Patriot

Good morning listers:

What can you recommend to remove the many faint yellow bug stains from my clear-bra'd front bumper? I hand washed my cab less than 24 hours after a recent road trip and I have about 20-30 faint yellow bug stains sprinkled across the clear bra on my front bumper that I cannot remove.

Thanks,

YoungTurk
'05 Carrera Cab (Arctic Silver/Stone Grey/Black)

Sobe

safe cut

http://www.thewaxshop.com/safecut.asp

simply the best ....

Paul S.

I had this happen on my Turbo--and you're not going to like the solution, but here is what worked and what didn't.

What didn't work: every single thing I tried including but not limited to clay bar; 3M imperial hand glaze; various forms of mild forms of compounds; tar and bug remover; P21 S total auto wash (citrus degreaser); Oil Flow Safety Solvent; etc....you name it and it didn't work.

What did work: time and several normal car washings--eventually the yellow bug guts stains just fade away.

This is one of the things no one but me ever meantions--yellow bug guts stain the stuff, even if you wash the car immediately which is what I did when my car got plastered with bug guts on a country road drive when the clear bar was new. Among the reasons why my 01 Turbo was the first and probably only car I will put a clear bra on--I have several other reasons too, but yellow bug guts staining is on the list.

Patriot

Paul:

I think you're right. I do have an email into my clear bra installer. Perhaps this is the Achilees heel of clear bras . . .

Thanks for the reply.

YoungTurk

Sobe

try the safe cut ... trust me on this the guy who turned me on to this was the guy who started the company Invinca-Shield 8 years ago in Florida .. there motto was " The Bug Stop Here " they were the first company to start putting the 3m stuff on cars and making templates .... they use to call it Scotchcal back then . Safe cut is like a mild rubbing compound and will actually take scratches out of Plexiglas and still keep it clear . You may need to do a few coats but it will get the stain out of your clear bra .

Paul S. what are the other reasons you would not use a clear bra .. a lot has changed from back in 2001 .

djantlive

Once you get the bra cleaned, put a coat of wax or sealant on it. I have zaino on it and use wax as you dry every time I wash car.

Bodhi

Clear bra is great for preventing dings; however, (not knowing until now to wax the film), I'm having similar trouble cleaning track rubber off the bra.

YT: I would definitely be interested to hear what the clear bar installers recommendation is.

djantlive

anyone tried a little diluted bleach or dish wasing / clothes detergent? i would try polishing w wax or zaino also.

LVDell

Bodhi.....I used 3M adhesive remover spray for really caked on stuff but rarely have to. Plexus seems to do the trick every time.

Bodhi

Plexus. . . I'll check it out. Thanks Dell.

LVDell

Very welcome. The installer of my clear bra introduced me to Plexus. It's great stuff!

NoSubEDU

3rd on the Plexus. I have found that wax/polish doesn't do crap on the cleabra.

I had the same experience as above, nothing worked. Plexus did a nice job of cleaning the plastic, but some of those bugs are just tough to get off.

1whobuys

I've used Plexus for years...Good stuff

BHANE

Hello all,

Yellow bug stains will eventually disappear over 1-2 weeks period by normal washing. This stain happens on the clear bra and on areas without the clear bra protection, which is your clear coat surface. I get lots of calls about this issue from my clients over 7 years in the business. Just have to be patient and it will magically goes away.

As for the tire rubber marks, we use the professional 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner 15oz. (Red Can) #08987. Not sure if you can find this cleaner at your local Pep Boys or Automotive Stores. You may want to search in 3M's automotive website, about $10 or so per can. Works great on removing grease as well...

Hope this helped!

Paul S.

It yellows.

It becomes more noticeable as time goes by, at the lines.

It nicks and you have to decide whether you, now, live with the nick or replace the piece.

Anything goes wrong, and it's a pain in the butt--like the occasional bubble. You have to go back to the installer--hassle factor.

The finished product is very dependent on the installer (and I found a great one, but it isn't always easy to tell until the person is done. Then it's sort of too late).

And the number one reason--who the heck did I save that paint for? When I turned my car in at the end of its contract, I paid no excess wear and tear and removed the scotchcal leaving perfect paint for the next guy. While I had to endure 4 years of bra lines, bug guts staining it, etc....and it's a royal pain in the butt to remove. I had the hood, bumper, rockers, trailing edges of front and rear fenders, mirror backs, and the scoops in the rear fender covered. Took me the better part of a Saturday to remove and clean up the residue in places.

In contrast, my 02 Boxster S with the same average miles still has very few nicks anywhere which I manage to achieve with selective use of a conventional bra and mirror bras at the track and during road trips. So I'll never clear bra another one.

Clear bra is just ok--as far as I'm concerned, and expensive.