Using WD40 to remove tar

[Krwtek1]

I read several places and by well respected individuals here that WD40 makes a great low cost tar remover. I cleaned up the wifes white suv today and decided to try it out. Im not sure my application method is the best though. I washed the car, sprayed WD40 directly to the contaminated areas. Agitated/removed tar with bug/ tar sponge, rinsed area, and rewashed treated areas. Is there are better method? Will this method damage/ remove lsp's? iIf so will i have to do a ipa wipe down before applying lsp after wash?

[PiPUK]

I read several places and by well respected individuals here that WD40 makes a great low cost tar remover. I cleaned up the wifes white suv today and decided to try it out. Im not sure my application method is the best though. I washed the car, sprayed WD40 directly to the contaminated areas. Agitated/removed tar with bug/ tar sponge, rinsed area, and rewashed treated areas. Is there are better method? Will this method damage/ remove lsp's? iIf so will i have to do a ipa wipe down before applying lsp after wash?

It will remove tar but it is a quick and nasty solution for sorting out a bit of tar, here and there. If you have any amount of tar, it is neither the most effective, safest or cheapest option. Unfortunately there are many people on the internet who seem entirely oblivious to this.

The first thing to remember is that WD40 is not water soluble - once it is on your paint, it ain't coming off without a fight. Worse than this, WD40 is specifically designed to resist water and we don't actually know what is in there doing it. If you do use it, you better really work on the paint to ensure it is clean after, especially if you are going to use a coating.

A dedicated tar remover (solvent base) will be designed such that it does not have elements which are specifically hard to remove and it will have elements which make it easy to rinse (it will go white when you rinse it, as those added bits do their work to help you rinse the oily solvent away). If you must do it on the cheap, use something like mineral spirits. Again, this does not rinse easily with water, so you need to do a really good clean and wipe after, or you could have oil left on the surface. However, compared to WD40, it should eventually all evaporate away, making it a much better option.

Methodology - tar removers are typically old fashioned. They are routinely expensive because they are 100% active products (note, the water based products on the market are rubbish and not worth the money as 'tar' removers). On the wider market, it is hard to make profit because of the high basic price and that means that few people are willing to pay the money for a technologically superior solution. Basically, almost all of them are watery consistency and dry out fast. As such, you just have to keep spraying and wiping until the tar is gone. There are better ways of doing it (we certainly have a massively superior product) but almost impossible to find this sort of thing on your side of the water.

[Rsurfer]

There are better ways of doing it (we certainly have a massively superior product) but almost impossible to find this sort of thing on your side of the water.

Yeah, it's called Kerosene. It's cheap, available, safe for car paint and works.:props:

[Krwtek1]

Prefered application method of kerosene?

What specific tar remover actually works for removing the inevitable tar spots during the weekly maintenance wash? I have purchased most otc tar and bug removers with no particular degree of success. I have also purchased CG tar and bug heavy duty wash and DP roadkill. Neither seem to melt the tar without substantial scrubbing. I would like a tar/ bug remover that i can use during or after my weekly wash that wont strip my lsp. Im using WG 3.0 sealant as my lsp.

[pman626]

wd40 works well and easy for me.

If I can wash it off my fingers with a little dish soap, I don't see the harm on paint.

everyone has wd40 lying around, and I don't have to spend $11 to buy kerosene

[KBsToy]

I also used WD-40 to take off excess glue after removing badges on my fenders..No harm no foul with WD-40

[PiPUK]

Yeah, it's called Kerosene. It's cheap, available, safe for car paint and works.:props:

This on one area where the US lags behind other parts of the world. I did mention kerosine, in the form of mineral spirits. For starters, people (rightly) worry about polishing oils and the removal with panel wipre or IPA (bfore applying an LSP). Those polishing oils - yup, typically kero type. So if you are using it to remove tar, you need to follow the same approach to get rid of it. Worse than this, if you are using an unrefined kerosine, it will be filled with nasty aromatic compounds. The kerosine will do no harm, but there is no guarantee that these contaminants will not (many of these are highly carcinogenic and would also be quite effective in paint stripper products).

I appreciate that you guys have very little trouble with tar. in the UK, all are roads are tarmac and this means that a car will typically pick up large amounts, such that you nearly need to immerse the lower half of the vehicle in tar remover. The trouble with the watery consistency of product is that they run off and dry out - most product ends up on the road. With large amounts of tar, you can need to do multiuple applications with this type of product and it takes much longer and requires much more work (not to mention the fact that it can damage the road!).


wd40 works well and easy for me.

If I can wash it off my fingers with a little dish soap, I don't see the harm on paint.

everyone has wd40 lying around, and I don't have to spend $11 to buy kerosene

You can wash it off your fingers, unfortunately that does not account for the stuff which is absorbed into your skin. The same is not true on paint - that really sticky, water repellent oily stuff will just sit as a thin film. Get yourself some silicone tyre dressing, get some on your fingers and wash with soapy water - gone. Does that mean you are willing to use it for the removal of contamination of paint? No - because you know rightly that those silicones won't wash away so easily!

[dchristo]

gojo hand cleaner will dissolve tar and wont harm paint......and you can use it for your hands too

[FUNX650]

gojo hand cleaner will dissolve tar and wont harm paint......and you can use it for your hands too
It's amazing how GOJO's surfactants winds up overcoming
its kerosene and anti-freeze ingredients to the extent that
it does...to clean hands so well...with, or without, water!


Bob

[Don M]

Slightly OT, but I practically bathe my car w/WD-40 in the fall, just before the snow flies in the rust-prone areas. SO it sits there for a few months, but hasn't harmed my paint yet (2 different cars). Yes, it can be a pain to take off in the spring, but a little dish soap makes short work of it.

[FishyX]

I just use grease & wax remover. WD40 never worked good on tar for me.

[TundraPower]

So, this forum has degraded into promoting WD40 and kerosene, petroleum distillates, for safe use on paint?

[Krwtek1]

Mixed responses to say the least. I get it.... Mass tar removal efforts during decontamination prep for paint correction and lsp is going to be labor intensive. Even tarminator stays on paint if not treated to a wash after application. (Personal experiance)

I still am looking for a recomendation for a effective tar remover that can be used during or in combination with weekly maintenance washes that will not strip lsp's.

[Vue to a kill]

Carpro TarX. Spend the few bucks and do it right. Just my opinion of course.