Sorry to off-topic just a bit but I heard that those cicadas are hatching in places like Chicago right about now. Anyone living in those areas where the cicadas are coming out having them smack into your cars?

 

Cicada's are wild, and huge. I would hate to see the damage of one of those plowing into you're car. I think those things would leave more than just a little bit of bug guts, maybe a few paint chips.

 

Fortunately Cicadas don't fly much. They like to crawl out of the earth and up onto a tree trunk. They seldom seem to get into a car but when they do they've been know to cause accidents. I've not yet seen any in Southern Wsconsin so far this cycle.

 

Two summers ago, the cicadas came out from the ground in the Northeast and I can't recall them smacking into my car. As ugly as they look with those red eyes, I would hate to see them on my hood and windshield. Right now it's just the other insects that I hate when driving at night.

 

Ok so here is the update and you're going to like it.

I was visiting friends and relatives over this Memorial day weekend and it's June bug season. I got a bunch of splatter. June Bugs for those who don't have them are just over a half inch long and splatter a bunch.


As I mentioned earlier I had used Meguiar's new Ultimate Speed Detailer product and felt it left the finish really slick. Well when I returned from my trip the front of the car was a mess. A light rinse with the hose washed them all off easily. I didn't even have to dry the car. I just removed the hose nozzle and let the water flow off the paint and there were no waterspots. Nothing stuck to the car's paint. The finish is still super slick and looks like it has just been detailed. I only wish I had used this stuff on the windshield. There I had to use a plastic sponge.

You really will be happy with this stuff to reduce the bug sticking issue.

 

I headed out to Animal Kingdom yesterday too on US 27 and here is the result. I got home at 10 PM to wash the love bugs off. The car had a coat of Klasse AIO , 2 coats of NXT and a coat of P21S. The bugs didn't rinse right off I guess because they baked all day in the sun but with some scrubbing they all ended up as a pile of corpses on my driveway. I'm looking at getting a clear bra on my GS400 for sure.

 

That is very disgusting. I remember starting a thread about bugs smacking into our cars but man I didn't have it like that. It looks like you drove through a swarm.

 

DHRP
Thats some serious bugs

 

ok so in vancouver we dont have bug problems like you guys so i did a little googling, so for anybody else wondering about these bugs

love bug:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_bug

cicada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada

and can i say they're both creepy as hell

jfelbab that's really impressive, i'd coat my entire car with that stuff! ... how much did it set u back?

 

Another li'l tip that works for me. After cleaning the car, coat the front in a thin wipe of baby oil. Makes those suckers slide right off or pretty much avoid touching the paint anyway.

 

I live in Chicago, i so, so far, have seen a total count of 3 cicadas... Guess their hiding from me?... Windows are staying closed this summer!

 

I made a trip to orlando and than to daytona in 2 days and than back to palm beach. my car literally was black in the front with bugs. my car is crystal white. i didnt want to use my wipers at all fearing that the existing bugs on the front windshield would create a bigger mess......luckily it rained one night and i managed to use that along with wiper fluid to clean some of the bugs off. those lovebugs are horrid down here. after all the rain we had a few days ago, there have been a ****load of gnats that hatched....EVERYWHERE! you get into your car, they follow you in. i had to kill at least 5-10 of them while i was driving as they flew around inside my car

 

US 27 in Florida is a very special road to drive this time of year. During the day, you kill hundreds (thousands?) of love bugs, and at night you top them with thousands (at least) of gnats, with the occasional large THUMP of a random large something-or-another splatting the windshield to round things out.

I know what you mean about the route you took. I went Orlando to Daytona to Ft. Lauderdale. Can you say "carnage"? My favorite, though, is when people tailgate tractor trailers to avoid getting bug guts on their cars. They fail to realize that the large vehicle 3 feet in front of their bumper is throwing rocks and debris all over the car, usually damaging the paint.

The only solution during May and September is to stay home.

 

crazy stuff with all these love bugs just driving on sr 84 for like 5 mins and my car and windsheld was covered......

 

Hows about blue painters tape?? I am heading down to miami in a couple of weeks. Will that block the acid from reaching the paint?