iv had tree sap dry on my car. and iv washed it and it didnt come off. its to the point were its smooth on my car. i dont want to scratch my paint to scratch it off. what are recomendations for taking off dry tree sap of my car. i want to take it off before i do a full detail.

 

rubbing compound w/ micro fiber towel... and then detail spray w/ micro fiber towel

 

Rubbing compound would be a "last resort" thing to try.

I would try mineral spirits or Bug and Tar remover first. Failing that, try a claybar. If that doesn't do it, try a mild abrasive polish like a swirl mark remover. After that, try the last resort.

 

lighter fluid for those zippo type lighters FTW +clean it and wax it after

 

+1. A clay bar will take just about anything off with some elbow grease and MUCH less likely to kill your pain that way.

 

I know gasoline gets rid of a whole lot of gooey garbage and eats away at that stuff. Never seen it affect paint unless left on their for a LONG period of time, (example, rag doused in it sitting on a hood) Make sure to wash and polish/wax right after.

 

when you guys been rubbing compound do you mean like rubbing alcohol?

 

a friend of mine is a detailer and I asked him this same question (how to get dried tree sap off). he said use rubbing alcohol and lightly rub the sap until it's gone...then wax the car.

I haven't done it yet, so I can't say how it worked....

 

can you ask your friend what is good products to buy for a good detail or semi detail that i want to do myself at home.

 

Have you tried a claybar!

 

goo gone works great buy it at any hardware store.

 

NOOOOOO! 3m makes rubbing compounds that are specifically for car paint and they do wonders.

 

quick clay will get it off and leave your paintwork smooth ?

 

i used rubbing alchohal and elbow grease and it came right off. thanks guys. also do you guys know whats a good claybar and polish and wax to buy. so far iv been just using a meguiers gold wash and meguires quick detailer but its time for the next step. what brand and what products do you guys recomend.

 

Man I live in south east texas in a place where the city symbol is a damn tree. I get sap on the car often and end up needing to clay bar every couple months. Clay bar is the way to go and I have never had damaged paint afterwards, only smooth as glass paint surface.

 

whats a recomended clay bar and wax and polisher??

 

from my experience clay bars are not meant to remove any stains, it mostly just removes micro dust or rocks that's embedded into the paint. my rule of thumb is, if the stain is still visible without looking at the paint really closely, than I haven't done a good enough job washing the car. I best way to clean the sap off for me was to just use some heavy duty soap, such as dish washing soap and an orange degreaser. polishing to me is just to remove fine scratches by removing paint, and not a method of cleaning.