Protecting paint on long trips

[thelinja]

My friend and I are going to be traveling cross country this weekend and I was wondering if there were any cheap ways to prevent bug buildup on the front of the car. We may have a bra, but it appears that the seller has backed out on us. In the case we don't have a bra, what would be the best way to protect te front of the car rather than stopping every 3 hours for a car wash? I know 3M makes a film, but I read that it's permanent and has to be professionally installed at places like Ziebart. Would masking tape work? I know it would be incredibly ugly, but would it be effective? Does anyone know of any other alternatives? Thanks in advance.

[mrmephistopheles]

I'm driving back across the country starting Thursday.. I expect to encounter mucho buggz0rs up till west texas... I usually cleaned the front of the car when I cleaned my windsheild when stopped at a gas station..

[SaintlyCharBoy]

i know it sounds super ghey, but the idea of a 3M film made me think of saran wrap

it would stretch easy over leading edge of the hood, and if you poked holes, and were good with a razor blade, you could probably stretch it around the bumper too

it's probably fall off tho, and i almost want to kick myself for even having the though...:hammer:

even if it didn't work, you'd only be out like 1.5 bux, and it's great stuff anyways

oh, another thought - anyone remember that old gramar school stick-on-book covering? like contact paper, but removable?

that might work...:fruit:

[twitchy]

pam cooking spray
or any non stick cooking spray lightly mist over the bumper, bugs will wipe off with a rag, then reapply

keep a can in your car when you go

[thelinja]

Actually, within an hour of my post the guy emailed my friend that he would sell us the bra and ship it out. The thought of saran wrapping actually crossed my mind before I posted too. Thanks for the repiles guys.

[Yoshi]

everyone I've ever known that's had a bra on their car, myself included, has HATED THEM! Why? Because they protect the car from bugs and such, but you can never take it off again. Bra's scratch the crap out of your paint. The wind and inertia make them slide back and forth over your paint, however minutely. What's left underneath looks terrible, so only use a bra if your POSITIVELY SURE that you like that look.

[thelinja]

We're just going to put the bra on the car for the duration of the trip. Once we get back, it's being sold.

[sykikchimp]

I wouldn't even recommend them for that.. it doen't take long for them to completely fubar your paint.

I've seen plenty of porche guys use masking tape at the track to cover their bumpers, and the area bhind their wheels to protect against rocks. If it works for them, it should work for you!

a pic for reference:
http://charles.sykikchimp.org/virfull/images/106-0689_IMG.jpg

kinda looks like duct tape..

btw - those orange cleaners do wonders for removing duct tape glue.

[Dousan_PG]

weak! the GT3 porsche guy who goes to the track in so cali just rocks the car as it is! :) the way it should be!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid44/p43fedca33763176f816856f954205a01/fcdc0871.jpg

[sykikchimp]

you mean like this one:
http://charles.sykikchimp.org/virnorth/images/VIR%20008.jpg

should've taken a pic of the other side.. the front left fender had a 6" dimple in it, and the left rear of the bumper had a 10" tear in it.

Always good to see a $200,000 car getting flogged like the track whore it is! :bigok:

[Dousan_PG]

YEAAAH! that's what im talking about! using the car for what it was built for.

sunday driver my a$$...

[RBBaby]

Originally posted by twitchy
pam cooking spray
or any non stick cooking spray lightly mist over the bumper, bugs will wipe off with a rag, then reapply

keep a can in your car when you go

if that actually works, you are a genious.

but then again, wouldnt the winds of 90 mph blow the pam off?

[sykikchimp]

Originally posted by RBBaby
if that actually works, you are a genious.

but then again, wouldnt the winds of 90 mph blow the pam off?

Or worse.. smear your windshield with bug/dirt grabbing goo?