Spotting Tar before the Wash

[chefwong]

grrr....can you spot tar on your car before you even wash it.

It's always the luck with me.
Washed the car today. Blow drying it. Seeing specs of tar bits here and there all over the right side
And off we go with some tar cleanup, another wash and now the task of cleaning up the dang wash mitt of any tar bits

[Setec Astronomy]

Yeah, that's always the way it goes, it seems.

[vaced]

Sorry, I don't get it

Is it that you get tar on a large area -- lets say larger than maybe 1/2 a panel -- over a short period of time?

Or is it that cleaning just that area -- with a rinseless, tar remover, some touchless method etc -- not good enough?

Also, I would maybe use a towel and put it in a scrap pile instead of picking tar out of a mitt.

[chefwong]

Just specks of tar- from the rubber.
Panel is dirty so can't see it.
But once clean, you see specks of it here and there , etc....

I can't recall ever a time where I've -seen the tar beforehand-, just short of a very obvious spot.
Just my luck but I see it either during the wash or post wash and then having to clean out the mitt of any bits I can spot..

[vaced]

Okay. Thank you

[Desertnate]

It happens if the car isn't silver or white. On those colors they are really easy to spot and deal with during the wash process.

When I discover them after a wash I do very small, surgical removal of the spots. I'll spray a small spot of Tarminator about the size of the tip of my index finger on a MF towel. From there I carefully remove the individual spots and the wipe away any residue. This eliminates any need to totally re-wash that panel.

[Setec Astronomy]

When I discover them after a wash I do very small, surgical removal of the spots. I'll spray a small spot of Tarminator about the size of the tip of my index finger on a MF towel. From there I carefully remove the individual spots and the wipe away any residue. This eliminates any need to totally re-wash that panel.

That's what I do, too. That's why I was so interested in those "disposable" MF's that TRC previewed at SEMA, so I don't have to worry about how to handle that MF after. I've also used paper towels, regular or the Scott blue shop towels, depending on the car and the condition of the finish.