Now that I have two good daily drivers again, the LS430 and the Outback, I reserve the LS430 for nice weather and drive the Outback on rainy (and eventually snowy) days and on the unpaved roads. After about 500 miles on the LS430 this week, including 250 today, the car still looked clean - so long as you didn't look at the front, the mirrors, and the windshield which were covered in bug guts. On the way back from Ohio this afternoon, I heard a big juicy one hit the passenger side of the windshield and it splattered green goo up under the right side trim on the windshield. Thankfully, I had thoroughly washed and Zainoed the car last weekend so cleanup with some Zaino Z7 car wash was pretty quick.

I also washed the Outback, which had been Zainoed two weeks and about 500 miles ago. That wagon cleaned right up - and left the start of a nice mud outline on the driveway.

 

It always makes me feel good to wash the LS. The LS has such beautiful lines and excellent paint - it just glows after a good wash.

 

Yah, hot soapy water and those suckers melt right off. RIP

 

Maybe because these are Texas sized bugs they seem to lacquer themselves really tight to the bumpers and mirror. Regular car wash suds don't get them completely off so we use a turtlewax bug and tar remover gel spray on product. The sequence is first spray bug gel on the problem areas of bug and tar. Then foam the car down with carwash soap on a hose end sprayer and rinse -that gets a lot of the abrasives off the car before you start wiping with a rag. Then I use two 5 gal bucket method - one with rinse water one with high quality car wash soap - using a clean microfiber mini towel. Then rinse, then dry with 3 clean cotton old bath towels. Then I check it for any streaking areas and hit those with a spray and wipe detailer product. Then clean the windows inside and out with Invisible glass. Usually take 45 minutes end to end if I hustle. I used to do it every week when I drove more but given Texas dry weather and working at home, the car only gets washed about every 3-4 weeks and usually just gets dusty between washes. I generally don't wash the car in Jan and Feb as its just too cold. Last year I took it to Lexus for a free wash but I am afraid they will scratch it in their quickly wash and $5/hr wash guys so I likely won't do that this year. Growing up in Chicago I remember taking my car to the local carwash every Saturday in the winter - cost $2.75 as I remember - I hated driving a dirty car even when I was 17yo.

 

Good technique, JW. I also use the Turtle Wax bug & tar gel when they are especially bad. I guess the ones yesterday were fresh, so it didn't take the big guns to get them off.

 

Bugs..you guys aint seen nothin til you hit love bug season in Florida in may and sept.. try cleaning this

scroll down to the pontiac

http://www.examiner.com/classic-car-...rom-heartbreak

 

We were in Port Clinton, OH during fish fly season about 15 years ago. We were fine when tooling through town at 20 MPH. I made a big mistake taking the freeway back to the campground at about dusk. The front of our van was solid bugs.