Top Tricks for Removing Bugs & Tar from Your Ride

Bugs splattered on a car is a sight for the sore eye, but alarmingly, some of them also contain acidic substances that can damage a car’s clear coat. The same is the case for tar spots, which vehicles encounter every day. Once dry, bugs and tar spots can be very difficult to remove without damaging your clear coat. Alongside bugs and tar, other elements that meet your vehicles, such as bird droppings and tree sap, can also cause deformed staining and discolouration if not removed soon and properly. It’s essential to act as soon as you see any of these potential stains by removing them with an effective bug and tar remover or the following steps.

How to Clean Bug Stains Off of Your Car

Removing bug stains from a car needs extra scrubbing power and lubrication that a handy bug sponge can present. It’s super thick and dense to hold a lot more water and a cleaning solution than an everyday sponge. It’s also made with microfiber and mesh, so it’s coarse enough to get the bugs off your car but gentle enough not to scratch your paint. You can make a DIY bug remover for cars using ingredients and supplies you may have at home, like:

• Baby shampoo
• Baby oil
• Glass cleaner
• Vinegar
• Warm water
• Bucket
• Spray bottle
• Microfiber towels

At Autodepth, we use and highly recommend CarPro BUGOUT, a unique solution capable of removing smashed and baked on bugs safely and easily. CarPro BUG-OUT has been developed to be safe on a wide assortment of exterior surfaces and is safe on Coated vehicles, Glass, and PPF. Simply spray it on, agitate with a microfiber towel and rinse.

How to Remove Tar Spots Off of Your Car

Petroleum-based gunk like road tar, specks of asphalt, tire rubber, grease, and oil are continually encountering your car. They stick on to every surface and are hard to remove. Soap and water aren’t enough to separate these tough stains.

Mineral Spirits are a solvent that can eliminate annoying tar, asphalt, and oil smudges. To accomplish the herculean task of removing tar, we need:

• Mineral spirits
• Microfiber cloth

Instructions: Pour two tablespoons of mineral spirits onto a rag. Gently brush out the tar stain. Let sit for 10 minutes. Wipe away mineral spirits with a fresh, damp rag.

An easier and much more effective way is to use CarPro Tar X, a professional-strength tar, adhesive, and bug remover. It’s also a degreaser made with properties adopted from orange peels, making it a natural cleanser with the ability to clean fast and easily. With only a few sprays on the surface resulting in complete removal of tar and any stubborn adhesives.

How to Prevent Bug Stains & Protect Your Car

Always remember the longer you wait to clean dead bug splatters, sap, and tar off your car, the more difficult it is to remove and the higher the chance of them damaging your paint. Take proactive measures as soon as you can spot these issues, wash your car, and remove any bug splatter and tar spots. Then protect it using some of the following: CarPro Reload, CarPro HydroFoam or even some more durable protection like a ceramic coating. Future stains will wash off easier. Be sure to protect your car, particularly ahead of the summer bug season or a big road trip.