Tree sap removal

Suggestions for getting sap off without scratching the paint. Bug and tar remover? I use butter to get it off my hands, works great. It probably won't hurt the paint, but then you have to get the butter off. We have some big trees that drip sap on everything, so I need something that can be used on a regular basis that's not to expensive or time consuming. Tree sap's bad for the paint, especially black.

 

I've got sap on black too, sucks. I tried Goo Gone. I got some of the smaller spots off but the big ones are still there.

 

The goo gone didn't damage the paint?

 

No, no damage.

 

I think I have some, will give it a try tomorrow.

 

It didn't work very well. I felt like it took some rubbing, and that made me worry about scratching. I haven't found anything better yet. I was hoping someone else had a better idea.

 

BTW, years of construction have taught me that mayonnaise removes sap from your hands very well. I don't know what mayo would do to paint though.

 

I'm going to try butter, but on our 99 es300 first. It's black to and the paint was already in bad shape when we got it. I'll let you know how it works out.

 

Thanks.

 

Real mayo has egg in it, egg is bad for paint.

 

If you used it to get the sap off and then immediately washed the truck where you put the egg on it it would be fine though. Just don't leave it for days or whatever to eat at the paint.

 

Not all sap is the same. I deal with pine pitch and mesquite drips.
Try WD-40. Won't damage the paint, but leaves a film you can wash off with soap and water.

 

Were I live we have these trees that when the leaves bud in the spring, but husks are really sticky and very difficult to remove. I found that Isopropyl Alcohol work really well. The caveat is that it takes the wax with it and the truck needs to be waxed after using it.

 

Thanks RowdyRon and WarEagleSteve. While camping I got a couple dime sized drops of pine sap that I haven't been able to remove. They're dried up now but still well adhered. I'll try the tarminator. Thanks again!

 

Goo gone and plastic razor blades. Plastic blades will not scratch paint/clearcoat. I own a detailing company and that's what I use regularly.

 

And vinegar.

 

Isopropyl Alcohol . the one you can wash your hands with.

 

goo gone

 

Mothers clay bar?

 

Or drink if your name is Kitty Dukakis.

 

As a body shop owner I use one of 2 things, HOT water as hot as you can get it. Put a wash cloth soaked w water in the microwave let it get good and hot grab it w some pliers lay it on the sap spots and let it sit for a bit that usually works
My best go to stuff and yes some of you will cringe at this but in 11 years in the body business I've never had an issue with this method. Take a soft cloth and pour some lacquer thinner yes that's what I said lol and GENTLY rub the spots back and forth no circles !! it will remove it trust me if you paint is factory paint older than 60 days you will be fine. Just don't let your rag lay on the paint once the spot is gone just throw a coat of wax on it and your good to go I've done this on black and you'll never be able to tell where the spot was
Don't be afraid it takes about 15-
20 min if you took a wet lacquer soaked rag Laying in one spot to really do damage to the paint surface
When we do a detail the car gets washed dried and then wiped down with a lacquer rag then waxed. You would be surprised how much yuck stays on the car even after it's waxed
Hope that helps

 

Lacquer is an interesting idea. I get to (have to) play with a lot of different adhesives and finishes and am not too surprised that the lacquer thinner won't hurt the finish. Still, the thought does create a little pucker factor. lol Thanks Tim.

 

I used lacquer thinner on my other car bumper to remove white paint when my wife hit the garage door..wax/buffed and it cleaned up really well with no issues.

 

I just tried unsalted butter on our 99 Lexus. Scraped off the big chunk with a credit card first. Butter took the rest right off, but after washing there is still an oily film. I am going to try laquer thinner to get the residue off next time. My truck has to sit under a big ads blue spruce most of the time..so the sap is a major issue for me, big nasty globs of it.

 

I've also used WD-40 with good results, for both sap and decal adhesive, then car wash soap and water for the film left behind.

I'm not a detailer by any stretch of the imagination though, so copy at your own risk.

 

I've tried this. Takes F O R E V E R, and can damage the surrounding paint that gets unneeded claying.

 

unscented hand sanitizer

 

PB Blaster