Artilery Fungus

[dschribs]

Last year my wife`s white Honda Accord was covered with sticky, tiny black or brown spots all over the entire car. I assumed it was some sort of tree sap but the stuff was resistant to just about anything I threw at it. Tarminator would take it off but I had to go over each individual dot one by one to get each dot off. It would have taken hours and hours to have gone over the entire car this way.

Thankfully (for me) - the lease was up about that time and we simply gave it back to the dealer to let them deal with it.

My buddy`s Nissan truck now has the same issue. After doing a bit of research I`ve found out that the stuff is actually called Artillery Fungus.

"Without getting too technical, these spores come from a fungus which establishes colonies in and on organic materials such as rotting wood, wood-based mulch and animal manure when temperatures are between 50 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the spring and fall seasons

Artillery fungus spores grow inside tiny cups that burst when they’re exposed to bright light. The spores emit an incredibly sticky liquid that rivals Super Glue, enabling them to glob on to anything they hit up to 20 feet away—including your car. Because they are light-sensitive, you’re most likely to find them on reflective surface of white or silver colored vehicles.

Artillery fungus isn’t corrosive or an allergen, but causes millions of dollars of cosmetic damage to paint surfaces and is an annoying eyesore that’s almost impossible to remove. The longer it remains bonded to the paint surface of an automobile the harder it sticks. Even if you pry off the dark little bumps, a brown stain often remains. If you don’t catch the little bumps and destroy them, they can survive for up to 12 years and reinfest the ground wherever they fall."


Has anyone found an effective way of removing this stuff without going over each spot one by one. It`s worse than any tar or sap I have ever seen...

[Joel_MD]

Hot water works well to remove shotgun fungus or artillery fungus. You can prevent it too by keeping your vehicle away from rotting firewood or mulch, or using treated mulch so it doesn`t grow the fungus.

[Accumulator]

Has anybody tried ValuGard`s "A" for this? That`d be my first thought...

Also curious whether LSPing FK1000P will help (since it saves me from having to care about bugs/bird-bombs, and usually sheds tar OK, maybe it`d be OK for this too).

[Ron Ketcham]

​Product "A" is not effective for the removal.

[Mike lambert]

Baking soda dissolved in hot water. No problem.

[Stokdgs]

Baking soda dissolved in hot water. No problem.

Mike -
Hope you and yours are all good up there in Md...

In all the Artillery Fungus I cleaned off while in the Pacific Northwest, I had never heard of or tried Baking soda dissolved in hot water..
l am glad there is a better way then Q-tips and Goof Off Pro in the metal can...

I only saw this on white vehicles that had recently been out in the Boonies or sometimes at a landscaping place that had those big sections full of different kinds of compost, etc...
Hated that stuff !!!

None of if ever seen in NorCal.. Thank goodness !!!
Dan F

[Mike lambert]

My wife worked for a landscaper with white trucks. He told me about it.

[Accumulator]

​Product "A" is not effective for the removal.

Huh,now *THAT* surprises me! Learn something new here every day...

So what would *you* use?

[Lonnie]

If you want to know what this fungus look like an a vehicle, see this thread:
What are these stains and what is the best way to remove them?
And a related thread on this fungus:
two what the hecks is this
Mike Lambert`s response (Post #12) for a cleaner is the same as in thread topic: Baking Soda
My response was in #14 , but the suggestion of a product for fungus removal is more for house siding and RV awnings.

[Accumulator]

Lonnie- I find it curious that Baking Soda works but "A" apparently doesn`t.

Oh man, I`m just *so glad* that my interest in this one is purely intellectual curiosity, I`d hate to have to actually deal with it on my vehicles.