Any suggestions on a temporary solution for protecting new paint on the front of my car? I'm going to be putting in about 20 hours of highway driving, mostly at night, and I'm terrified of what 1000+ miles worth of bugs will do to the fresh paint.

Short of deflector shields from the USS Enterprise, what are my options for some temporary protection? I need to be able to take it off and reapply, since I'm heading to a car show. I've seen lots of ideas for protecting paint, like 3M blue masking tape, but not for NEW paint. The blue masking tape specifically says not to use on new paint. I really don't care how it looks getting there, as long as it looks good when I take it off.

rent a trailer and pull it lol how new is the paint

the 3m green works on fresh paint it is used in body shops around here with no problems

Haha get one of those enterprise body skins

actually I wonder how clear packing wrap would effect new paint, as long as the paint is dry I bet it would probably do the trick

just cut hole a hole for the grill

then you could just peal the bugs off when you parked for the show..worth a shot

sew a bra together out of a bunch of sham-wows...rofl

You could do a clear bra. When I repaint mine it will have one of them 3M clear bras.

Also the green tape is fine for fresh paint. Thats what the good shops use for multi tone paint jobs.

just put some wax on it and dont wipe it off until you get there!

I'm waitin on the pic of the car all wrapped up in clear packing plastic

saran wrap
I wouldn't want to do the clear bra till the paint has cured

Clear bra, theyre even putting them on windshields. Plus you wont have to worry about pulling it off and reapplying it since you can barely see it. Most tint shops are doing them.

just put some wax on it and dont wipe it off until you get there!



Thats what I was thinking, a REALLY heavy coat of wax and don't wipe it off till you get there.

saran wrap
I wouldn't want to do the clear bra till the paint has cured

That was my first thought... Then again, Jamie's idea would work too.

When I had my bumper refinished, I was told not to use wax for a couple weeks. :confused:

YOU NEVER EVER EVER wax new paint... not for at least 30-45 day.

Also clear bra can't be applied until after that window of time either.

3M Green masking tape is your best bet, it is the lowest adhesion of them all.... personally I would just drive it and wash it off when you get there.

my wax comment was a joke for those who didnt get it, i would never wax new paint, and i would never leave it on either he would never be able to rub it off after the trip lmfao! i was being a smart ass.

i just talked to a friend of mine who owns a tint shop that does the clear shield for all of the local dealers and body shops in the area back home and he said that it should not hurt the fresh paint as long as it has been mixed and applied properly

Just drive it, i drove mine with fresh paint on it from Boscobel, Wisconsin to Here in Oklahoma that's over 800 miles and the paint is looking good. :D

at the body shop where i work we always hand out a pamphlet that tells you not to power wash for 30 days and not to wax for 90 days. Even though the clear coat is dry it still isn't fully cured. We also wait to put on large magnetic signs, bras, company lettering, bra's, etc. We do put on pinstripes, 4x4 decals, and other types of smaller stuff though.

YOU NEVER EVER EVER wax new paint... not for at least 30-45 day.

When I see this, I picture a Japanese man yelling that same sentence. :p

I would still use saran wrap... GLAD, not Dollar store brand

honestly i would just drive it also, unless you follow a truck carrying gravel you shouldnt be worried about driving it. buy a bottle of bug and tar remover and everytime you stop to get gas or take a piss, wipe the front nose off with it.

I just got done 3m'ing the front bumper on my jeep srt8 and what a pain in the a** to do! I would recommend getting it installed by professionals if you don't have any patience:D My girlfriend had to give me some help and she kept me from tearing it off LOL!

Ah, I guess I'm dumb, didnt really think about the wax hurting the new paint...

Yeah I've decided to just take my chances. Hopefully it'll be alright. The bumper cover and grill have been curing for over a week. Only the header panel and hood will be "new" new paint. I do intend to have the clear bra stuff put on at some point, but as several have pointed out, you're supposed to wait at least 30 days for the paint to cure before it should be used. I'll definitely get it done professionally. The kits leave huge swaths of the bumper unprotected and I'm not up to the task of custom fitting it myself.

Thanks for the suggestions.