tomc66

How do you guys living near the Gulf Coast put up with the love bugs? Do you not drive your Porsche when they are out? How long do they last? Do the bugs mark the paint on a car?

A few years ago, I driving through the Mississippi Gulf Cost in September. The love bugs were so bad I had to stop twice at gas stations to scrape them off the windshield.

LexVan

Serpentine.

CosmosC4S

Yes, they do cause damage to your paint if left uncleaned for prolonged periods. Clearbra helps with peace of mind, and RainX helps with the windshield.

dalancroft

Priceless!

19VFB19

I thought this was a post about the band "Lovebugs".
Music Makes My World Go Round is a great driving song. So you can listen to Lovebugs while being hit by Lovebugs.

McCulla

Hands down the best solution is this...used dryer sheets. Take half a dozen out of your laundry room trash when you wash the car. Put them in your wash bucket and after you've sprayed the car down to remove any sand/grit, just wipe over the love bugs. You'll be amazed! After getting the bug guts loose, wash your car as usual. Essentially free, and I've tried all the commercial remedies. Try not to let the bugs stay on any longer than a day.

LexVan

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/8355...g-removal.html

PTParks

I have heard, but do not have any first-hand experience, that some locals use "Pam" or some other brand of non-stick frying pan spray to coat the front of their vehicles. Won't hurt the paint and the bugs easily wash off with a hose. NOT recommended for use on the windshield (Duh!). Wash as normal.

OKB

heavy wax on the car will make them easy to remove.
only safe way is to soak with water, you can put the car in front of a sprinkler at nite or for a couple hours. Use a little car wash or fantastic if you want.

McCulla

NO! Bad idea to put your car in front of a sprinkler! I've had the misfortune of experiencing 2 big time paint etch/hard water deposit incidents from sprinklers! Had to have my new Boxster wet sanded to fix one ($1000!) and a paint reconditioning done on my 997 for the same reason. Both cars were in front of sprinklers, the Boxster at night, the 997 during the daytime.
Like I said, rinse the car well when it's cool, go over it with your mitt to remove any grit (or whatever your sequence is..) and use the wet dryer sheets. Of course you don't want to start with the sheets before you're confident you've gotten as much grit off as you normally would before going to your wash mitt. You'll be amazed. They leave a small bit of the (I believe...) surfactant that remains on the used sheet but they absolutely cut the love bugs. Just wash as usual after the bug removal and all is right with the world. Ive done it 50 times or more in the 6 years I've lived in Florida.

McCulla

By the way, back to the OP's questions...these little f*#kers will flat RUIN your paint. Acid internals (I read a Univ of Florida publication about a week ago saying it's the egg masses that have the acid..I don't know) and they eat right through paint. They eat into your precious expensive headlight covers. Permanent damage in the shape of the dotted splat. Two seasons, spring and fall. No predators. Breed along roadsides. Deep damage that will require repaint eventually. Truthfully, I find a cheap rental if I'm traveling during love bug hatch times. I never believed my long term Florida buddies until o moved here. They are the real deal. Like one poster said, no joke.

MY997

I may be crazy but I have been handling nasty love bugs in Florida for years this way and my cars always get prasied for how good they look...just saying:

1) Make sure you have a good wax job as this definetly helps remove them easier.

2) I usually wipe off my car everyday (at least the front end for bugs and debri in general) unless it poured rain. I use a very good micro fiber towel (blue towel) and a detail spray...(right now using Mothers Showtime as it seems to work okay) So as soon as I get home and change I go out and soak the front end with the detail spray and then wipe in one direction and then dry off...yes sometimes I may need to rub a bit to get a nasty one off but for the most part they come off pretty good.

I think like someone said the "key" is to make sure they don't stay on the car very long if you can help it...for instance I was taking my Lexus ISF (sold) to a car show once and would go 5-10 miles down the road and get bombarded with love bugs. I would pull off and go through this process (see #2 above)...I had to do it 3 times just to get to the show...it sucked but my front end was in excellent condition!

Damn love bugs...