Bugs etched into clearcoat...how do I fix this?

Z

zoomzoom3

New member
I was working on a friend's car that was not in bad shape at all except for the front bumper. A lot of bugs are etched into the clearcoat. I tried an LC yellow pad with Optimum polish & that didn't do the trick. I'm not sure what kind of bugs these were, but it's awful. I'm wondering how aggressive I should go? Would a wool pad with Meguiar's #4, Megs #95 or Menzerna SIP using a Flex 3401 take care of this?



If that doesn't work, should I tell him to just get the bumper wetsanded?
 
you'll have to wetsand the bumper. Unfortunately this is a difficult task to do on a front bumper. There are so many nooks and crannies to wetsand and buff around. Honestly I'd recommend a respray to apply a clear bra like Venture Shield.





John
 
zoomzoom3 said:
I was working on a friend's car that was not in bad shape at all except for the front bumper. A lot of bugs are etched into the clearcoat. I tried an LC yellow pad with Optimum polish & that didn't do the trick. I'm not sure what kind of bugs these were, but it's awful. I'm wondering how aggressive I should go? Would a wool pad with Meguiar's #4, Megs #95 or Menzerna SIP using a Flex 3401 take care of this?



If that doesn't work, should I tell him to just get the bumper wetsanded?
Click to expand...



I suppose it depends on what type of results your friend wants. If he's not going to spend the money to protect the bumper with a clear bra after it's all said and done, I really can't see the wisdom in wetsanding the bumper. After all, in a few months you'll most likely be back to where you started.



Like most here, I'm very anal about my daily driver, which also happens to be my detailing rig. Even so, I only do what you have already done when it comes to the front bumper. I wash, clay and polish, and whatever remains, remains. You have to pick your battles, and the front bumper is often one you just can't win. Again, that's on my own truck. It's it's a client's vehicle and they want perfection (or close to it), that's another story.
 
I talked to him & he says he would only do a repaint as a last resort. He wants the bumper to look as "new" as possible. The reason he wants to try not to repaint is because it's a 2004 BMW M3 in Laguna Seca Blue (rare color & pricey).

I just wonder if a very aggressive polish or compound with a wool pad might work. The LC yellow pad + Optimum polish did improve things (made the spots much less noticeable to the naked eye), but if you look under a halogen lamp, the spots are definitely still there. The most he wants to do is wetsand.



He takes very good care of the car, but clear bra just doesn't work in this part of the country. We have extreme winters and bugs the size of birds in the summer. It was because of the crazy weather we've had that caused him to neglect it I think. In March it got VERY warm quickly & we had a few 80 degree days. The bugs came out in droves. Then the next thing you know BAM, winter's back, it's 20*F and even too cold to even ONR. Today was the first nice warm day we've had in a while, so he had me try and fix the problem.
 
I wouldn't get so aggressive as to precipitate a repaint. M105/orange is about as aggressive as I'd go and if that didn't do it I'd just live with whatever etching is left.
 
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