Wheels of Wisdom – Bug and Tar Removal for Summer

Blog
close up person scrubbing car headlight with big sponge

Roll the windows down. Turn the music up. Hit the road. Wait, what’s all this stuff hitting my windshield? Squish. Squish. Bugs?!? Gross! Only now you have to worry about how you’re going to get all that gunk off of your car.

Same with tar. We’ve all been there. You’re happily driving down the road on a sunny Summer day and all of the sudden the road is more black than usual and there are workers up ahead. Road repairs are way more frequent in the Summer and as much as we love a nice, smooth road, the tar that it leaves on our cars we could do without.

Not sure how to get that stuff off? Let us help.

  • First step, especially when it comes to the bug gunk, is to not let it dry or harden for too long. The longer it sits on your paint, the harder it will be to remove and the more damage it can do. Try to address bugs and tar as quickly as possible.
  • Rinse your car then apply a good bug and tar removal product. You can find them at any local auto parts store. Be sure to let it sit for about 10 minutes to give it a chance to soak in. This will help the product work its best.
  • Use a soft sponge or microfiber towel to wipe the product off. The bugs and tar should easily come off with it. If not, repeat the application and wipe again.
  • Finish washing your car as normal to get any excess product residue off.

It’s as easy as that! This, along with our other car paint care tips, should get your car through the warm weather months looking great. If for some reason your auto body paint has been damaged by the St. Louis area bugs or MoDOT road work, contact the team at Schaefer to make your auto body paint look as good as new.