Is my cars paint destroyed? FL Love Bugs

**embolism** · 05-18-2011, 03:51 PM

did you have a wax or sealant on the car? Doesn't sound like they baked on in the sun at all so could they have etched it so bad that a polish can't take it off? What Megs polish did you use anyhow?

I've never experienced love bugs but once I parked in a bad spot at work and saltwater did the Chinese water torture drip on the front of my roof all day. Left a 2 inch wide spot on the roof that did not go away with detailer and was actually etched like how a chalkboard feels. Had blacklight on there and was thinking what a piece of crap it was if it couldn't even protect the paint for a day but some scratch x 2.0 by hand took it right out and it was smooth and glossy again.

**Jaretr1** · 05-18-2011, 04:15 PM

I had the same thing happen to me last year. I immediately went to a car wash upon arriving in orlando. Still, I had paint etching. I went to a friend who used his griots DA and griots polishes and while he might have done a good job of hiding the damage, its still there. Since then I have purchased my own DA, but have yet to attempt my car. Having known this experience, a few weeks ago ,I was hitting the road once again and applied a coat of megs synthetic sealant the night before and the love bugs did no damage and washed off relatively easy.

I went with the Porter cable when I bought my kit from autogeek. While the griots might have more power its made in China while the PC is made in Mexico and is tried and true reliable and plenty powerful.

**David Fermani** · 05-18-2011, 04:15 PM

Your guess is as good as mine seeing that they call both the UF connection and paint damage a myth which we know isn't accurate.

Originally Posted by M.P. Cobra Fan

I just read that article.. I am confused on how the University of Florida is the one to blame.

Some quotes from the article:

Lovebug Myths

Lovebugs escaped after University of Florida researchers brought them into Florida

University of Florida researchers genetically engineered lovebugs to kill mosquitoes

Those were found under the Myths portion of the article.

Of course it also said this:

The body fluids of lovebugs are acidic and immediately dissolve automobile paint. When numerous lovebugs are smashed on the front of a vehicle, the contents of their bodies, especially eggs, coat the painted surface. No permanent damage is caused, however, if the surface is cleaned before the coating is baked by the sun for a day or two. Marisa and Jeffrey Gedney (personnel communication) determined that macerated lovebugs are about neutral with a pH of 6.5 but become acidic at 4.25 within 24 hours. Yet, automobile paint was not damaged after being coated with macerated lovebugs and held in a humid indoor environment for 21 days. A lovebug-coated surface exposed to the sun for an extended period of time, however, may be damaged by the insects and their removal (Denmark and Mead 2001). The front of a vehicle can be protected by coating it with “car wax” and removing the lovebugs within 24 hours.

Who knows. LOL

**muahman** · 05-18-2011, 04:43 PM

After further review. I tried the sandwich bag over my hand brushed the hood again. It's not as smooth as I thought. Pretty surprised at the difference of feeling between bare hand a bag. Is it possible the Mequires Clay Bar I got at WalMart isn't aggressive enough? I'm at a loss at how to get this stuff off. I can't push down any harder with a microfiber towel and I don't really want to. What's really frustrating is that I had waxed the car the day before with Mequires Ultimate Paste wax, 2 coats.

I did go ahead and order Mequires DA kit with 105 and 205 in it; a bottle of Bug Squash and a more aggressive clay bar from Mequires.

**brumma** · 05-18-2011, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by muahman

Seriously why release a non-native bug species with no known predators and acid for blood.

Hmm... anyone else see a resemblance?

**muahman** · 05-18-2011, 05:52 PM

Yay. This is my paint after 8 hours of working on it. If it can be removed, it certainly can't be by hand. There is some good news.... but look at these pics!!! Exactly what my car looked like.
Rejoice, lovebug haters: Swarm season ending soon | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.com

By muahman at 2011-05-18

**muahman** · 05-18-2011, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by brumma

Hmm... anyone else see a resemblance?

Hahaha. That's the first thing I was thinking about when I started to clean these little bastards off.

**itisthumper** · 07-09-2014, 01:01 PM

SOrry to bump this old thread but are all bugs acidic or is it just love bugs? I havent washed mine off in over a month and it's been baking in the sun. I have no idea what type of bugs they are but I live in California, where we dont have lovebugs.

I have an appointment with my detailer on Friday. I live at an apartment with no access to a hose.

**itisthumper** · 07-09-2014, 01:23 PM

Forgot to add that I have opticoat so hopefully that will minimize the damage

**RobertJ34** · 07-09-2014, 01:29 PM

I can't speak for how opti coat will hold up to it, if anything it will hold better than a wax/sealant but I would assume if baked on there, it could damage some of the Opti-coat--again, I'm not pro so I can't be 100% sure.

BUT, I can recommend swinging by a auto part store or walmart and pick up some quick detailer and get them off of there -- better safe than sorry, right?