05, bugs, paint, ouch

[cybermob2]

just bought an '05 abyss with 5k miles on it. i'm trying to clean off the bugs that were on it when i bought it, with little avail. they all came off the metal pieces (hood, pillars, roof) but the front fascia/bumper appears to have permanent paint damage. this is not normal by my own experiences.bug and tar remover, clearcoat-safe polish, etc wont take off the marks from them (believe i've removed all the bug gizz).any chance i might get a warranty type repaint on the bumper?? anyone else have experience with this type of problem??

[ColonelPanic]

Welcome to genvibe and unfortunately, welcome to the world of poor quality paint and/or application methods thanks to Toyota/NUMMI. Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done. Bugs will eat into this paint with ease, and you'll also notice plenty of chipping. I still have a big gash in the paint on my front bumper from where a bug struck the surface during the summer of 2003, it's quite ridiculous really.There are plenty of threads about the issue, this being one of the biggest, which is a poll. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id ... ortunately, this is a part of Vibe ownership, sad as it is. If you have a good dealer, maybe you can get help. Few have had any luck with GM supporting their customers, offering to repair this defective paint. Welcome aboard though.

[BOZACK]

You can try talking to a GM rep. Don't know if you'll get anywhere though. We all have paint issues. And yes, my 2005 Vibe with 6300 miles has bug marks on the front.

[binary]

Knock on wood - mine Abyss with 9k doesn't have bug guts embedded in it yet- but I've spent the better part of most saturdays scrubbing the snot off my front end to keep it from etching - and then rewaxing it.I've read a few "how-to's" about getting bugs off using Windex and letting it soak for a few minutes. It will remove your wax though - so only do this if you're going to wax your ride after.I do however have paint chips. Probably about the same number as my Contour had when I traded it in 6 months ago with 136k miles. Freakin' sucks.

[nortsr]

The previous owner evidently did not wash the car frequently. I live in Florida (home of the famous love bugs) and they are a natural disaster to auto paint unless washed off before they "bake" onto the paint from the heat and Florida sun. I strongly suggest you get a good coat of wax on the Vibe front end and keep it regularly "bug cleaned". Lousy paint jobs on the Vibe from all the previous discussions at GenVibe on this same subject. Also check out a bug deflector or CarBra.

[Mase]

Infrequent washing + sun baking will cause bugs to eat through almost any painted plastic surface on most cars.I've never had any problem with bugs eating through my bumper, but I do have a few grit pits. I usually wash once a week.I heard Mr. Clean's magic eraser actually works with removing bumper scuffs so you may wanna try that.

[rickhow]

I have not found a bug yet that can not be removed by simply spraying it with some wd-40, let it sit about 10 seconds, wipe off..it is that easy.

[nortsr]

That might be true; however, if that "BUG' has been on there for a long period of time, it will still damage your paint...WD40 or No WD40.The best scenario is to keep the car waxed and clean those "buggers" off as soon as possible. That goes for bird "poopers' as well.