i have excessive amounts of tree sap that has dripped down onto my freakin car and i cant get it off and i dont want to compromise the paint...any body have any tips..tried turtle wax liquid claybar, didnt do a whole lot

heard nail polish remover would work good?
i need ideas please

try www.autopia.com
it's a car detailing website. hopefully there will be something on there that can help. i would definitely not put acetone (a.k.a. nail polish remover) on the paint.

in my experience their isn't a magic fix for tree sap on paint that won't harm your finish or strip your wax off as well. I've used (by recommendation from a auto body shop tech) hot water and soap. Wear gloves and use as hot a water as you can handle (heat on the oven if need be) mixed with automotive soap (dawn ect will strip the wax) and wipe away. The hot water will help dissolve the sap and the soap will lift it from the finish without harming it. Patience is the key, but it works

Face it - whatever you do to remove the tree sap is also going to remove any wax that you have on the car. You can just assume that when you are done the car will need to be rewaxed.

Given that, the next problem is to find something that will remove the tree sap without harming the clear coat or the paint. So we are going to start with the least harmful stuff available and then work to more and more dangerous stuff until something works.

Start with Dawn dishwashing detergent and HOT water - if that does not work, then try Bug and Tree Sap remover available at any auto parts store.

Next would be the clays - childrens modeling clay and orange based solvents and/or car detailing clay and and a surfacent (sp?) such as Quick Detailer sprays.

Next would be the solvents - finger nail polish remover, mineral sprits, water-soluble paint brush cleaner, lighter fluid, rubbing alcohol, WD-40 and denatured alcohol all have been suggested.

Once you have the tree sap off, wash and wax the car and buy a car cover.

Good Luck !

What about goo gone or something similar?

^ noooo dont use that

go to pepboys. they always have stuff to remove tree sap. Not a big problem. Use that stuff from pep boys, wash the car, then clay the car, then apply some wax and ur good to go. dealt with tree sap many of times on previous cars.

heard nail polish remover would work good?


What does nail polish remover do? It removes paint from nails. Why on God's Earth would you put that ANYWHERE near the paint on your car?

The super hot water is probably your best bet... add in a LOT of patience.

What does nail polish remover do? It removes paint from nails. Why on God's Earth would you put that ANYWHERE near the paint on your car?

The super hot water is probably your best bet... add in a LOT of patience.

Nail polish remover shouldn't do anything to the paint.
the clearcoat on all cars in the past 30 or so years is a chemicaly cured finish, and once cured (not dry) there is almost nothing that will re-liquify or harm it
Nail polist is just dried paint and can easlie be re-liqufied.

the Best thing we got at work (GM bodyshop, I'm the painter) is simple soap and HOT water.. and thats if its fresh. when its old and rock hard is when it gets VERY hard to remove:(

Clay Bar the car

I had to clay BAR my wife vehicle to remove the tree sap because she always parked under the trees at her moms house and it had been on for awhile, just clar bar it...

Hey, anybody know what touch up paint might match the silver trim on the steering wheel? The paint on mine seems soft and has started to scratch off in one spot but I don't want to take it to the dealer for something so minor. Any ideas would be helpfull...

Thanks

IPA, clay and warm water. worst case you may need to take an orbital to it just to have the last of it gone. put 2-4 layers of a good carnauba like Pinnacle Souveran on it after and you will have less problems in the future with sap.

Hey, anybody know what touch up paint might match the silver trim on the steering wheel? The paint on mine seems soft and has started to scratch off in one spot but I don't want to take it to the dealer for something so minor. Any ideas would be helpfull...

Thanks
why not take it in? i did. it's getting replaced asap under warranty.

Start with the mildest options first as others have mentioned. I once had my GTP covered with tar. They were removing tar impregnated roofing panels from the roof at work which produced huge clouds of airbourne tar... the dust met my freshly washed black paint which had been heated by the sun and presto... my car looked like it had been Line-Xed. Automotive Goo Gone was the only thing besides solvent that would even touch it. If you do use more agressive products, do small areas so you can keep the time exposure to a minimum and wash and rinse well afterward... and it's probably a good idea to keep any product like that away from rubber trim. Then start from the beginning to re-apply a new wax/finish.

texas chain saw massacre for those sappy trees!

Take it to the dealer. It's only going to get worse. If it's under warranty take it in. I thought the same way you did, but it just kept on bothering me. So I was just going to buy it. Went in to buy it and the parts guy told me that it was under warrant and go tell the service supervisor. He came out and looked at it and they replaced it for free!


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