Tree Sap

[NGB34747]

Hi, i`ve searched the fourm and found a few intresting solutions, but i`m curious as to the safest (does not have to be the easiest) solution to removing tree sap.



The problem is that the only spot I have to park in at home is inbetween 2 large pine trees. While this generally is not a problem, after windy nights I occationally find the entire car covered in tinny specks of tree sap (they are still fresh and will smear if a hand is rubbed on it). The tree sap cannot be seen untill they smear since the car is silver.



Since I plan to keep the car for a long time and it is constantly exposed to treesap I need to find the mildest method of removing the sap in fear of breaking down/harming the clear coat after a few years.



I`ve heard of bug and tar remover, denatured alchahol, WD-40, Clay (but the sap is still soft), etc...



I did remove the tree sap today, I was planning to use some QD but not having any on hand I used copoius amounts of car wash soap (wash soap mixed twice what the directions say). I ended up rubbing it out using a cotton towel and lots of soap (about 3 buckets worth). Would the amount of rubbing hurt the paint?

[aljo]

If you have to remove tree sap from your car often with Tree Sap Remover products, I think in the long run you will be damaging your paint. But if you don`t remove the tree sap, it will also damage your paint.



For now I suggest you clean your car well. Dawn, Clay, Dawn, Automotive Wash. Then put layers of Pure Carnuba on it.



I would highly recommend a car cover or something that can go over the roof of your car.



Do you have any other parking alternatives?

[NGB34747]

Currently I have 2 layers of canubra on it (about 2-3 weeks old) and will put another layer on next week.



As for the car cover, while it may work great during the summer where I could come home, rise the car off and put on the cover. But in the winter when the car is covered in salt and sand (we get a lot of that here in Vancouver, B.C.) I would be scaired to place the cover on the car.



As for an alternate parking spot, this may not be possiable, with 3 cars in the family 2 of them must be parked outside in the back padio. As for parking outside (in front of the house) that is out of the question since then the problem would most likely be smashed windows and not tree sap.



In the mean time, I will try my best to just keep layering the canubra on the car.. in hopes that it will protect the paint underneath.... (btw, i was thinking of using meguires hi-tech with a s100 topper next summer. Would this offer better protection against the sap along with more shine???). The car is a 2003 Toyota Matrix in silver. We will prob. be getting a new subaru impreza (dark blue) in the next 1-2 also, would this treatment of meguires toped with s100 look good on that too?