Orange bug spot or bug extract

nezff

nezff

New member
I've seen these spots on cars over the years and never thought anything about them because the remove easy. I have a very good coat of menzerna power lock on this truck.


I have noticed these spots on the truck which I remove but they seem to leave a spot behind where it almost looks like a stain or spot exactly where the spot was. I don't want to say etching because I've seen that but it's not like that where it leaves a small crater like etch.


I tried removing one with a clay bar but no go. Tried a little FG400 on a small rag just to see but I didn't really go hard on it.


I'm wondering if you guys have encountered this before and if you have the stain or etch left behind by this unknown liquid from an unknown place?
 

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nezff- Welcome to Autopia!  Sorry you're dealing with this and that you didn't get any response.


 


If it were mine and the clay didn't do it, I'd decontaminate it chemically (which is really the proper thing to do anyhow).  Though it's a bit of an investment, the answer here is the "ABC" system from Automotive International/ValuGard.  I don't have a link handy, but google it up and you should find it.  This system is recommened/approved by all the major automakers and has been used innumerable times.


 


The quicker you remove that stuff and neutralize it (even "removed" there will still be stuff left in the pores of the paint that can continue to do damage) the better.  It could very well be eating away your clearcoat and you sure don't want for such a seemingly minor problem to turn into a really big deal.
 
This truck is brand new with 4000 miles on it. It has power lock sealant on it. I'm just mainly wondering if anyone know what these spots could be? If anyone has dealt with them or even seen them.
 
absolutely not.


 


This is my personal truck and I take very very good care of it.  Im a part time detailer here in Louisiana so none of this is new to me.  Im just wondering what this mystery liquid is.  Im assuming it is bug poop or some kind of extract from them.  I see it on multiple vehicles during the year.  I always keep a good coat of Menzerna Power Lock on my truck at all times.  It is washed with a rinseless wash about 2-3 times a week.  Im a firefighter so the truck stays outside for my 24 hour shift, then it gets garaged the next day for 24 hours.


 


I will have to examine the paint further today since it rained this morning to make sure it didn't leave a mark behind after it was removed.
 
It is Artillery Fungus, a mold that grows in wood piles/bark.  The fungus shoots small globs of spores up into the air that are then often carried by the wind.  If you have bark in your landscaping or near where you park that is the likely source.  If you get to the spots early, before they have a chance to harden they come off fairly easy.  Once they have hardened you will often get what you are experiencing; the top comes off and a small brown/orange stain remains that is very difficult to remove.  


 


The easiest method I've found for removing these spots is a little polish on a towel with my finger after knocking the top off with clay or a fingernail.  The localized pressure makes it go faster than using a polisher and pad unless there are just a ton of them.  The good news is they stains don't go very deep and no permanent damage occurs (that I have ever experienced.)  The only thing I have found to be a good defense against these is Opti-Coat.  Vehicles I have coated have released them easily with just a wash.  
 
thanks bud.  I don't have any wood etc around where I park.  I parked at a the firestation which was recently built in the middle of a huge parking lot.  No trees etc.


 


Does this fungus eat through sealants fairly quickly?  I cant sit outside and wait to remove every spot on the vehicle which seems to be the problem.  Ive noticed them during the day randomly. 


Does this stuff eat into the clearcoat? I would assume it wouldn't since it isn't a acidic like bird bombs etc...
 
No.  I've never seen any significant damage caused by these.  It doesn't seem to be caustic at all, just stubborn and a pain to remove.  The spores can be carried quite a ways in the wind and it can happen anywhere.  Many parking lots use mulch or bark in the landscaping of the islands.  Just don't wait until there are a lot of them or you'll go nuts trying to get rid of them all.  
 
Looks like bee crap, and is common this time of year. It has amino acids in it, it has some proteins in it, combined with moisture, this combination may eat through most coatings.
 
I've seen those a lot in Houston on the various vehicles I've owned. They have been mainly pale yellow, and I've always assumed it was bird urine.  It has never caused any grief to my paint, but then again I've been using Klasse since 2002.  Love bugs is another southern US pest and Klasse renders their effect to clear/paint harmless.  Even was forced by traffic to drive through a spilt bucket of sandy grout on they way to work one morning and by the time I arrived it was just about impossible to get anything off with a finger nail.  I got home that evening and used some muriatic acid to soak the concreted blobs on the paint until the binder dissolved then gently rinsed the sand off the paint.  Klasse shrugged off the the acid, the grout and the sand with nary a mark! :D   I did remove and reinstall new fender liners on the affected side.  This was on my 2001 red Ford Lightning.
 
Yeah, KSG can really give some incredible protection.  I've been getting the same kind of protection from FK1000P, but it isn't the "thick barrier" that can stave off marring the way KSG can.
 
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