WD-40 for bugs and tar?

M

mauritiusblue

New member
I was curious about the many uses of WD-40 and found that it was used often in florida to get rid of the love bugs that splat on there bumpers.



I have some bugs that I would like to get rid of and don't have any products to do it with. However, I have a can of WD-40 ready to go. I was thinking of trying this first and then getting the other products if it didn't work.



My main concern with this is, will the WD-40 hurt the paint on my car? Has anyone tried this yet?
 
HuKaShI said:
I was curious about the many uses of WD-40 and found that it was used often in florida to get rid of the love bugs that splat on there bumpers.



I have some bugs that I would like to get rid of and don't have any products to do it with. However, I have a can of WD-40 ready to go. I was thinking of trying this first and then getting the other products if it didn't work.



My main concern with this is, will the WD-40 hurt the paint on my car? Has anyone tried this yet?
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WD-40 is mainly Mineral Spirits and then the lubricating oil. It won't harm your paint.
 
But it will mess with your LSP, as will most bug solvents. I usually just use clay and try to get the bug guts off/out before they eat through my LSP. But then I'm not dealing with the same kind of bugs that you have down there!
 
Would it be fine for me to just use it after I wash and reapply sealant? I was gonna put another coat of sealant on anyway this weekend.
 
HuKaShI said:
Would it be fine for me to just use it after I wash and reapply sealant? I was gonna put another coat of sealant on anyway this weekend.
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That would be OK, I doubt it would be much worse than an OTC Bug n' Tar remover. I would do a quick wash on the treated areas again before you wax or seal.
 
I've used WD-40 on my paint without a problem but I always wash wax/seal afterwards. I do that if I use bug and tar remover as well.



I love using WD-40 on the insides of my wheels. It works great on tar and ground in brake dust. Every 3-5k miles I rotate my tires and that's when I'll clean the inside of the wheels. WD-40 takes out all the grit and dirt. Then I polish and apply a wax. Works very well.



I don't know about the bugs in Florida (I've heard the Love Bugs are legendary!) but for everyday, ordinary bugs I find that just washing them off my Zainoed car works very well. They literally slide off. No need for any harsh cleaning agents. What's very important is to get the bugs off while they are fresh. Never let them sit overnight or for a length of time. They'll eat into the paint and stick like glue. :(
 
I know it is flammable, but I use it on my plastic engine covers sometimes after degreasing with orange blast. I don't over do it, just enough for a nice shine, then I wipe where needed.



Will this harm the plastic?



Steve
 
Accumulator said:
But it will mess with your LSP, as will most bug solvents. I usually just use clay and try to get the bug guts off/out before they eat through my LSP. But then I'm not dealing with the same kind of bugs that you have down there!
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Pretty much every bug product will do that. I prefer chemicals over Clay though. I've had clay grab something hard off the paint and leave fine scratches.



If people want to spend the money AutoInt's Omni cleaner (think that's their all-purpose cleaner) works awesome on bugs. I'd mix it up in a one gallon pump sprayer and spray the front down and keep spraying it every once in awhile to keep it wet while I cleaned the tires. Really softened what was on the paint up and removed it. Hurt the durability of the wax but wouldn't completely remove it like a solvent would.



SHICKS said:
I know it is flammable, but I use it on my plastic engine covers sometimes after degreasing with orange blast. I don't over do it, just enough for a nice shine, then I wipe where needed.



Will this harm the plastic?



Steve
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I don't think that's an issue with this but when it's being sprayed out it is most definately highly flammable. As me how I know... :p



I've never tried to see how flammable it is once it's on the surface as liquid but atomized in the air it'll flash easily as will most petro based stuff.
 
Intel486 said:
I don't think that's an issue with this but when it's being sprayed out it is most definately highly flammable. As me how I know... :p



I've never tried to see how flammable it is once it's on the surface as liquid but atomized in the air it'll flash easily as will most petro based stuff.
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I won't ask:rolleyes: :D



It works very well for engine detailing, I was shocked when I heard this method, but had to try it. I love it, my only concern is that wd-40 will eat away at belts and hoses.



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/18990photos_173.jpg



Steve
 
Intel486 said:
Pretty much every bug product will [remove LSP]. I prefer chemicals over Clay though...
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OK, I realize that I'm more "clay-centric" than most folks :D



I did think of this, but it's only for people using carnaubas. Works better than one might think. It's from TOL, a high-solvent cleaner wax that is made just for removing stuff like tar. It's called Snap Seal
 
VictoryRed said:
WD-40 = RUST
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Different situations must give different results with this stuff. I'm no real fan of WD-40, but I sprayed it on a bare steel ruler a few years ago and I've left said ruler in the garage. No rust :nixweiss



But come to think of it, I've treated other steel objects with it and I *did* get re-rusting. And these items were in the humidity-controlled basement. Again, :nixweiss



Seems to be a real YMMV thing...
 
I looked at the link to the MSDS, but did not get what you wanted to show. Not that I dont beleive you, I DO, but , just curious, what makes WD-40 so ineffective against oxidation? Is it the volatile content, evaporative nature? Inquiring minds, LOL !
 
I used to coat my engine (many aluminum parts, both rough and polished) and polished aluminum wheels with WD-40 for when I put my car in winter storage. My garage is very damp and I'm close to the ocean. In the spring I'd have a ton of oxidation and rust on my engine and wheels. When I applied WD-40 there were no more problems with rust or oxidation.



So my experience was just the opposite.
 
VictoryRed said:
The ruler may have a coating of some sort???
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Nah, it's as bare as bare metal can be (wire brushed). Just one of those "huh" things...could be the type of steel (it's WWII vintage, from a factory).
 
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