My D3 is now three weeks old and done about 1,400 miles. I'm having to clean it every weekend because it gets so dirty - not easy when there is a hose pipe ban.
Anyway, I've never had a vehicle that gets so many flies splattered over it. I know the D3 has the aerodynamics of a brick, but the RRS, Merc ML or my 3 vans have never suffered from splattered flies like the D3 does.
This is how bad it got this week and apart from the local school runs, I've only used it for work trips twice this week. It even quickly washed the front mid week, so some flies have been removed. It got so bad, I could hardly see out the windscreen (after trying to clean it with the wipers).
Cleaning it today was hard work. I ended up taking the grill off and soaking it in the bath! To clean the windscreen, I had to cover it with bug/tar remover and then clean it with glass polish twice. I had to scrub the bodywork with a bug removing sponge (a sponge wrapped in a fabric mesh). It took about three hours to clean it. Now with the warmer weather coming, I hope I don't have to repeat this every Sunday!
I've brought a Jewelultra Diamondbrite kit off eBay. Maybe next weekend after my cleaning session, I may have time to put this stuff on. I'm hoping the paintwork is then protected a bit better from the flies.
How are you guys finding the front paintwork is withstanding the wear of flies and stones?Matt
14th May 2006 10:50 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26702
Yep, I'll second that. I reckon I killed most of the b*ggers last week!
Mine was similar to yours, but I reckon our Northern flies are a much juicier variety! I had much more blood
A tip to get rid. Get an old large towel, soak in hot water and drape it over the front for a few minutes. The steam softens the mush and lets the hose blast it off.
14th May 2006 11:35 pm
angrd020
Member Since: 14 Dec 2005
Location: Branford
Posts: 148
What do you use to get Tennis Players off the grill?
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DO IT! DO IT NOW!!!
15th May 2006 2:43 am
discoman
Member Since: 02 May 2005
Location: Studley, Warwickshire
Posts: 23
Hi Guys we have some handwipes from work I think they are the orange variety, Scrubby on one side smooth on the other. They take the flies of the car screen with very little effort.
15th May 2006 7:18 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72788
Hose pipe ban, where?. Bucketing down here this morning so grass ready to sprout another 6in today. Oh for a drought, at least the lawn mower would have a rest!
I know they were advising you ina drought to share a bath with a friend, but the front of a D3 is surely above & beyond the call!
"Hose pipe ban" hmmmm. We suffer that on occasion but can still use high pressure washers or can go to a facility where they have high pressure washers.
Do they have these in the UK?
Saves scrubbing the bugs, just wet them and blast them off Works a treat and there isn't any damage. Blows the mud off mine everytime and leaves someone elses place dirty and not mine
Chris2011 Discovery 4 (MY12) SDV6 HSE with General Grabber AT's, Traxide Aux Battery system, custom rear drawers and Autosafe half height cargo barrier
Gone - 2005 Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE
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15th May 2006 8:07 am
espri
Member Since: 07 Nov 2005
Location: Tyrol, Austria
Posts: 387
I can confirm that insects are just as suicidal in Bavaria.
I remember that back in the 60s my Dad had something like a little plastic snowplough fitted on the bonnet of his Vauxhall Victor. That was supposed to deflect flies from the windscreen. Who would like to develop something similar for the Disco ?
Eric
15th May 2006 9:26 am
WOODY179
Member Since: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Chesterfield
Posts: 3637
Matt you should find it a lot easier to remove the splatted flies once your car has had the Jewel Ultra treatment. I have a similar problem but my paintwork has had the supagard treatment applied and when I wash the car the flies wipe off very easily. However for the windscreen I find it best to use a bug removing sponge (as you said a sponge enclosed in a fabric mesh).1996 Discovery 1 300TDI ES Biarritz Blue, sold
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2002 Discovery 2 TD5 ES Buckingham Blue, sold
2005 Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE Adriatic Blue, sold
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15th May 2006 10:18 am
Mossy
Member Since: 01 Jul 2005
Location: Hollyoaks, UK
Posts: 2682
Member Since: 16 Aug 2005
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 4502
I tend to put a double layer of wax over the front when i clean it, then buff it all in. Makes it easier to shift the flies. I also use a bug-shifting sponge from Asda. Only cost about 40p and it works wonders!
CY2007 Porsche Boxster (987) 2.7
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I have found the best way to clean a bug-infested windscreen is to use the abrasive side of a rectangular kitchen sponge. Whilst this seems to have zero negative effect on glass, I also found out the hard way (some years ago) that it is not something to be used on paintwork......
I use those 'scratch free' scourers that you buyt for cleaning glass in the kitchen. They don't scratch the paintwork.
Grasshoppers are the worst. They've got some kind of acid in them that reacts with the metal parts of radiators, so you have to get them off or they'll corrode things.
Had a Kangaroo kamikaze itself into the back rhs wheel the other night. Just hopped out of the bush and straight into the side of the car. Took out the mudflap, popped out some of the clips holding the wheel arch trim on, and left some fur on the wheel balancing weight on the rim. Poor thing died, but the car took it really well.Have a nice day!
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15th May 2006 1:43 pm
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
I can confer that mine seems to attract flies like you wouldn't believe too - it must be something to do with the blunt shape.
GS didn't do the best job cleaning them off either last time it went in!
To whoever uses those Kitchen Sponges with the green scrubber bit on the bottom: be very careful - these seem to be the most abrasive thing known to man! Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
15th May 2006 2:35 pm
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
there was a post about them aaaaaaages ago - don't use them on the headlights or you'll
15th May 2006 2:42 pm
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
My point entirely - I can see the windscreen doing the same thing!
I've made a mistake with these last year - on the last car my wingmirror got twanged by a transit van (hmmm... heard that somewhere before) and it was left with a black mark on it - I used a scourer sponge ever so carefully to lift the black off and got left with a nice clean spot where the black mark had been and a scratched area around it Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
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Works a treat and there isn't any damage. Blows the mud off mine everytime and leaves someone elses place dirty and not mine 
