Because airborne bugs can exist in enormous numbers near highways, they die en masse on automobile windshields, hoods, and radiator grills when the vehicles travel at high speeds.
If left for more than an hour or two, the remains become dried and extremely difficult to remove.
Their body chemistry has a nearly neutral 6.5 pH but will become acidic (>4 pH) if heat and moisture (reactivity) are added, so remove as soon as possible. In the past, the acidity of the dead adult body, especially the female's egg masses, often resulted in pits and etches in automotive paint and chrome if not quickly removed
Because airborne bugs can exist in enormous numbers near highways, they die en masse on automobile windshields, hoods, and radiator grills when the vehicles travel at high speeds.
If left for more than an hour or two, the remains become dried and extremely difficult to remove.
Their body chemistry has a nearly neutral 6.5 pH but will become acidic (>4 pH) if heat and moisture (reactivity) are added, so remove as soon as possible. In the past, the acidity of the dead adult body, especially the female's egg masses, often resulted in pits and etches in automotive paint and chrome if not quickly removed
[: Cicada, Gypsy moth, June bug, Honeybees, Inchworms (caterpillars of geometer moths) etc]
Dried bug remains and excrement are both abrasive and acidic (pH 3.0-4.0) and can scratch paint or glass surfaces, many times the acids will "cloud" or "etch" surfaces as they contain highly acidic concentrates, and should be carefully removed as soon as possible
They produce what acts like a super-adhesive on impact (especially when heated or when they have remained on the vehicle surface for any amount of time) you almost need a crowbar to separate these substances from the paint, windshield, headlights or front end of your car.
Heat (vehicle paint surface temperature of 90.oF+ creates a very aggressive reactivity of the acids that are present, which causes surface etching, so they should be removed without delay, at lower temperatures (40oF or less) there’ s no reactivity and therefore little or no etching.
Bugs are a daily challenge here in Florida, especially during love bug season. Imagine driving through a blizzard of little black bugs every time you get behind the wheel. Many of the casualties end up on the glass but don’t turn on the wipers as they will smear the soft carcass debris across your windshield and no amount of washer fluid is going to remove it.
The carcass debris is very acidic, and if left for any length of time will cause the porous clear coat to occlude (a non-transparent ‘clouded’ area) or may cause etching (a depression in the paint or glass surfaces) so they should be removed ASAP
The Professional Bug Sponge - a dual-sided scrubber and foam sponge in one. Use the textured side to release any debris from the paint surface and then flip the sponge to wipe away the loose debris. The Professional Bug Sponge has soft, honey-comb pores that are gentle on all automotive surfaces.
To remove - pre-soak heavy bug contamination with 1z einszett Anti-Insekt + Pre-Cleaner, which easily removes bug carcasses but doesn't remove wax/sealant paint protection. Soak a micro fibre towel and let it sit for 4-5 minutes (it can be held in place with detailer’s clay) before removing. Then use a (pre-soaked then wring damp) Professional Bug Sponge the open-cell construction 'grabs' foreign matter on your cars paint surface and safely removes it.
Then use an Optimum No Rinse (ONR) solution, 2oz per gallon / distilled water. It’s completely harmless to the paint or glass surfaces, a very efficient and safe way of removing harmful baked on bug debris due to its non-abrasive nature.
Removing Residue/ Paint Stains
Use an Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) or a d-limonene -based (citrus cleaner) (P21S® Total Auto Wash by placing a small amount onto a product soaked micro fibre towel, this will help it stay in place during the necessary react time. Apply to affected area in the shade as the alcohol will evaporate very quickly in direct sunlight. Take your time and blot with the alcohol until it softens and melts the residue to the point where you can gently wipe it off the paint.
The alcohol content acts as a drying agent, which will extract the acid, then thoroughly flush with water and use detailers clay to encapsulate any residue, re-spray the area let it react time for 2-3 minutes and wipe dry. Re-apply paint protection
Neutralization – after washing the paint surface use a chemical paint cleaner (Klasse all in one (AIO) or ValuGard "N" New Car Prep; follow with ValuGard Acid Neutralizer (Step I) - neutralizes acids deposited on the paint surface and in the pores of the paint. If the affected paintwork is not neutralized any remaining acidic residue will be reactivated by heat and moisture. If the paint or glass surface has been etched the surface can be levelled with a suitable polish and then apply a paint protection.
Protection - an acrylic polymer or polyethene-acrylic (Klasse, Jeff Werkstatt or Duragloss #105 Total Performance Polish) are all acid-based so they are resistant to acidic pollutants (acid rain, bird excrement, and etc) there is no.
Be cognizant that there are no polymers, nanotechnology coatings or waxes that are acid-proof; they will only offer short-time resistance. The most pertinent factor is to have a layer of (sacrificial) protection between the acid and your paint surface. The second is to ensure that is removed and any residue is neutralized as soon as possible.
For added protection apply an organic wax over the polymer sealant, as this acts as a sacrificial barrier and by washing the vehicles paint surface plus the reapplication of the sacrificial barrier on a regular basis.
Note - Avoid using a QD spray to flush residue, as they contain carnauba wax, which will seal the acid and not allow it to dissipate. Using an alkaline rinse of baking soda and water (to neutralize the acid) as soon as is practical is highly recommended, if the affected paintwork is not neutralized any remaining acid residue will be reactivated each time it comes into contact with moisture.
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