Bug N Tar removers

[chevycruze]

Can anyone recommend a bug remover for "on the go" purposes? I just bought a white 2013 Nissan Sentra and now it's Spring, the bugs are out. I do not have easy access to water, so a spray on, wipe off product would benefit me. I thought about Meg's Quick detailer, but I know it's not enough.

I got the perfect solution for you...Meguiars ultimate wash and wax anywhere and a soft clean microfiber towel. I would have plenty of towels to do any job. I myself, have about ten to 20 mf towels just for wheel polishing alone. Have more for paint detailing lol. Not only is this a waterless wash, but it will benefit anyone that has water restricitons and/or doesn't have the time and money to wash their car. Its great for chrome, wheels, paint, and even glass =].

 

[PiPUK]

I use these 'economically-priced products" for Tar removal:
-Mineral Spirits (low odor)
-Naptha...(also found in "lighter fluids" like Zippo, Ronsinol; and for Charcoal briquettes, Coleman stoves)
-Kerosene
-Diesel fuel

Of course you have to thoroughly wash/rinse
the affected areas/surfaces... and apply an LSP afterwards.


Then there's products like:
-Rain-X Bug and Tar Remover [Has distillates (petroleum, hydrotreated light)...synonym for:
Low odor paraffinic solvent; Deodorized kerosene; Hydrotreated kerosene; Turbo fuel A]

-Meguiar's Gold Class Bug&Tar remover (has Naptha)


NOTES:
1.) Try to avoid using: Paint thinners, acetone, toluene, xylene, or MEK.

2.) Tarminator is very effective but has just a very small % of Xylene...
Considered "safe" if used as directed.


Hope this helps some.



Bob

Aromatics are what you want to avoid. Xylene is in this group but is relatively safe - it is used at very high percentages in many tar removers here in the UK. Generally it is fine for clearcoat but it can do a lot of damage to plastic trim. Higher aromatics become increasingly hazardous for both clearcoat and plastic trim and I strongly advise against them (toluene, as you said, is an example). As some may realise, aromatics are the strong smelling elements of solvent blends so the low odour solvents are often called de-aromatised and are relatively free of these nasties. Unfortunately, standard kerosene, diesel and gasoline are not de-aromatised. All of these will have noteworthy percentages of nasty aromatics so I would not recommend their use. In addition to this, the higher aromatics are highly flammable so there is a significant risk of fire or explosion if using them. So it is wise for an amateur fix to stick to the low odour solvents, both for your safety and the safety of your vehicle.

Personally, even though I have all the solvents kicking around the factory, I would never use them in isolation. The problem is that they stick, they spread everywhere due to low surface tension and then they stick. As a result, you generally need manual contact with a wash mitt to get them totally removed. This is a pain and can cause real issue in and around corners and crevices which you cannot easily reach. The result can be that you have residues which get harder to remove with time. To this end I would never attack tar without my solvent/blend having some surfactant to ensure it rinses more easily. An amateur could try to do this themselves but I am not sure whether the likes of dawn wash soap would be compatible with mineral spirits or similar (i.e. when you mix the two, does it go into a milky haze?). So to that end, I would definitely recommend the use of a formulated product which takes out all the guess work. Stoners appears popular, Dodo Juice have Tarmalade which I believe is based on citrus solvent so is good in terms of VOCs, Car Pro have Tar-X which again has citrus.

Since this thread is tar and bug, I would note that the bug removers we sell are water based products, the heavy solvents are really not necessary. To you guys this matters because a good tar remover will need used as supplied and will be really quite expensive. A bug remover can be diluted and should cost a lot less initially so bug removal should be really quite cheap. Of course you can use the tar remover for the bugs but anyone doing a good volume would be well advised to have separate products because it should equate to a significant dollar saving over time.