anybody know a good way to get sap off car?

i have to park under some big pine/cedar trees and the sap falls on me all the time. putting a cover on would be impractical, so have to just figure out how to get the stuff off whenever i wash the car. but it doesnt budge with regular soap, and i dont want to use something so harsh that it damages the paint....so any tips?

 

wet the sap area down with soapy water and apply a layer of cling film (ceran wrap in the states? you know the stuff, it's used to wrap left overs in) to ensure the water doesnt just everaporate before it can penetrate the sap wash it down again an hour or so later........then clay bar the area to get the last of it out of the paint

 

Turtle Wax sells a product called Sap and Tar remover. Get some clean cotton rags that you plan on throwing away.

Apply the remover on the rag, the key is to get enough product onto the sap so the product can emulsify it. Rub the sap off in one direction, don't circle the area. As you rub the sap off, flip the rag over and use a clean side of the rag. Apply more product onto the clean side of the rag until the sap is completely gone.

After the sap nightmare is completed, go back and use your favorite brand of polish and wax with microfiber rags to re-protect that paint surface.

 

I was going to suggest the same product that Gabe did, but I think it's called Bug & Tar.

 

You might try Goof Off 2 on an inconspicuous area of paint. It is a good product to remove sap / tape residue and is a water based product. I have used it on the interior plastic parts, but I have not tries it on paint yet.
BT

 

I had this happen to my BMW and tried many different products and none of them worked. I then was advised to try regular Rubbing Alcohol and it disolved it instantly. I then made sure to rewash and waxed it because I figured it stripped the wax as well.

 

Hey guys! NooB here!

This is my first post, and I just thought I would give my 2 cents...

Try lighter fluid....

I know it sounds crazy, but I lived under Eucalyptus trees for years, and I've tried everything under the sun. All the products listed (except the Cling wrap method) don't work nearly as well.

It acts fast, and leaves no residue. And it washes off completely...

I have a '32 Ford HiBoy with 11 coats of Porsche Guards Red, no clear coat. And its all Ive ever used.

Try it, tell me how it goes!

Good Luck!!
Lux

 

Clay Bar and Griot's Speed Shine

 

You don't want the sap to sit there for a long time, some tree saps are acidic and can literally etch into the paint.

I suggest claying the car completely, you will get excellent results.

 

I was thinking clay bar as well.

 

I was going to put my remark, thought the thread said "How to get a sap off your car", but decided not to.

 

Goof-Off works great

 

Clay bar works well as a pre wax / polish. When I did the clay bar on my 348 it looked really terrible immediately afterwards. After 4-10 coats of the Zaino polish it looked almost like glass.
BT

 

Depending on how brave you are... your finger wrapped in a rag and dipped in lighter fluid, paint thinner or mineral spirits (the least agressive solvents) will remove it fairly quickly. Rub the sap a little and quickly wipe it off, repeating until the sap is gone and then re-wax area.

DO NOT use any of the more aggressive solvents like laquer thinner or Acetone...your paint will be gone in a hurry.

For the less adventurous... cleaner waxes, bug/tar junk, etc will work but they take much longer.

 

Lots of good sap-removal advice here, but there's no getting around that any amount of time it spends on your paint is destructive [and I assume we're talking about a Ferrari here]. Also if the sap gets into gaps & cracks (window channels, intakes, grilles, etc.), it would be all the more difficult to get at/out.

If you can't carry or don't want to use a "formal" car cover, consider going to a hardware/paint store and getting a bunch of clear plastic, disposable drop cloths, large enough to cover the car. These are so inexpensive that you could easily use one once, then throw it away. Initially folded in very small packages, about the size of a folded dinner napkin. Park, unfold & stretch over car, secure under closed doors or whatever. When you leave, remove plastic, toss it in a trashcan, drive away.

No sap, bird stuff, otherwhatever at all.

 

Exactly!

 

I had a strange experience with plastic and my 308 about 2 months ago.

We were at Road America for the BRIC and all I had was my "not totally water proof cover." Anyway, it was going to rain over night and I got ahold of some plastic garbage bags. I cut them along the seam so they would be larger and I slipped them under my cover (over the windows) to make sure to keep the water out. Anyway, after removing them, I had very stubborn stains/blotches in my paint....=( So much so that I couldn't remove them with wax by hand. I only got them out with my orbital polisher once I got home.

It may have been a coating that these particular bags had on them, some strange dirt/grime that reacted to the palstic, I don't know. Overall I wont be trying the plastic method anymore myself.

Just my personal experience others may differ.

 

If this is for home, I'd be finding one of those fiberglass freestanding carports, you can make them pretty rock-solid.

I guess I just have concerns with having tree sap fall on a car's finish every minute of the day, and I don't think you really want to be washing it every day, it will get old after about 3-4 weeks. I know, I've been there...

 

a 2 step clay bar and polish seems very time consuming though.

 

Plastic can be problematic on a car's paint in some climates.

But where a regular padded cover might be "impractical", a lightweight cotton or polyester cover can be had fairly cheaply. Just get one with a fine enough weave that it won't leave fabric patterns in the wax.

Putting on a cover isn't that difficult if you fold it the same way every time when you remove it. That way, it folds out directly onto the car.

It can be very useful against sun damage, sap, or when the Navy repaints the satellite dish at the site next door.

And a GTS left open in the sun can get pretty flippin' hot without one.

I find that putting a car cover on is as easy as putting on the targa top. (Just not as waterproof.)

The one thing that can make a car cover "impractical" in a real sense is driving in a dusty or dirty climate. You probably want to avoid putting a cover on top of a dust and grit covered car. In that environment, all you can do is go for a thick paste wax and hope that the sap falls on the dust. Or avoid parking under the tree.

 

Pine tree sap is evil. Cut the damn trees down.

 

3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover is what you need. (3M part number 08984).

Everyone should have a can of this in their garage. A million times better than goof off. Will not hurt paint, it's desigened to remove the adhesive after you have pelt off decals. Also suitable for use on glass and vinyl.

My wife was getting in her black mustang when she swiped at a bug, unfurtunately the Bic Lighter she had in her hand left a five inch long white mark in the paint. This stuff took it off in one pass (she was very relieved)

This is what I use to get the rubber off of my paint after track days.

 

Might sound crazy but.....I have heard that peanut butter works really well esp getting off road grime. You just leave it on there for a couple minutes and wipe it off...id probably wash it off well and make sure it didnt take off some wax. Then just add a little wax to the area.

 

WD40 usually works pretty well.

Ray

 

Possibly colored plastic with some powder on them to make them easy to open?

The dropcloth plastic to which I'm referring [and which I have used occasionally for this purpose with no staining] is clear and has no powder or lubricant. In fact you have to look twice to ensure that you've peeled all of the folded panels completely open! A big sheet of this stuff usually costs about $1.

Another thought, if you really don't want to use a protective cover of any sort, might be to look into some of the paint-protective sealants, which are advertised to shrug off all sorts of contaminants. Some of these are professionally applied; some you can do yourself.