Insect stains on bumper moulding/door mirrors

[JRW]

Hi, does anyone have any ideas about removing insect stains/blemishes from the front moulded plastic bumper area & door mirrors?
While I've managed to remove the stains on the bonnet I can't seem to get rid of the hazy stains on the moulded areas.
I applied Autoglym Insect remover, washed the car twice using Autoglym Car Shampoo (in warm water), then polished using Autoglym Polish and also tried Meguiars Clay kit, but with no success.

Could be its not helped as the car was unfortunately parked up in full sunshine in Italy for a few days last week, and I suspect the bugs may have been baked in (it was +33 deg at times). Any suggestions welcome as the car is only 6 months old and I'm wanting to keep up its otherewise pristine condition!! The colour is basalt.

Cheers folks.

 

[BrianJ]

After decades of struggling with this on various cars I sought help for my Basalt Black Cayman. I use Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover which I find absolutely amazing. It works, it's quick and it's easy.

 

[jojowales]

Hi Mate, sorry to hear about that. Wouldn't the paint be covered under your warranty? I wouldn't do anything to it but take it back and let Porsche have a look. I wouldn't tell them what you've done by the way and I'm not suggesting you've done anything wrong but some times we give people an 'opt out' if you know what I mean. Best of luck anyway and when you get it back (hopefully fixed) I'd get it properly waxed!

JJ

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Clay bar works wonders, any make will do

 

[Ivor]

Clay bar/paint rubber works wonders as it removes all the impurities (including baked insects) from the paint. Just be sure to treat the paintwork properly and then use a good quality wax which will add protection and make cleaning easier in the future. Look at the Polished Bliss or other websites for guidance.

 

[Black80XSA]

Given that the OP has already tried the Meguiars clay kit then the only options now will be something more aggressive. There are numerous grades of clay bar available via detailers such as Polished Bliss, but you might be better with a mild polishing agent such as Menzerna 203S http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/menzerna-203s-polish.html applied using a light cut pad by hand http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/lake-country-light-cut-hand-pad-cat24.html#aMasterLCHO0000

If you give Polished Bliss a call, Clark or one of his colleagues will be happy to help i'm sure.

 

[JRW]

Thanks so much for all the good feedback and suggestions, its much appreciated! I now have some other options to look at, and for sure need to get some wax applied asap to avoid a repeat!!! Cheers.

 

[jojowales]

Hope you don't mind me asking this as I don't want to hijack the thread but can someone educate me here please.
If a new cars paint work becomes blemished by what should be an expected occurrence wouldn't it be covered under the warranty?
Do new cars get a protective wax treatment before delivery?
Have Porsche, along with the rest of the car industry, changed the paint/process on their cars. Is this 'new' paint more prone to this kind of damage?

Cheers

JJ

 

[david_yorkshire]

Menzerna products are intended to be applied by machine - you'll struggle to get any appreciable results by hand.

Either get a pro detailer to remove the problems, or have a go with one of Meguiars or Swisvax products (paint polish or cleaner, medium cleaner fluid respectively), and you'll need to wax afterwards
be prepared for some hard work though if you're doing it by hand !
the marks are caused by the acids in the insects eating into the top coat (laquer)
moral is, get the damn bugs of as quick as you can - most of my neighbours think I'm nuts when I wipe the cars fronts down after coming home .... but I don't have any marks on them
David

 

[Black80XSA]

ORIGINAL: david_yorkshire

Menzerna products are intended to be applied by machine - you'll struggle to get any appreciable results by hand.

i'd normally agree but i've got loads of swirl marks out of VAG cars with light hand application with 203S and a light cut hand pad - certainly no more work than Meguiars Polish, or Zymol HD Cleanse. It no doubtr works a heck of a lot faster on a rotary, but i found it little effort for a couple of panels.

 

[Timbo2]

IMHO a clay bar is ok for removing tar and insects it won't remove paint blemishes, you need to do as has been suggested, use a mild cutting paste and a machine. If its metallic don't use T-cut unless its for metllics as the original can dull the surface. I've had good results with swirl remover, lambswool polisher on battery drill, don't let the surface get hot, little at a time keep stopping and taking a look.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I'd go with Black8oxa's suggestions.

Personally I'd think a lambswool bonnet on an electric drill can be incredibly agressive. Use with caution. (Timbo - you must know what you are doing!)

 

[Timbo2]

A low speed rechargable drill with swirl remover isn't that harsh, trust me, I've used this technique many times, you must make sure there is not dust/grit on the car though. Some marks just take too long to remove by hand.

 

[david_yorkshire]

lambswool on plastic is the worst possible combo !
believe it or not, lambswool is the most aggressive cutting head you can use !

I really would advise caution on a plastic PU - you can burn the paint in seconds...
just my 2p

 

[Timbo2]

Well it worked fine for me!

 

[Black80XSA]

My suggestion of the light cut hand pad and Menzerna 203S worked fine on the Golf at the weekend - plenty of baked on flies from 3 weeks of motorway driving in the searing heat. No amount of pre-soaking with wet towels during the wash stage helped help shift them. 20 minutes with the pad had the bonnet, bumper and mirror casings like new.