A mosquito-free summer with Meguiar's Bug & Tar Remover

• Products: Bug & Tar Remover
• Manufacturer: Meguiar's.
• Packaging: Aerosol (444ml), ready to use.

Introduction:

We all face the same problem during the summer season: insects splattered on the front of our vehicle. The sun makes things worse, as insects can quickly penetrate the paintwork and leave marks even after washing.
Hence the importance of removing these insect remains quickly and effectively to keep the paint always free of marks.

Meguiar's, the most famous American brand, has developed a bug remover that also acts as a tar remover. The advantage of this product lies in its aerosol format, making it very easy to apply.

But is it actually effective? We test it for you.


Presentation:

The test vehicle had covered several thousand kilometers without a wash. Plenty of crushed bugs on the front end. A perfect base for testing the Bug & Tar Remover.
We deliberately limited ourselves to testing the bug-removing action and not the tar-removing action, given the weather conditions on the day.





We recommend first and foremost shaking the bottle well to properly homogenize the product.
Then, it is advised to spray the bug remover onto a dry surface, and if possible a cool one, to allow the product to properly grip the surface.

We start with the headlights. The foam generated by the Bug & Tar Remover is very dense. It adheres perfectly to the surface.



The same applies to the bumper — the film of product created holds perfectly in place, which will allow it to properly dissolve the insect remains and then drain them by gravity.



The major advantage of this aerosol format over a conventional spray bottle is that you do not tire at all from continuous spraying. You can treat your entire front end effortlessly and then let the product work.

Allow approximately 5 minutes of dwell time to let the film naturally run down. Shorten this dwell time to a maximum of 2–3 minutes in hot and sunny conditions like in this test, to make sure the product does not dry on the treated areas.

Then rinse with a pressure washer. You will notice that the bulk of the insect remains come off without too much difficulty. However, the result is not perfect. Understandably so, as the vehicle is unprotected and poorly maintained. On a regularly maintained and protected vehicle, the result would certainly have been better.





We therefore recommend performing a second pass, after washing/rinsing, on a wet surface this time, by spraying the Bug & Tar Remover again onto the surface but also onto your wash mitt.



You immediately notice the benefit of spraying the product onto a dry surface first. Here, on a wet surface, the product runs off too quickly to be able to lift the insect remains.







In this final test, with mechanical action from the mitt, the result is much better. Almost perfect, in fact. Almost, because all the insect remains were removed but you will still have the etching in the paint that remains. Make no mistake: a bug remover will allow you to remove the surface-level residue from the paint, but the acidity of the insects means your paint is etched, creating a residual mark. For this last issue, the only solution to remove it remains polishing — no chemical product will be able to help you.



Conclusion on the product:

Meguiar's has succeeded in offering a product that could not be simpler to use. No dilution, no special precautions — this product can be used by anyone and on any surface.
The aerosol solution is greatly appreciated for its ease of use and the absence of fatigue during application.

However, one point deserves attention: product consumption. The propellant gas expels a large amount of product and creates a significant foam density. As a result, after the test, a good half of the bottle had been used! We admittedly repeated the process several times, but this product cannot be considered economical in use.
It will suit perfectly a private individual wishing to quickly remove their layer of bugs after a long summer road trip, for example by going through a car wash.
It is impossible to use this product from a professional standpoint — it would be ruinously expensive in use. You would therefore need to turn to dilutable solutions.

Finally, the product is effective without mechanical action, but only just. It is truly the mechanical action with the mitt that plays the key role in removing the insect remains.

A must-have in your amateur detailer's kit for your holiday trips, for example.


Advantages

+ Fast
+ Less fatigue compared to conventional sprays.
+ Dense and stable foam.

Disadvantages

- Raw cleaning power could be improved
- Product consumption