i recently got my car back from the shop because it got repainted due to vandalism. i got it a week ago. and when i parked it outside, i guess because of the wind and trees it was covered in a lot of leaves and so on. when i was cleaning my car theres a lot of tree saap that didn't come off. if i put a lot of elbow greese then it will come off, but is there anything easier that wont harm the paint?

thanks

My wife's car is constantly covered in sap due to the trees over her parking lot.

I have see products that are made for tar/sap removal but I have always found that a good solid car wash will take the sap off with no problems.

If that does not work you could try some of the stronger products or try clay.

Try some rubbing alcohol on a rag.

I've used rain-X on tree sap before with very good results.

thanks for the input guys but doesn't alcohol, or rain x bad for the paint?

Not an expert, but don't believe rubbing alcohol would hurt your paint, might strip any wax though.

thanks for the input guys but doesn't alcohol, or rain x bad for the paint?


Rain X is based on rubbing alcohol actually. I usually dillute alcohol 1:1 with water. It will strip your paint and might leave white residue so you might have to do it right before you wash your car.

well the paint is brand new and fresh, i dont want to ruin it in any way. but last time some a hole put stickers all over the audi and i used brake cleaner to get it off, and when i got it off, i quickly washed it and put some wax on it. its good

Preferably you can just spray on some bug/tar/sap remover onto a towel and wipe it off with light strokes. Another method I have discovered is if you have it on hand, Meguiar's Glass Cleaner Concentrate is a miracle worker in this area. Simple damp a part of a towel with it undiluted, and let it set on the tree sap for a few minutes. Last but not least of the ultra-safe methods of removing tree sap, is to use WD-40.

Now if the sap is hardened, I would HIGHLY recommend just soaking part of a towel with either the Glass Cleaner Concentrate or preferably, bug/tar remover and letting the soaked towel to sit on the area for some minutes...try 5 minutes to start. The idea here is that it will reliquidfy the hardened sap (or whatever) and will wipe off easily after a few minutes.

Remember that this is soft paint since it is freshly painted so you want to use the least aggressive method as possible, which means avoid 'scrubbing' the thing away at all cost.

3M Adhesive and Wax remover. Every garage should have a can.

thanks guys! i tried rubbing alcohol today and it worked great. then i washed the car. its back to normal. thanks for all the inputs, i will def keep them in mind for another day.

IPA (Medical Alcahol) diluted 1:1 is actually used as a wipedown prior to wax to remove any polishing oils/old wax/ect...

not bad for your paint at all

option C: ice cube

hold the ice cube on the sap for several seconds - let the sap freeze, then it should chip off - i use either the ice cube or my fingernail to scrape the sap off - just make sure everything is clean before you start scratching at it, so you dont' scratch your new paint.

for anyone else wondering ive used nail polish remover with big success before...dont even need any hard scrubbing i think i took off all the sap on my car with just one cotton ball