Removing tar/asphalt from car.
 

Good news is they are repaving the streets in my neighborhood...

Bad news is a little uncured asphalt got splatted on my car...

What is the best way to remove it without ruining the paint job on my car?

Thanks in advance!

SmileWavy

Goof-Off

You can buy it in aerosol cans from Home Depot. Otherwise lots of places carry it in non-aerosol form.

There are a number of products that will do it. Thinner will work but use it sparingly, as I'm always paranoid about the impact on paint. Goo-Gone and Goof-Off are both great products, I think Goo-Gone is what I have now and it's an organic base.

12 oz. Professional Strength Aerosol Remover-FG658 at The Home Depot




DON'T use thinner!!

I agree with kaisen, Goof Off has worked well for me.

try wd40

WD-40 followed by water here.

i use WD40.

i walked on the beach in Houston once and got my feet covered with a tar substance. WD40 worked then..on a car it is an easy swipe with a soft crappy t-shirt scrap.

Turtle Wax bug and tar remover has always been my go to for removing tar, and the soft rubber that smears on cars after track days.

Goof Off works well

Jet Fuel

( Really) it's just very good kerosene may not be as easy to obtain as goof off.

Here is So Cal we would get tar on the beach and thus on our feet... we would wash it off... with GASOLINE!

I will check for goo off... have WD40 in the garage but prefer not to use solvent on paint job.

Thanks!

PS, Related story, I was installing a exhaust fan on the corrugated roof of a machine shop. I was sealing the flashing with cold tar (henry's), I slipped and grabbed the flashing (two story building) and smeared my arm with tar. I climbed down the ladder and the guys in the shop pointed at a 55 gal. barrel full of oil, I think they said it was diesel... I dunked my arm into it and the tar wiped right off.

Diesel fuel.

Mineral turpentine followed by water

I used to work in a diesel repair shop, diesel fuel is an amazing cleaner/remover. Of course you stink and there's probably some negative health impact, but damn my hands were clean!

AC paving crews soak all their tools in diesel. i watched a man clean his hands with diesel and then eat a sandwich. brutal. i wonder if he is dead yet.

Prep Solv. Same thing happened with my truck. I went to my body shop guy and he came out with Prep Solv and a handful of rags. Wet rags and wipe till clean. Then apply a coat of wax. Prep Solv is what body shops use to remove wax and other crud before painting.

go buy some Tar/asphalt Remover from Meguiar's

oh yeah!
 

Works like a charm and doesnt cost much... (water displacement "formulat try number 40" - history of the name )

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Tim

Clay bar works gor the smaller stuff.

This or 3m adhesive remover in the spray can found in the automotive section of walmart.

Anything petroleum based will work but Diesel or Keorsene won't damage the paint. And much, much cheaper than Goof off or Goo Gone althoguh they are good products and will work also.

That stuff is pretty great, I use it alot.

Didn't your dads teach you guys to keep a bottle of Ronsonol or Zippo lighter fluid in the garage for this purpose... Geez, it even says on the bottle/can that it removes tar... Works great on that sticky glue from price tags too fwiw...

Since nobody said it I will: peanut butter

Safest stuff for your car

Prep Solv is typically 3 parts VM&P Naptha and 1 part paint thinner. Works great to clean all types of things.

Sometimes, I just use VM&P Naptha (also known as lighter fluid and Coleman fuel).

Xenit from Stoner's is BY FAR the best IMO. 3M is close but Xenit is an aerosol spray hence a lot easier to apply. Works very well on cosmoline too. Goof Off works great on gluey, rubbery stuff but doesn't even compare to Xenit on tar and cosmoline.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

ok, people - let's do a roundup on these products and run them thru a mass spec.