Removing Bugs From VentureShield

[Toopskees]

I am about to take a relatively long driving trip and expect to collect my fair share of dead bugs on the front of my X5. I have protected the car with VentureShield which is sensitive to organic materials (such as bird poop and dead bugs). Are there any recommended spray cleaners that I can use to remove dead bugs when I stop for gas, for example? Any particular type of cloth to use?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

[motordavid]

No personal experience with that product, but from reading the FAQs on their website, I would do:
a good coat of your fave 'wax' on the film; my fave is Zaino, as I think it is the best in allowing for easy 'release' of crud, but your pick is fine, too.

I would use a lightly dampened, lightly soaped tee shirt or microfiber towel, for quick wipes, and maybe a hand car wash along the way, or when you get home. There are several brands of aerosol tar & bug remover, but I don't know how they interact with that film... It seems like one should treat that film just like the paint that is under it.
My 50Cts...
GL, mD

[Naz24]

I just use meguiars quick detailer with a microfiber cloth. Easy, and works pretty well. It will also be fine on the film.

But as mD said, also throw a nice coat of wax on first, will make taking those little critters off easier.

[DWill]

I did 3k mike road trip last summer a couple of months after I got my car and had the front end done.

No one warned me about what the bugs do to VS.
Needless to say I was shocked when I washed my car the day after I got to my home in Montana (from Cali).

Before I say anything else let me say what you don't want to do. Do not rub on the film with anything if you do it will scratch and scratch badly. I've found it's great at impact protection but very temperamental to being cleaned, anything other than a very wet micro fiber (or other very soft cloth) using a VERY LIGHT touch and you will scratch the sh/t out of the film.

I've also found you must be very careful when you dry the film after washing your car.

What I've found is this. The ghosts of dead bugs will be on the film no matter what you "prepare" it with. I use plexus which seems to a good cleaning and polishing. I use it every time I was my car.

That said what I've noticed is all those bug ghosts seem to disappear over time assuming you've done some prep and if you wash them off in a reasonable time. What I've started doing on trips where I overnight is using a micro-fiber cloth that is very wet and has some car wash soap on it and wiping down the film after my car cools (never, ever wipe the film with anything when it is warm it will scratch) if you prep and clean, even if just lightly soon after the bigs hit the film, the bug ghosts will not be as bad and will fade much sooner.

What I've learned after having the film on my car for a little more than a year now is that at times it's a pain in the ass to maintain, especially without doing damage to it in the process. But it worth the effort.

I've just had the film on the rocker panels and lower rear doors replace on both my X5M and X5 M Sport. The film was pretty pitted on the rear part of the panels and the lower doors where the side sticks out (known issue for these cars) but the paint underneath was perfect as the day unpicked up the cars.

[Karin156]

I have the 3m on my car and I spray A LOT of the Meguire Quick Detailer and use a microfiber cloth to wipe it off. But, the most important part is you need to soak the crap out of whatever you are wiping off or you may scratch the film.