4800 km Road Trip

[RockyRapier]

Just got back from a 4800 km drive from TO to Halifax and back. I must say I love this car even more now. My Km/tank jumped from about 500km to over 600km. The rough back roads and tight turns with hills were little problem for my mazda3 Sport GT, even with 3 guys and all our stuff. Also got a lot of head turns -- mostly from the huge amount of other 3's I passed. Is it my fault NB and NS have a 110 km/h speed limit? Growing up with 100 km/h I just got uber excited.

Only problem i had with the car was it looks so good that I think i attracted more bugs over to take a gander and they ended up splattered on my grill and windsheild. Anyone know a good way to get bug off the front of the car?

Cheers!

 

[bvmazda3]

Just got back from a 4800 km drive from TO to Halifax and back. I must say I love this car even more now. My Km/tank jumped from about 500km to over 600km. The rough back roads and tight turns with hills were little problem for my mazda3 Sport GT, even with 3 guys and all our stuff. Also got a lot of head turns -- mostly from the huge amount of other 3's I passed. Is it my fault NB and NS have a 110 km/h speed limit? Growing up with 100 km/h I just got uber excited.

Only problem i had with the car was it looks so good that I think i attracted more bugs over to take a gander and they ended up splattered on my grill and windsheild. Anyone know a good way to get bug off the front of the car?

Cheers!

I don't know if it's the best way, but it's the way I prefer (I don't like those bug/tar removers - I think they're too harsh on the paint). I usually just hose the car down to get the big grit and the loose bugs off, then let it sit for a while to soak and do it again. This usually removes most of them, but occasionaly I'll still have to lightly rub the bug-goo off with the sheepskin wash mitt.

Hope that helps.

~Bart~

Edit: Oh yah! And like a good Mazda3 owner I never wash in a circular motion - always back and forth, making sure that I dunk the mitt in the soapy water very often to make sure theres no grits in it that can scratch.

Edit, again: Sounds like a great trip! I haven't been on that side of the country since I was 12... I'd like to go back, but it's a long way. I'm settling for a quick trip around the Western Provinces early in August.

 

[RonH]

You just have to soften up the bugs and they'll come off fairly easily.
I've heard you can spray the front of the car with Pam cooking spray before a trip and the bugs won't even stick, and when you get back just wipe off the spray.

 

[RockyRapier]

Thankd for the advice. I got most of them off with a double wash, will work on the rest of the small bits next time i wash. They just get stunk in the grooves around the fog lights and in the front grill.

 

[Mazda3Zoomer]

Get some dryer sheets, wet them, and use that to rub off teh bugs.

works like a charm.

The softener loosens up the bugs and the sheets are tough but not abrasive.

 

[Airman Jack]

I don't know how bad the bugs are near the east coast, but I just came back from Manitoba, and every rumour you heard about how bad the bugs are, double it to make it closer to the truth! I had a crack in the plastic shroud around the passenger side fog lamp (old damaged part replacement that's been sitting on backorder for 3 months) and when my shop pulled out the cracked one yesterday to put on the new one, I found a ring of dead bugs between the shroud and the bumper cutout...

I don't know if bug guts are acidic or will damage paint if they sit on it for too long, but I would recommend taking the car to a coin-wash, one where they have a separate soap brush and a good high pressure sprayer, and pay close attention to the gaps between the fog lamps and the bumper, the bumper and grill, and the mirrors and doors.

Oh yeah, and for those long cross country trips, the seats in our car are amazing! I'm 6'6" and 230lbs and I was perfectly comfy sitting for 8 or 10h of driving a day!

 

[jersey_emt]

Yes smushed bugs will damage your paint if left on too long.