Pine sap on car...HELP!

[Henro]

This is tractor related...kind of...as I had to move my daughter's car so I had more room for my tractor to get by it. I was making multiple trips...

I parked it under a pine and forgot about it, and it sat there for a couple days...

Daughter got back from vacation this morning and looks at the car and it is covered with a LOT of pine sap...roof, including two sunroofs...side glass, everywhere!

Is there a trick to getting this stuff off??? Metalic red 2002 Subaru Legacy GT...

Everything tried so far flopped. I wonder if diesel fuel or gas might work?

If anyone has any ideas please advise! That stuff is sticky and nothing seems to melt it, or soften it much...THe paint under it is a concern so we have to try to be gentle...

 

[johnday]

Bill; I used to use diesel or kerosene to clean bad stuff off my paint. I know that won't hurt Ford paint. Look in the owners manual and see what it says, other than don't get the junk on there in the first place. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif On the glass, a razor blade would probably work. You might also talk to a car restorer, these guys have some pretty wierd concoctions, as do some of the detailers.

Good luck at any rate. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Later; johnday

 

[cowboydoc]

WD40 works very well and has not hurt our paint at all.

 

[Inspector507]

Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover always worked for me

 

[Henro]

Thanks Johnday, cowboydoc and Inspector507...we will be trying everything that anyone suggests. Hope something works on this local pine sap!

Anyone else have other ideas...please chime in. All help greatly appreciated...Never would have thought of WD40 on my own... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I think I tell the daughter to take her mother's car to work tomorrow and experiment a bit on her's...

 

[tracdoc]

Henro,

The best overall remover I have found and used is called <font color="green">Goof Off. </font> It is available at all Lowes in small lighter fluid style cans as well as gallon cans. I have used is for tree sap and for tar, etc. on vehicles, and found it to work very well w/o damaging the paint or the clear coat. It should be applied in the shade on a cool surface, using a soft cotton rag which is changed frequently.

When you use any solvent to remove tar, sap, etc., the solvent will also remove any wax on the surface. So, it might be a good idea, after removing the sap, to wash the car with a good detergent car soap, and then give it a good coat of wax. I'm sure your daughter would appreciate that as we go into the Fall/Winter seasons.

 

[BradK]

Henro: Down here in Florida when i get pine sap on the truck as long as it is still tacky I use baby oil and a paper towel works every time

 

[Egon]

Try good old coke.

Egon

 

[sassafraspete]

after the coke treatment, park by an ant farm.

sassafraspete

 

[TheKid]

Denatured alcohol will take it off without harming the finish.

 

[cmhyland]

If the sap is hardened then it will be tough. I had hardened sap on my volvo and had to finally resort to acetone. It took it right off but I had the acetone rag in one had and a carwash sponge in the other...

Regards,
Chris

 

[Bird]

Like Cowboydoc, I've had better luck with WD40 than anything else.

 

[NIXON]

Bill , give this product a try . Tarminator ,from Stoner .
www.tarminator.com It works ! John

 

[Hakim]

Get Citrasolv --- Online Info oil of orange. This is the best thing we use for cleaning ANYTHING, including indelible markers on carpet, and LOTS of pine sap-based essential oils in our fragrance business.

USED in These Applications
Safe Solvent Replacement for Vapor Degreasing
Carpet solvent spotter
equipment wipe
Paint stripping
Parts Washers

REMOVES These Soils
Inks (Sharpe pen marks)
Resins & Adhesives
Grease & Oils
Rubber burn remover
Tar
GRAFFITI REMOVAL

Can order from here, or Google for better prices:
Order Citrasolv .

It is all natural, and will not harm the object or skin. Once you use it, you can hardly believe it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Henro]

Thanks to all for the help. I think I might just put together an emergency kit including all of the suggested items...

I tried last night to get a hold of my daughter on her cell phone and to give her the initial suggestions...but could only leave a message...apparently they (her and her boyfriend) were attacking the pine sap on the car.

There was a LOT of it everywhere...took them four hours before it was all off. They got some of the Turtlewax stuff that the inspector mentioned...still that is a long time! These two are not the kind that work a little and watch a lot either. I don't doubt that they had an intense session of sap cleaning...

I think I am going to put something under that tree and try out the different suggestions you guys gave me. I really do appreciate it! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Inspector507]

Come to think of it Henro.......I've also used some of the citrus (Orange oil) cleaners on some hard to remove junk. Might try some of that too.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I worked through part of college as an automotive detailer at the local Ford dealer and we would use Dawn dishwashing soap when we ran out of bug remover. Tide, joy dawn aplmolive they'll all work the saem, spray it on and let it dry, then wash car and scrub over buggy area and they'll come right off. Note this will strip all wax from the finish, but many times it was quicker to do this and rewax the car than it is to scrub forever. For pine sap you could also use a solvent that they prep cars with before painting, the stuff we had was called Prep-Sol (also strips wax, but works quick and very well), also Orange Cirtus type cleaners should work or a mild degreaser like Simple Green, use a soft bristle brush to scrub stuff off.

 

[fishman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I think I am going to put something under that tree and try out the different suggestions you guys gave me. )</font>

Further evidence that Henro has too much time on his hands! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[LBrown59]

Gunk or any brand of engine degreaser
will clean road tar sap price tags tape caulk glue labels and a raft of other things.

WD forty will work for many of the same things though not as well as the engine degreaser.

Carb and choke cleaner will clean many things but you have to watch it don't damage or desolve certain surfaces.

Two other of my favorites Are
1* Brake parts cleaner
2*Electrical parts cleaner
The use of thes 2 items depends on what I'm trying to remove from what item?

Both are good for removing dried paint over spray.

Somebody painted the wrong tail light lenses black on a school that was being converted to a church bus. No problem I had the dried black paint cleaned off and the lenses as good as new in no time using one of these 2 items.