Last time I drove my car through the 5 from San Diego to SF, the hood ended up full of bug guts. It was horrible and the hood/bumper was a mess. I just purchased a pre-owned 2014 IS250. Should I use painter tape or something else to cover the hood driving north or will the squashed bug remnants just wash off w/o messing up the paint?

 

I have seen a BMW brand new do this. So....

 

Personally just for looks alone, I'd never put tape on the front for a trip. Put a fresh coat of some kind of wax, sealant etc. on the front surfaces mirrors etc. and the bugs should come off without too much extra work.

 

Personally I think that look terrible, and would rather just have to clean the bugs and stuff off the front once I got where I was going. The other option would be to look into something like XPEL Tracwrap if you were really worried about it, however the stuff is pretty pricey. It will however offer you a lot more protection then ugly painters tape. Just another option for you to think about.

 

Anywhere to get protective film at an auto parts store? Checked Pep Boys and AutoZone and they didn't have any.

 

Before I go on a trip in any of my cars, I put on a fresh coat of Lucas Slick Mist (spray wax) on the front end and the bugs all come off super-easy when I get home. I would avoid putting any adhesive on auto paint, especially on a car that will sit in the sun for any length of time.

 

When I purchased my car I took a trip from LA to SF and just like you I ended up with my bumper, windshield, and side mirrors full of bugs. Besides bugs there can also be rock chips flying around from other cars around you, next time I take a trip to SF I will for sure use the tape

 

There are several products you can use other than blue painters tape, which leaves behind some adhesive residue.

Griots makes a temporary film. Also check out:. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...rsDZvpYts6ylxg

 

the road wrap is a good idea, i've also seen the tape used many times. I see the concern with bugs but I would be more concerned about those little rock chips. The tractor trailers and such always seem to kick them up and cause little chips its painful hearing it happen with no protection.

 

I say go for it. I was in the same situation as you when I was making my trip to SoCal from the Bay Area. I bought the 3M painters tape, 2 rolls for like ~$12.

But then... I ended up borrowing my uncles car since I didn't have time to do the tape. It can take a good 2 hours if you want it to be perfect and not having it tearing off when going at high speeds.

 

Ok I just made it to SF using the Road Wrap and it worked horribly. It was hard to apply dry and ended up with lots of creases because of all the curves around the bumper and hood area.

Good thing I brought a roll of 3m painters tape with me because the road wrap kept getting loose in the wind and flapped all around. I made 3 stops throughout the trip to trim off the wrap where it no longer stuck on and patched it with the 3m tape.

Next time I will just use 3m tape because the road wrap made it just as ugly with all the creases.

Perhaps xpel might be easier to apply than road wrap since you wet apply it but I think 3m tape is the cheapest and easiest route.

 

Doesn't matter if its ugly as long as it protects.

When you are back at home home, do a good wash, THEN get the xpel for a more permanent protection. Glad all went well though! I make that trip plenty of times and have my share of rock chips, cracked windshields, and bug cemeteries.

 

Road wrap and 3m tape



Here's a photo after a couple stops at rest areas. The road wrap doesn't stick to curved areas well in the wind and the painter tape doesn't stick to the road wrap well so I had to trim off the wrap to apply the tape. This did do the job though. Only my windshield and license plate ended up with a lot of bug splatter

 

No offense intended but That looks terrible. Personally I wouldn't drive around with either product on a car. I'm particular about my cars and we take a lot of road trips and I just remove bugs when we get home or a go through quick touchless car wash while on the road. Rock chips? They're going to happen unfortunately but these aren't museum pieces and things do happen.

 

I'm a big advocate for Wolf Chemicals "The Mask" for trips down to socal

http://www.autogeek.net/wolfs-chemicals-the-mask.html

It leaves a gel-like clear film which is water soluble, so upon return, all you need to do is to give it a really good wash. The "mask" will melt right off once it gets wet.
The caveat is that this will not work during the winter season (or when it rains)