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  1. #1
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    Bug guts etching EXO?

    After washing my red Golf R yesterday, I noticed what I thought were bug guts left over.
    I tried to remove them with a bit more rubbing and also tried WD40 as someone suggested. It didn't help.
    Looking closer, it appears that the bug guts actually etched the EXO (over CSL) top coat that I recently applied (few months ago).

    I don't know how long they have been on there, but I rarely drive the car these days (working from home).

    Not sure how well this shows, but they are mostly on the front of the hood, but also a few further up on the top of the hood as well.




    Is there anything I could put on top that would help prevent this etching in the future?
    I have some C2V3, would that help?

    I have some more EXO and just a tiny bit of the CSL left, which I could use to polish and recoat the hood.
    What are the chances I could polish off just the EXO (and bug etching) and just reapply the EXO without impacting the CSL?
    Would I be better off leaving the EXO off and just have the CSL?

  2. #2
    Super Member AutowerxDetailing's Avatar
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    Re: Bug guts etching EXO?

    Splattered bug carcasses are extremely corrosive and must be removed relatively quickly or they will begin to leave permanent stains on the surface. The best way to prevent this is to routinely wash your vehicle so that foreign contaminates do not have a chance to strongly bond to the paintwork. You should not let bug guts dwell on the finish for longer than one week or you'll risk causing permanent damage to the paintwork and/or coating. If you wash your vehicle once per week or once every two weeks you shouldn't really need any special chemicals to remove dried bug guts as they should mostly just rinse off (especially since your vehicle is ceramic coated). If you are noticing particularly troublesome to remove bug gut residue, a coating safe bug gut cleaner might be worthwhile to keep in stock. I have had extremely good results with CarPro's BugOut which literally melts off dried bug gut residue with ease.
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  3. #3
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    Re: Bug guts etching EXO?

    I just had the same thing happen to me with Can Coat applied over CSL. The bug guts were left on for no more than 12 hours. It was my first time taking the car out since the coatings were applied 3 weeks ago, topped with Reset to protect while curing, and the car had been under a covered porch since installing, only collecting some dust. I did a wash with G Wash, then tried 3D bug remover, no improvement, then Tarminator, then Goo Gone, and still no improvement. So it's definitely etched into at least Can Coat (perhaps even CSL?). To my mind, even Can Coat (and Odrapnew's EXO) should do better resisting etching for that length of time. I'm livid since this was the cars first exposure after 4 days of correction and then a day of applying the coatings, and now my only choice is a full repolish and new protection.

    To the question of polishing off EXO without damaging CSL: I had already repolished one panel that had CSL because there were high spots, and despite what Gtechniq says even Menzerna 3800 with a Rupes yellow pad easily removed CSL.

  4. #4
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    Re: Bug guts etching EXO?

    Thanks for the responses.

    The bug guts were not plastered all over. I honestly didn't actually see any bugs before washing and just noticed the (assumed) etching after I finished washing/drying it.

    I don't think I had any issues with my '14 Explorer in the 6 years I've owned it and that's only received wax 2x/year and washes once a month or so (even less often in the last 4 years).

    I agree with NoMoreBlackCars, I expected the coating to hold up a bit better.

    As mentioned, I have a wee bit of CSL and EXO left over, so I may tackle polishing and recoating the hood. That would give me an excuse to try to remove the last few scratches that I missed.

  5. #5
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    Re: Bug guts etching EXO?

    If you still have those I agree it's worth trying again, but this time frequently applying a light topper like Reload. I think I'll repolish and do half the hood with CSL and Reload and half with a sealant like PNS or Powerlock, or even S&S or FK1000.

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