So with all the leaves coming out over the past few weeks my car has a ton of little specks of sap all over the hood, roof, and trunk. I can rub my hand over the car and it just feels almost rough.
At work where I park there's these massive poplar trees and they drop all this stuff each spring.
So now that the sap is all over my car what can I do to get it off quickly. I washed the car really well today with a Meguires car wash and a pressure washer and then tried some Turtle wax on the spots but I can't seem to get them off.
I may be able to scratch them off individually but that would take hours and hours because there are literally hundreds of them.

Could I take the car to a profeshional detail shop to have them power buff them off?? What other options are there for something like sap removal?

 

I bought my 04 TL used and when I got it the hood and the Roof was all messed up because of the Sap and Bird crap... it was my uncles car before me but we went through the dealer and he always parked under the trees at the train station so there were sap marks all over the car with little bird crap marks aswell... now when i asked if they can be removed the GM said that the Acid from the Sap and crap ate the paint and i would need to get it repainted to get it back to normal.. and i know he wasn't trying to get my money because hes a good family friend and the sap marks are all like rough and bubbled up idk man i would like to know the answer to this question aswel if there are any other tricks

 

i feel bad for you *ouch*

 

HOT WATER!

&

some soap.

Tree sap moves cause it's heated, and it'll move off your paint just as easily.

 

Try spraying some WD-40 on it and rub lightly with your fingers. The WD-40 will disolve the sap. You'll have to wash off the WD-40 with your normal car wash.

 

Try a bug and tar remover like Stoners Tarminator or isopropyl alcohol. Let dwell to soften the sap and gently wipe/dabb off. Don't forget to follow up with some wax/sealant for protection.

 

clay bar will take a lot off as well....

 

There is a tree sap remover, I believe. My buddy is manager over at a Super Suds and I used it just the other week to get some sap off. That's what it said on the bottle so I'm not sure if that's just what they call it and use it for, or if it is something else.

 

HOT ASS water and regular wash job.

 

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to try the HOT ASS WATER tomorrow, Ill post pics before and after... but I doubt the sap will show up in a pic. If the water doesnt work Ill try the WD40, but very sparingly.

 

I have 2 Maple trees right where I park in the Driveway, some years I might as well put pancakes on my car I always used HOT ASS water with my car wash.

The WD-40 thing SCARES ME

 

Turtle Wax makes a liquid that is supposed to act like a clay bar. I used it on my car a few weeks ago and it seemed to do all right taking off some of the roughness on the side of the car. It says on the bottle it is for removing bugs, don't remember if it says anything about sap but you could give it a try. It costs about $13, if I remember correctly.

 

I would use hot water with dish soap. Then I would hit the car with a clay bar, and then re-wax.

I bet she'll be sparkling afterwards. Clay bars are really awesome! I try to do my car with one once a year.

 

I saw that stuff, the liquid clay bar, and was thinking of trying it out... It can't be as good as the real deal though!

 

There are different kinds of tree sap. Some will come off with just a wash. If that does not work you will need alcohol to remove it. I have been through this many times. Get the purist kind you can find. You will have to dissolve the sap with the alcohol. I use a car cover on ALL my cars. Soak a towel with the alcohol and rub lightly. Once you finish you will have to rewax. It will be time consuming, but that is what you have to do, if you want the sap off.

 

DO NOT USE DISH SOAP!


Bad bad bad.......

 

I saw a multi-page ad for Carquest stores yesterday in last month's Car & Driver; it had Bug and Tar Remover- $2.99-- under "Bug and Tar" the bottle had "And Tree Sap."
I'd try the tree sap remover first before going the WD-40 or clay bar route. Then wax afterwards. G/L!

 

What's wrong with using dish soap to strip all your wax off. I've been using dish soap twice a year to strip all my wax, then clay bar, and rewax. I didn't say to wash your car with dish soap everytime you wash

 

Try rubbing with mayonaise and a cotton towel.....works like a charm! A friend of mine that use to do bodywork told me about this trick. So far works better than any sap/insect remover including the heavy duty stuff that I've tried.

 

That's cause mayo is mostly oil - - Here's a hint, oil disolves oil.

Hot water will loosen up the tree sap and then a little soap will break down the oily residue, I wouldn't use dish soap though.

As far as WD-40 goes, you can slather your car in the stuff and it WILL NOT harm the paint... In fact on my old white Tacoma Ltd, the wheel lips used to get pretty mucked up with tar, etc. I would spray them with WD-40 and let it sit, then just wash the truck as I normally did... Never had a problem with paint.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/

 

Does tree sap look like tiny whitish specks all over your car??

 

from another web site I found a while ago HERE


from the wash & wax section HERE

from Megiars Online HERE
Just a few to give you some idea of how bad it is/can be.

I dont use car wash soap to do my dishes, so I wont use dish soap to do my car....simple as that!

 

Again I don't use dish soap every time I wash my car. I also don't believe everything I read on the internet either. I'm sure Megiars is trying to sell their own products, and I don't know if I believe some random dudes web site. Those links and articles you posted reference to using dish soap every time you wash, which I've said twice now, is not what I do, nor what I advised. People are talking about spraying WD-40 or putting rubbing alcohol on their paint and you're jumping on my for advising using harsher soap to aid in sap removal. Again..... I did not tell anyone to wash their car with dish soap every time they wash their car.

I appreciate your advice and intentions (seriously).... not trying to start a fight.

 

I wonder if Apple Cider Vinegar would work. It works on a lot of things, believe it. I bet it would work. I think My Stoner Tar remover also does tree sap. YEH Its called Tarminator by Stoner. Cleans everything that soap won't, and safe on clearcoat.

 

i detail some cars at my job, use some adhesive remover(very strong)... wear gloves, don't let it touch your skin, and don't inhale any of it... can cause cancer

 

Each type of tree emits a difference type of resin (sap), at different times of the year.
Do you have any idea of what kind of tree sap is on your vehicle?
First, try "soaking" with a solution of a water based all purpose cleaner, properly diluted, on a cool surface, in the SHADE!
Let it soak for at least 5 to 10 minutes, keeping it wet with the solution, don't go playing "rubby dub" or you might created some serious scratching,etc, which then makes more work.
If, after it sets and you have wiped it off and washed off with plain water, they are still there, move to the next step.
Since most "grease/wax/tar" removers contain a fairly high percentage of xylene in them, do not recommend their use except when preparing a vehicle for sanding and repainting..

Honestly, the safest hydrocarbon remover you can use is naptha, used in many of the polishing and waxes used on vehicles, just under a different CAS#. Soak and let set, then wipe with a towel wetted with the naptha.
Where do you get naptha, simple, it is "lighter fluid" and will do nothing more than remove any wax or sealant on the clear.
Another, is plain old "rubbing alcohol", that's right, the stuff under most people's sinks.
It will not harm your finsh, just use it the same way, "LET IT SOAK", DON'T GO GETTING ALL IN A HURRY AND RUBBY DUBBING!
If none of these work, and I doubt at this time of year any pine type trees are emitting turpene this early, go to the clay.
You may get some scratching with clay, so be prepared to do some polishing after using it.
There are your "guide lines", as there are many types of trees, each with their own sap/resin emitted.

 

um... if it's so strong that it would burn your skin.. i wouldn't put it on your car.. why not use lacquer thinner and a lighter?? and if it's as cancerous as you make it sound.. i wouldn't go within 20feet of this product..

 

The same thing happened to my car. At first I only saw it on the windshield and thought i got a million chips. I washed it and most of the spots came off. BUG AND TAR REMOVER is the way to go!!!!! I use it for any spot that won't come off. It even works at taking off paint from a scrape. It does have "And Tree Sap" underneath on the label. Before I wax, I always use the Bug And Tar Remover from the rough spots. Try it, you will be impressed. Shake up the bottle, put it on a cloth, rub it onto the car, let it sit for a minute, rub it off. It breaks up everything and makes wiping it off easy. Some really tough spots take a couple applications. Then I would wax over to protect the paint.

 

WTF? Let me see...cleaning tree sap from my CAR...vs...burning MY flesh possibly and developing cancer in a couple of years???? Oh that's a no-brainer! Gimme the !!!!!

 

Not jumping down anyones throat, the WD-40 is a no brainer. Wouldnt use that if my life depended on it.

The rubbing alcohol is fine though, that is not nearly as strong of a detergent as dish soap is. If it's only once in a great while (and I mean great) fine, but even twice a year would make me a bit uneasy. That could also be due to the fact that I have a black car, so everything shows......

 

Where I work at, I constantly find myself avoiding the "Trees of Death" in the parking lot! Cuts out on a lot of parking spaces, too! However, whenever I washed my car (hasn't happened to my last two cars ), I never had a problem getting it off!

I want to add this other tidbit. When I would get in my previous Dodge Stealth, I noticed that there were an aboundance of ants!! I was like WTF??? Where the fawk are these ants coming from?? Turns out...they like that sweet ass sap!! So be careful of that sap staying on prolonged periods of time!

 

no no no you overexxagerate hehe, if you leave a good amount on your skin and it gets absorbed, then it may be bad... if it gets on you just wash it off quick... didn't mean to scare anybody, i just was pointing out the warning on the label... i work at a dealership, crap from trees fall on stored new cars all the time including sap, this is what gets it off, just don't let it sit too long either... give it a try, if anythings gonna work, this is it!

don't know if this works too, but you can try a Bug & Tar remover, its not as abrassive..

 

Interestingly enough I don't know why you're against WD-40 johnny-2K? I want to know... Because for years now, I've had no issue with it. In fact I think it is one of the lightest solvents available and I will use it in advance of trying something stronger.

I looked for some indication not to use it on car paint and couldn't find anything, however snopes debunked a few WD-40 myths... Interestingly they took out number 39 which I can understand environmentally, but it does in fact attract fish, I've experienced it and soft baits are basically slathered in a WD-40-like solution anyway.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/wd-40.asp

In all... I wouldn't use anything more than water and a little car-soap to wash off tree sap, hot water specifically.

My wife is a 'soap maniac.' We fight about it all the time, she douses crap around the house with cleaners to get it clean. I usually freak because not only is it a waste of money, things wear out/dull faster.

I learned long ago the most useful solvent comes from Mother Nature in the form of just plain old water.

Think about it.... Water will dissolve EVERYTHING given time. It'll eat up steel, chew through solid granite, etc.

 

Hey, isn't that "water" the stuff they tell us that is healthy and we need to drink a lot of? I drink lots of that stuff, so am I dissolving internally? (j/k)

 

Luckily you're made up mostly of water, so I think you're immune... Come to think of it, yes, you will eventually dissolve when you stop adding water.

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...