Bug Splatters on Front End

[tnpartsguy]

I searched, I promise, but I didn't find a direct answer, so here goes....anyone else here with a monotone that has baked in, caked on bug splatters on the front end? I tried cleaning wax, and claybar, but they only got about 1/3 of the splat.....Am I going to have to paint the front fascia??

[ColonelPanic]

No monotone, but the painted portion of the bumper on my 2-tone has crap all over it that just won't come out. Not to mention tons of chips as well.I've tried darn near everything I can think of to get the stuff off the bumper, but to no avail.

[Flip-Side]

I wash my car every week, but I can NEVER get the baked bugs off my bumper. I tried to use rubbing compound as a last resort but it took off more paint than bugs. The bugs are now part of the unbelievably crappy paint on my vibe.

[AKLGT]

i've used turtle's tar/bug remover this weekend to remove all the road tar and left over bugs from the summer. took all weekend, but i think i got pretty much most of it off. lots of bugs here in the summer. it takes a long time to get them off, but wax and tar/bug remover seems to work the best, just takes multiple times.

[fjf511]

Ditto on the smashed bugs. I just did a pretty good cleaning of my Vibe and the still remain

[ragingfish]

I bet a pro could get them off...That being said, Stoner's "Tarminator" is some pretty strong stuff. Got off even the worst baked-on bugs.

[AKLGT]

too bad i can't get the rock chips to disappear.

[Stang2Vibe]

I have to agree with the others here in recommending a good bug & tar remover for this task. Keeping a good coat of wax on the painted areas will also go a long way in preventing the bugs from getting so stuck to the paint.

[ColonelPanic]

I've had decent luck with that stuff too. That's the real thick liquid from the spray bottle, right? I also have some that I picked up from Advance Auto in a spray can. That worked pretty well too, smelled kinda citrusy. But none have whacked any of the crap off the bumper though. Maybe like you, I need to work harder at it and spend more time trying to get them off. Blah, I'll just go get the bumper repainted. I've been wanting to do that, but never bothered. Too much money!

[PhillyVibeGT]

Wax, Wax, Wax... is all I can say. I had that problem with my S-10. Living in 'burbs we get plenty of bugs during the summer months and I too fought long and hard to no avail trying to ride the dead bugs from my front end. When I got the Vibe I put three coats of wax on it in three weeks(the dealer did not wax it when I bought it, how nice of them ) Anyway, I waxed the fascia every other time I washed the car, once a week from June till October, maybe that was too much... if there is such a thing as too much wax...IDK. But I do know that the splats seem to rub right off and I have no left over splats from the summer, I plan on waxing the fascia at least once a month when it gets warmer. I know that I am just repeating what others have said but there is strength in numbers.

[PhillyVibeGT]

one other thing you can try..my brother is a big mineral spirits guy, he lives in the deep woods in upper Bucks County and it works for him. Just make sure you wash it off right away and even use a bit of wax, it will eat though the clear coat.

[Flip-Side]

Quote, originally posted by PhillyVibeGT »it will eat though the clear coat.Thats fine since we don't have clear coat on the vibe. GM used the cheapest, crappiest paint possible (PPG) and it is considered base + clear coat all in one. In reality, it is just a super thin film of crappy paint that a fingernail can peel off.

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by Flip-Side »Thats fine since we don't have clear coat on the vibe. GM used the cheapest, crappiest paint possible (PPG) and it is considered base + clear coat all in one.To the best of my knowledge and from my experience messing around with my Vibe, that is not true. The bumper covers, wheel mouldings, and rocker panels on monotone Vibes are a non-clearcoat painted finish as you mention, but the rest of the car is a basecoat + clearcoat system. Those particular sections are non-clearcoated because they need to be flexible, particularly the bumper covers. If your bumper covers were clearcoated, the first time that you bumped anything with your car--even if only rather lightly--the clearcoat would crack and spiderweb. It was wise for GM to paint the bumpers this way and many car makers have been doing this for many years. The paint is probably mixed with gloss enhancers and a flex agent additive for those non-clearcoated parts. Now what kind of quality those additives and even the paint are is a different issue. That is something I question myself.I have found the clearcoat on my Vibe to be rather soft compared to other clearcoat finishes. Why exactly that is I don't really know. They might have thinned it down more when mixing it to make each batch cover more cars, or the quality of the clearcoat just isn't very high--or both. Our Vibes are rather prone to chipping, which leads me to question the quality and application of the primer that is applied before the basecoat. I feel that the basecoat does not have very good adhesion to the primer and that is why this is happening. It would appear that paint and finish is one place where GM decided to really cut corners to reduce expenses with the Vibe.And one final thought. IIRC, all Vibe bodies are finished with a basecoat + clearcoat finish except for ones that are Abyss (black) and Frosty (white). I think that for those two colors a pearl paint was used instead of the typical base + clear. This is also a common practice among various car makers.

[zionzr2]

A good bug/tar remover and some oldfashioned elbow grease. Also let the B/T remover set a bit before you scrub....When All finished be sure to wax... as the B/T remover will remove all the wax as well!!

[sensfanrk]

The bugs ate through my clear coat into the paint, and my dealership repainted and clearcoated the nose of the car...

[Mr. Poopypants]

You will probably need to get them hi-speed buffed out, you can either do it yourself (not recommended if you don't know how to buff) or professionally done. Prices range from around 25 for just the front end up to over 200 for the entire car.

[tnpartsguy]

Quote, originally posted by Flip-Side » GM used the cheapest, crappiest paint possible (PPG) and it is considered base + clear coat all in one. In reality, it is just a super thin film of crappy paint that a fingernail can peel off. I scrapped a microwave cart on the edge of the rear bumper unloading it today....not very hard, but it is made of pressboad so it's got a rough edge....now i have a long gouge in the paint, can't believe how thin the paint is on the bumper....

[Stang2Vibe]

Since GM is probably going to be sending reps to the MI supermeet again this year, perhaps we can get some answers on the paint problems or even the Vibe's paint process from them.

[Mr. Poopypants]

Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe »Since GM is probably going to be sending reps to the MI supermeet again this year, perhaps we can get some answers on the paint problems or even the Vibe's paint process from them.This would be excellent, I have paint chips EVERYWHERE!

[DaddyVibeMI]

Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe »Since GM is probably going to be sending reps to the MI supermeet again this year, perhaps we can get some answers on the paint problems or even the Vibe's paint process from them.Sweet!! That would be very nice....

[CyBeRjUnKiE]

Not sure if anyone has tried this, but I watched some car show on TV a while back where they suggested to use lighter fluid. I tried it on bugs, tree sap and even the sticky glue stuff from the stupid badge that the dealer put on, and it came off. It took a couple of applications for the real stubborn ones but it came off. But you'll have to make sure to wax the area afterwards since it takes out any protective wax coating you may have on your paint. It should not affect clear coatings.

[Man of Steel]

Did you tried WD40? Haven't used in on my Vibe yet but have used it on other cars and it works very well.