Tree sap help needed ASAP

[bodavenport]

My grandmother has asked for her Christmas present to be cleaning her car, so how can I say no? Right I'm not. Now the problem the car is covered in pecan tree sap she parks under a tree and has never been waxed to my knowledge in recent history. I don't have the time to spend two days on it polishing and buffing. I just need to get the sap off as quickly and with as little marring as possible. At least the car is silver. Need to know what products would work best so I can prefer and get here by Wednesday after Xmas. Thanks for any help you guys can give.

[Mike Phillips]

Trees are different and so is the sap they emit. Some sap will dissolve with water while others take a more aggressive solvent.

The only way to find out what will work best for this type of sap is exactly what you've done... post a question to the forum and hope someone already knows what works best for this type of sap. The next best thing is for someone that's had luck removing any type of sap.


I removed sap in my lifetime but used all means necessary and so I don't have a standard reply. Sorry.


Here's what others have used in the past that have worked...

Mineral Spirits - Can be had at Lowe's.
WD40 - Rumor is it's a type of fish oil
Naptha
Lacquer Thinner
Goo Gone/Goof Off - Orange oils based solvents
Mineral Oil (Baby oil)
Tar Removers
Lots of water (water softens and dissolves)


You need to find something that either dissolve or soften the sap so it can be removed. Take a look at the list above and look to see what you might already have in the house or garage and then do some testing.


The list above is not conclusive, I'm confident others will chime in with suggestions and experience.



:)

[Dave Medvic]

Had some bad sap job recently, a 3 year buildup from sitting under the same tree. Claybar would handle the light stuff, so I switched to "Goof Off" or "Googone" and Meg's Ultimate polish for what remained, it erased all of it and left no marks on the clearcoat.

[TundraPower]

My grandmother has asked for her Christmas present to be cleaning her car, so how can I say no? Right I'm not. Now the problem the car is covered in pecan tree sap she parks under a tree and has never been waxed to my knowledge in recent history. I don't have the time to spend two days on it polishing and buffing. I just need to get the sap off as quickly and with as little marring as possible. At least the car is silver. Need to know what products would work best so I can prefer and get here by Wednesday after Xmas. Thanks for any help you guys can give.

WD-40 works. Spray it on one panel at a time, let it sit for 10 minutes, wipe off. You will need a wicked degreaser to get to WD-40 off. Home Depot sells two really good citrus degreasers. Read the labels: One of them is safe on paint, the other one is not.

[ZimRandy]

I've had good luck with isopropol / rubbing alcohol to soften it up and remove sap.

Randy

[waderw24]

how about just warm water? that should help dissolve and melt the sap down so it can be wiped away.

[jgibson2980]

rubbing achool works great ive used it for yrs

[Stevesautospa]

I've used the clay bar medium grade. Works great just make sure that you keep the area well lubricated. If you need more help just ask me.

[ziggo99]

Germ-X has been kind to me with getting tree sap off. But like Mike said, different products for different saps.