What do you do about the bugs (the flying kind)?

[K9crew]

I picked up my wife's Audi in Marietta, GA this past April and drove through Dallas and finally on to San Francisco (about 2,500 miles) and I couldn't believe how many bugs hit the front of the car. Every gas stop involved scrubbing the windshield not to mention the front grill. The Audi's front profile is much smaller and more raked than a Super Duty so I was wondering what you all do about this. My trip was in April so I can only imagine what it's like in the summer. There were some HUGE bugs stuck in the condenser when I washed the car prior to shipping. Even after a few miles of leaving the gas station my windshield was splattered. I plan on picking up an '06 later this year and driving it a few thousand miles (CA, AZ, TX) before shipping it back to Hawaii so I would like to keep bugs out of the condenser and radiator but I don't want the truck to overheat. I plan on ordering the chrome package with the billet grill. How do you all deal with this problem?

Thanks for your help!

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[powerboatr]

K9
I do my best to drive at night here in al. killing as many as possible so others may proceed cleanly. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]
the bug deflector/killer I had before did a pretty good job of moving the strike zone up near the top of window vice dead center. except for a few blackbirds it worked pretty well

[bushpilot]

on mine i installed "gutter guard" keeps the bigger stuff out (including rocks)...beyond that theres not a much you can do
other than washing 'em away w/ the hose (clogging the "fins"
has never been the issue for me...)

the openings of our grills are big enough to allow rocks etc
thru though...and you want to avoid rocks in any of the coolers...
(the a/c is the 1st to get it)...gutter guard or something
sim. should prevent any fatal hits.

as for getting the bugs OFF the grill/bumper/paint...new or used
anti static dryer sheets work well...wet 'em good & use 'em to remove
the bugs when you wash the truck/cars.

[redneckmba]

I live in the swamps of Louisiana. Deal with bugs all the time.

First, to two quarts of cheap Wally World windshield wash, add 1 quart of windex, 2 tbl spoons of dish detergent, and dilute with a quart of water. This takes bugs off with your wipers. Warning: Replace wiper blades yearly. The ammonia in the windex degrades rubber.

Ignore the bugs on your condenser until oil change. At that time, remove the grill (4 or 5 screws) and point the hose nozzle down to flush the bugs out to your feet. Don't use a pressure washer or you will bend fins. Wet the condenser and let the bugs soak in water for a while to make removal easier.

If dealing with really nasty, paint eating bugs (love bugs), buy a pressure washer or use the one at the local car wash. Blast the bugs off the front surface each evening during love bug season.

Tap out your air cleaner every 500 miles if you have "Zoodad" modifications. If you haven't modified your air intake, don't worry about this.

Terry cloth works best for scrubbing bugs but protecting paint. Any leftover residue can be removed with the chamois when drying.

Red

[Sageair]

I use RAIN-X year round. It doesn't keep the bugs off but it sure make getting them off a ton easier.

[K9crew]

Rob (and members),
Thanks for your comments. I've seen a picture of the chrome grill that comes with the chrome package and it looks like it should do a good job of keeping rocks out of the condenser. I like the idea of removing the condenser periodically to clean it from the back ... leaving the A/C lines connected of course!

Thanks again!
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