Do you use clay to remove dried on bugs?

Clay will remove bug splatters. However, clay is an abrasive so it also removes clear coat when you use it. So, I would instead recommend you use a good bug & tar remover.
 
Clay can be used to remove bug residue. I usually use dilluted APC. I spray the APC, agitate with a boar's hair brush, and rinse with the pressure washer. For stubborn bug residue I will use clay though.
 
Mikeyc said:
Clay will remove bug splatters. However, clay is an abrasive so it also removes clear coat when you use it. So, I would instead recommend you use a good bug & tar remover.
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Mikeyc,



I don't believe clay is too abrasive if you use a good QD or soapy lubricant ... it shouldn't remove much if any clearcoat.
 
Mikeyc said:
Clay will remove bug splatters. However, clay is an abrasive so it also removes clear coat when you use it. So, I would instead recommend you use a good bug & tar remover.
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Yeah, right....since when does clay remove clear coat? Explain that to me. The only way I could physically see that ever happening is if you parked your car in the sun, stuck the clay on a surface, left it there for days, and then tried to scrape it off...then MAYBE I could see it taking clear coat off.



Just clayed our white '04 Suburban today, and yes, as usual had great success with removing not only surface grit, but also several bug spots that regular scrubbing couldn't get. And, just used the soapy water mixture of my wash as lube.
 
You don't so much have to worry about removing clearcoat with clay, as you do about marring the finish if it isn't lubed sufficiently.
 
I prefer to use APC/water, or a paint cleaner like AIO to remove bugs. Often though, if you have a good LSP on the paint underneath the bugs, they'll just wipe right off with little effort.
 
White95Max said:
I prefer to use APC/water, or a paint cleaner like AIO to remove bugs. Often though, if you have a good LSP on the paint underneath the bugs, they'll just wipe right off with little effort.
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:bigups

Actually,
However, clay is an abrasive so it also removes clear coat when you use it.
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this is an accurate statement. Just as polishes are abrasive, and abrade the CC, so does clay, but to a safer degree......
 
NHBFAN said:
Mikeyc,



I don't believe clay is too abrasive if you use a good QD or soapy lubricant ... it shouldn't remove much if any clearcoat.
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I'm not trying to say that clay is like sand paper, because it's certainly not. In fact I'm pretty sure most of the time the clay just removes some of the LSP (provided you have some on there) and never really touches the paint. Basically, my point is that removing any clear coat when the same results can be achieved without removing clear coat is not recommended at least IMHO.
 
I use to use clay to remove bugs & tar. Waste of time. Get a good bug & tar remover-just a few minutes to do the front, mirrors and lower rockers.
 
Mikeyc said:
I'm not trying to say that clay is like sand paper, because it's certainly not. In fact I'm pretty sure most of the time the clay just removes some of the LSP (provided you have some on there) and never really touches the paint. Basically, my point is that removing any clear coat when the same results can be achieved without removing clear coat is not recommended at least IMHO.
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:up

Waste of time. Get a good bug & tar remover-just a few minutes to do the front, mirrors and lower rockers.
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:up
 
"Z-18 ClayBarâ„¢ is a pliable, synthetic bar that quickly and safely removes imbedded contamination from all glass and painted surfaces. Used for years by automobile manufacturers and auto body shops, paint cleaning clay is an excellent choice for removing contamination that cannot be removed using conventional cleaning methods.



Z-18 ClayBarâ„¢ is non-abrasive and works like no cleaner, compound or chemical can. When used as directed, it is safe for use on all paint finishes." -- From the Zaino website, FWIW.



I like Poorboy's Bug Squash, dilluted, personally.
 
The green Sonus clay is my first-line approach to bugs. I use it with Glyde these days as opposed to with shampoo mix (which I used to use). If I'm lucky I can clay so gently that I remove the bugguts without compromising my LSP, much less abrading the paint.



If the green clay doesn't get it, then I use Sonus gray. With this I might end up claying so aggressively that I do compromise the LSP. If this doesn't get all the bug damage off, I'll inspect with maginfication. What I usually find is that it's etched into the paint, so then I use a mild polish.



This happened to the S8 this summer. Got bugged the first day of a roadtrip, by the time I got home and cleaned it up it'd etched the clear in two spots on the hood. Had to use PI-III MG/1Z Pro MP and then redo the UPP. But the bugs on the rest of the front end came off with just the clay. If I hadn't already had UPP on the applicator from doing the hood I wouldn't have needed to redo other bugged areas.



Problem I have with bug/tar removers is that you *always* have to redo the LSP. Once I get things the way I want them, I'd rather use a milder approach like the Sonus green that won't require any additional work (like redoing the LSP). Most of the time the clay is all I need to use. On the minivan, with all its layers of KSG, the bugs hardly *ever* penetrate into the actual paint.



But those of you in areas like FLA will have more extreme bug issues and will need more extreme approaches.
 
Patrick, thanks for backing me up!! :up I don't know why everyone else was responding to me like I said I have a third arm growing out of my back. :D
 
BlackSunshine said:
Z-18 ClayBarâ„¢ is non-abrasive and works like no cleaner, compound or chemical can. When used as directed, it is safe for use on all paint finishes." -- From the Zaino website, FWIW.
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This is a very strange claim made by Zaino. How does their clay work if it is non-abrasive? I have never seen another clay claim to be non-abrasive.
 
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