Little E

iTrader: (2)

Any ideas how to remove tree sap from your car? Yesterday I parked under a pine tree at lunch, and today I noticed a long strip of sap going down my bumper. I knew it was from the pine tree because when I tried to scrub it off with my micro-fiber wash mit, I could smell the pine.

Since scrubing with my micro-fiber mit applied with Meguiars Gold didn't do the trick to remove it, does anyone have any other suggestions???

Thanks,
Erin

Little E

iTrader: (2)

Okay, I called a detailing place, and they told me to use non-acetone finger nail polish remover to remove the sap. I tried it, and it worked like a charm! It didn't ruin my paint at all, but I am going to buff some wax on the area ASAP!

Megafast13

Get the Meguiar's Quik Claybar kit

Debonair

Try a chain saw. Or even better is a clay bar kit.

milky

iTrader: (9)

what happens if the tree sap stays too long and eats into the paint?

Guitarman

Then your only options are abrasives of some type to mitigate the damage to one degree or another, be it to make it look less obvious (if it's too deeply etched) or remove it (if it's barely etched).

Start with polish/ compound, and wetsand ( lighty) only as a last resort.

GTScott

I have found that most sap is water soluble. If you soak it down with a good soap-rich mix it will start to come off. It may take repeating the soak down process several times as just the top layer comes off each time.

Aside from that, a similar multistage approach with a 50/50 mix of water and isopropyl alcohol will also do the trick. Be careful when using ANYTHING if you get down to really scrubbing.

smoothLEX

It's a good thing you didn't let it sit on your paint for too long. My wife did with her car and we ended up having to pay a detailer to wetsand the etching off.

milky

iTrader: (9)

What kind of compound would you recommend i try?

Carmelstev

Erin-
Living on the Monterey Peninsula, pine sap is a constant problem. What I've found is that if gotten to early, Goof-Off will get most of it off, followed by a Polish/Wax such as Meguiar's. Water won't touch pine sap, and soap will only remove it in the first few hours, in my experience. For baked-on sap, I get out the heat gun and CAREFULLY heat the sap on low setting, rub with Goof Off, and keep repeating until gone. It's vital to be very careful with the heat gun, as it will blister the clear if too hot. To keep tabs on how hot I'm getting the paint, I touch the paint every few seconds. If it's too hot to leave my finger on, it's too hot.

Guitarman

Myself, I use 3M stuff, but I use a rotary buffer when I do paint remediation.

Machine Glaze and Perfect- It III Rubbing Compound would work for me, but for you, an easy to obtain product like Scratch- X would be a good start by hand.

If you find that doesn't have enough bite, then you'll have to get a rubbing compound, such as the 3M or Meguire's, Mother's, all are fine and will work similarly.

Then you'll need to use either the scratch X again or a swirl remover in addition if you have a dark color and still see some hazing.

Be advised; by hand, it's a LOT of work. It will take some time.

But if you're not experienced with wetsanding, you're better off being patient and working it via polish/ compound untill you start to see results.

Good luck!

milky

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for the recommendation!

I left my car unwashed in the garage for quite some time, and didn't notice i had tree sap sitting there until i took it out for a spin. By then it was too late!

Going to try this out by hand; if it doesn't work, i think i'll have to go for an orbital.

exvelocity

anything from lacquer thinner, acetone, gasoline,wd-40,nailpolish remover will take the tree sap off, the trick is to apply to soft towel and try to wipe the sap off,not scrub or keep it on the paint longer than few seconds,I never had a problem using lacquer thinner at my shop to remove sap, even hardened from over the years junk,

jcat_350

hahaha, quite right


CLARIFICATION!, he means the chainsaw on the tree, not the car

o6spdracer

iTrader: (5)

I use gasoline. Just a little bit on a soft cloth, rub gently, and wash and wax immediately after.