than some plastic wrap and will serve as a great tool for washing all your cars. The bugs are going to be on top of this "PPF " plastic wrap anyway and still be unsightly. The best and only option (for the picky) is to remove the bugs.

Keeping the bumper waxed will make this job even easier as the bug guts will have much less micro-crevices to stick in.

 

I take some Meguiar's Quick Detailer to it after a buggy drive. Where I live, bugs are usually only an issue for me if I drive at night.

I disagree with water pressure being enough to remove them though. I have definitely tried that. Maybe it depends on the type of bug you hit. Definitely best to do the least amount of scrubbing to get them off though, so I don't disagree with the sentiment of this.

 

Yeah of course actual washing is best but it seems OP is looking for a shortcut way out rather than simply washing the car. He's concerned for scratching.

 

I use Rejex wax (helacopter air plane windows wax) on all my cars, body, windows & all 1 time a year, sometimes a recover on bumpers &,hood, mirrors.
beautiful finish, leaves every thing deep & slick. Bugs rinse off easily, even dust does not stay on as bad..

 

Used dryer sheets work great at removing bug guts and it's safe on the paint. I've been using them for years. Just dunk them in your wash bucket before use.

 

+1 on the PPF....And driving the car more...lol. 2100 miles on a 2018 Lexus? Might as well be brand new.

 

PPF self heals so i don't worry about scratching. I just spray optimum no rinse and wipe the bugs off the bumper or hood. I use to worry about scratching the paint but with PPF, no swirls because of the self heal. Again, best mod i've ever had

 

Haha thanks for the feedback guys; just wanted to see what you guys do especially if your IS is a daily driver. Yeah, I don't have a chance taking mine out too much. As it is now, I barely have time to even wash the car.

 

i put a 900 miles just getting mine from TX to CO