Stubborn Tree Sap

[terriusvette]

Hi guys and gals! I'm sure you've all run into some stubborn tree sap that just won't leave the paint. I've washed and clayed my car and the sap is still sitting there like a champ...pls help

[Romach]

Try tarminator or wd40. Both are good.

[Mike lambert]

90 percent alcohol will take it right off

[Mizzoutiger]

Tarminator. Then ensure you reapply sealant and/or wax on spot as it will have stripped it.

[terriusvette]

I used the alcohol seeing as though I had no tarminator...it got the sap right out w/ a lil muscle...thanks...I'll be sure to order the tarminator for the next occurrence

[Mike lambert]

I use the alcohol as it is cheaper, if you need something for stubborn spots use hand sanitizer, the gel consistency allows dwell time.

[Yardstick]

I wish I would have found this post in my searches for removing tree sap this morning. I ended up trying a little bit of everything. 70% isopropyl alcohol worked best for me.

Here's the full story:

There was a big glob of tree sap right in the middle of my Black Tundra's hood this morning. I must have overlooked it from parking under a tree Saturday. I didn't drive the truck Sunday, so it got to sit in 110+ heat for almost two full days in AZ. At first I thought it was some kind of paint problem. It was rough and bubbled up like there was a fire under the hood. It took a few minutes to realize that it was tree sap. I got a big chunk of it with detailing spray and a microfiber cloth, but there was a hardened ring and some smaller spatter baked on the paint.

I started searching for solutions. In the meantime I wetted a microfiber cloth with some car wash shampoo and set it on the spot to see if that would help soften the crusty stuff. That didn't work. I saw some recommendations for WD-40 and tried that. No luck, again. I saw recommendations for methanol, mineral spirits and turpentine along with all sorts of bug and tar removers. I have mineral spirits and denatured alcohol (methanol mix), but skipped those since the WD-40 didn't work and denatured alcohol is so harsh. Instead, I found some 70% isopropyl alcohol and put that on a microfiber cloth. That hardened sap wiped off with a couple of light strokes. I gave the area a mist with detailing spray for a quick 'waterless wash' and applied some fresh wax. Now I just have to wash the rest of the truck to make it all match!

[oldmodman]

My best luck, even with sap that has sat on the paint for a year, was with Turpentine.

I folded a small piece of terrycloth towel into a small pad and poured Turpentine on it. Sat the pad onto the dried sap and within an hour or so it was all dissolved and melted into the pad.
No harm was done to the paint except for what the sap being on the paint for a year had done itself.

[RMM]

Try tarminator or wd40. Both are good.

WD40 is a bad suggestion: it isn't water soluble and it will be a pain to remove.

[BillE]

My best luck, even with sap that has sat on the paint for a year, was with Turpentine.

I folded a small piece of terrycloth towel into a small pad and poured Turpentine on it. Sat the pad onto the dried sap and within an hour or so it was all dissolved and melted into the pad.
No harm was done to the paint except for what the sap being on the paint for a year had done itself.


:iagree: So far, THAT has worked for me in all cases. Now watch me come across some weird tree that it won't work on (LOL).

Bill

[sethr]

Pure turpentine (the real stuff) is safe on clear coat. The turpentine and sap come from the same thing, after all.