Sap removal from car?

[GWN7]

The car has sat for two years. I power washed it with a strong detergent and there is still sap stuck to the paint. Tried 901 prep solvent and it didn't work. Went on line and several sites said mineral spirits. That didn't work. Tried a plastic pot scrubber with the same results.

What to use? rubbing compound? Or sand and repaint the whole car?

[kaisen]

Goof Off always works.

A clay bar will work as well.

[cashman]

Concentrated orange citrus cleaner. Let it sit just long enough to do the job. Wax afterward.

[john70t]

Gently clean area using water.
WD-40 on paper towel.
Immediately follow with lots of water.

[stealthn]

Peanut butter...

[Eric Coffey]

Rubbing alcohol.

[wildthing]

Thanks for the tips. I have the same problem and tried claying it with little success. Will report back once I tried a few of these.

[look 171]

I have tried clay with little success. Now, how about the sap that's hardened? Any tips on that or try the same thing, WD 40 or other tip mentioned above?

[ninelevenick]

Liberal use of a heat gun and a razor blade. Don't cut into the paint, just the glob of sap. Once you successfully cut into the sap glob and scrape much of it away, use the citrus cleaner to rub out the remaining sap.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by look 171

I have tried clay with little success. Now, how about the sap that's hardened? Any tips on that or try the same thing, WD 40 or other tip mentioned above?

Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol should do it. Just use a microfiber cloth, or rub in with your fingers. One trick is to use a hand sanitizer gel so it clings to the sap long enough to dissolve it. You can also "fortify" it with (more) isopropyl alcohol if needed. You probably don't want to let it sit on the paint for too long though, and rinse with water immediately after. Then follow up with polish and/or wax.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Lots of good suggestions here. Letting it sit on the sap to break it down is key. You can use a plastic scraper or old credit card to scrape the bulk of it off after your remover gets it soft, that's a less risky approach than a razor blade.

[vash]

WD 40 is pretty effective on my tree stuff.

it's like a clear booger coming from my local trees.

[gacook]

Goo-Gone.

Also, if it's too thick that the Goo-Gone isn't penetrating well enough; heat it up with a blow dryer, scrape at it with something fairly rigid (paint scraper, credit card, etc) to get the "big chunks" off, then finish with the Goo-Gone.

[wildthing]

Before:


After 30 seconds of WD-40:



Should I let it sit longer? I only had a few minutes this morning. Will try Goo Gone and 99% alcohol later.

[gacook]

Goo-Gone really works. I recently debadged my Z; the badges were held on by adhesive. My car's an '03, so that's 11 years worth of adhesive--it was really on there. After getting the big parts off with hair dryer/credit card, the goo-gone took the residue off with ease.

[stomachmonkey]

I just pull over and tell the sap to GTFO.

Easier not to give them rides in the first place.

[black_falcon]

I've had the best luck with starting fluid. Quick burst, let it sit for a few seconds, and the sap just about wipes away.

[vash]

Wild thing. That is crazy sap. Wd40 is pretty gentle. Maybe time to step it up? I like the starting fluid idea. Which is what use for road tar. Cheaper than tar remover.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by vash

Wild thing. That is crazy sap. Wd40 is pretty gentle. Maybe time to step it up? I like the starting fluid idea. Which is what use for road tar. Cheaper than tar remover.

Yep, work your way up with something a bit more aggressive. I too have had good results with Goo Gone and I've also used non-acetone fingernail polish remover before too...both work. Not for sap removal...I usually just get out of the car for that

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by KC911

Yep, work your way up with something a bit more aggressive. I too have had good results with Goo Gone and I've also used non-acetone fingernail polish remover before too...both work. Not for sap removal...I usually just get out of the car for that

Isn't finger nail polish based on Acetone? I think Acetone is too aggressive for car paint. I would try mineral spirits, turpentine, or gasoline. Car paints are designed to be resistant to gasoline, turpentine is a distilled liquid tree sap product and should work on hard tree sap. Everything, of course, should be tried on an innocuous surface first.