[RIPws6]

I was recently reassigned to a new location that is 40 miles from home.
I was driving 7 miles daily. I figure that I am not the only one doing this for a daily driver so I am looking for tips on keeping my car clean and anything else that i need to be aware of.
After one round trip I have bug guts on the windshield which I clean every night when I get home so I can go back to work with a clean view...but the amount of splattered bugs on the front grille and parts of the hood and mirrors requires a different cleaning method due to paint considerations.
obviously, going to a car wash every night isn't a viable solution. I am looking for method I can use every day or every other day to get the road wear off the front of my car without scratching the paint and causing undo wear from the accelerated cleaning routine.

My SS purrs like a kitten going to work and back and I actually enjoy the extended time I have in my car these days.
It might be a little more on the odometer than I would prefer but my 2019 only has 28,000 miles so it has some catching up to do in the mileage department.
What do you guys use to keep the high speed shrapnel off your paint that won't damage the finish if used often?

[WhiteMale]

I like Meguiars spray foam for bug and tar, it doesn't run off vertical panels very much, then a microfiber and a detail spray.

[arpad_m]

Longer term, self-healing paint protection film with ceramic coating on top for the front would help. Bugs and grime won't stick nearly as much, and they will wash off easily even if you leave them on the car till the weekend or even next week.

[keep_hope_alive]

I daily mine and I do a decent amount of travel for work. Getting 30+ mpg on the highway is nice.

PPF is a good way to protect the front, but you also have exposed areas at the mirrors and roof edge. And you'll get bugs in the radiators, which are difficult to remove.

I decided to live with it as-is and if i'm concerned enough in the future, i'll just get a new or salvage front bumper since it's about the cost of PPF anyway.

I clean with bug and tar remover on a regular basis, only microfiber towels tho.

[Gen6cyl]

I've been doing 80 mile a day commute for over 23 years. My 21 Camaro I got new has 72k miles now and I have enjoyed them all.I do engine, transmission and diff. oil changes before recommend times. Like arpad_m I recently Gtechniq serum ultra ceramic coating put on by a certified person. One of the best things I've done to this car. I did not get the protective film on the front, sounds like a good idea. I bought Gtechniq cleaning wash, ceramic wash and bug remover from them.

[zedts1986]

Man, the 2SS is such a nice commuter vehicle. We're lucky...

Luckily for me, I live near an excellent car wash that offers an unlimited pass for $30/month. So I do that quite frequently. If that weren't an option for me, I'd likely just look for a ceramic coating. Should make removing bug guts super quick and easy. Personally, I'd get the coating and then just wash it on the weekends and not worry about it beyond that.

[Gen6cyl]

With the ceramic coat the car looks better. Where before I would wash about every 2 weeks, now it's 4-6 weeks and the car looks better.

[TransamGTA350]

2 different issues with both trying to keep a daily commuter car clean and protected. Depends on how far you want to go and what your budget is.

For the keeping clean part, a professional grade ceramic coating will keep the car much cleaner as dirt and bugs will not stick as much and washing becomes so much easier. With a ceramic coating, best to stay away from automatic cloth car washes as the coating will scratch, but with the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating, touchless car washes work pretty well for maintenance washes between hand washes.

The next part is if you do a lot of highway driving, paint protection film (PPF) will protect from rock chips and sandblasting. The typical application of PPF would be the front bumper, hood, fenders and mirror caps. Most PPF have built in hydrophobic properties, so those areas don't need to be ceramic coated, but coating the rest of the car where the paint is exposed is usually done to complete the package. This whole package works great, but is pricey, so have to decide if the cost of the PPF is worth it for the value of what you are protecting.

On my daily driver (not the Camaro) I do have PPF on the front panels and ceramic coating on the rest of the car. I do a lot of highway driving and I'm really not very good about keeping the car clean (life is busy). With the ppf and ceramic, the car always looks "decent" just from the rain. I go through a touchless carwash and vacuum the interior about once per month and I hand wash it 2-3 times per year. When I do find time to hand wash, it's very easy and looks like a fresh detail when I'm done. It does also go back to the professional detailer once per year for a full detail and touch up of the ceramic coating.

It may sound like I sell PPF and ceramic coating, but I have nothing to do with them. I was never a believer in either product for a long time until I tried it on this daily driver when I bought it a couple of years ago and now I'm sold.

[DamonZ28]

Like others have said, a ceramic coating makes it SO much easier to clean. Superior Products Dark Fury, used in a foam sprayer, will make the bugs come right off. You can buy it at O'Reilly's.

[dpevans]

Agree with the PPF then do a self ceramic coating. then find a good pretreatment for bug removal and they should wipe right off. Nix the car wash and buy a decent pressure washer for home. I only use the car wash spray bay after a track session to spray off all the rubber build up.

[GreyGhost702]

The 40 mile run is definitely going to be better for the car. 7 miles is a lot of short tripping. Though 7 miles in a metro area, you probably do get the car up to temp at least. At least you've got a decent stereo to rock out with.

[RIPws6]

Thank you everyone for the helpful guidance. I’ll look into my local options on all of the suggestions and get started.
..and I 100% agree, this is an awesome commuter car!

[Riverside2SS]

Originally Posted by zedts1986

Man, the 2SS is such a nice commuter vehicle. We're lucky...

Luckily for me, I live near an excellent car wash that offers an unlimited pass for $30/month. So I do that quite frequently. If that weren't an option for me, I'd likely just look for a ceramic coating. Should make removing bug guts super quick and easy. Personally, I'd get the coating and then just wash it on the weekends and not worry about it beyond that.

Gotta love Delta Sonic....I commuted 86 miles per day with my '19 2SS for 2 years and had ceramic coating with paint correction. Made it a lot easier to keep clean for sure....best 2k you will spend....well worth it....

[FlukeSS]

Originally Posted by RIPws6

I was recently reassigned to a new location that is 40 miles from home.
I was driving 7 miles daily. I figure that I am not the only one doing this for a daily driver so I am looking for tips on keeping my car clean and anything else that i need to be aware of.
After one round trip I have bug guts on the windshield which I clean every night when I get home so I can go back to work with a clean view...but the amount of splattered bugs on the front grille and parts of the hood and mirrors requires a different cleaning method due to paint considerations.
obviously, going to a car wash every night isn't a viable solution. I am looking for method I can use every day or every other day to get the road wear off the front of my car without scratching the paint and causing undo wear from the accelerated cleaning routine.

My SS purrs like a kitten going to work and back and I actually enjoy the extended time I have in my car these days.
It might be a little more on the odometer than I would prefer but my 2019 only has 28,000 miles so it has some catching up to do in the mileage department.
What do you guys use to keep the high speed shrapnel off your paint that won't damage the finish if used often?

Bra Straps only thing I can think of for the front of the car.

Windshield maybe a small wind deflector at the base of the windshield to redirect air over the windshield.