How to get tree sap off?

B

Beason

New member
I have a customer coming in later this week whos tahoe was parked under a tree for awhile and alot of tree sap got on the hood and dried. How do you get this off? its got spots the size of dimes in some spots. Any suggestions? I think they are too big for a claybar right now.
 
Hot water vehicle shampoo wash with concurrent claying for the areas that do not dissolve with just the wash. Clay and shampoo lube works wonders for baked on sap at the same time gentle and beneficial to painted finish. :wavey
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



Tree Sap:

Some of the most common tree sap types are: White Pine, Maple, Oak, Popular, and Blue Spruce, the acidic content of the sap will etch the paint surface. Factors as to the amount of time it takes to remove sap and what damage it has caused are dependent on temperature and time the sap has been on the paint surface.



Be careful and take your time removing it, remember always let the products do the work for you. Tree sap that is still soft can be removed by soaking with Isopropyl Alcohol, wet the area with the product and allow it to remain on the surface for 3-5 minutes, then wipe with soft dry towel.



For tree sap that has hardened, carefully scrape the top of the spot off with a plastic spatula to expose the softer sap inside.





Soak a towel with the solvent placing it over the sap and let soak for 10-minutes, repeat in order for the solvents to break down the sap, once its removed re-apply sealant / wax protection of your choice

Some saps will lift and crack the paint, this damage will require refinishing,





~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ Jon

justadumbarchitect * so I question everything *
 
If the car has any wax on it...a cool damp towel will take the sap off.



My restored Plymouth was at a show a few weeks ago and got a good dose of sap. When I got home, I sprayed Z6 on the car, and wiped with a damp towel. Sap is gone.
 
Lets hope it was friendly sap .. The Audi I did a couple weeks ago had clear failure from sap that ate right through it. Two spots the size silver dollars ( or up here .. Tunnies )
 
I just spent about 12 hours total meticulously claying every square inch on my Supra. The Z8 clay bar from Zaino did one helluva job! It took some finesse, but I was able to remove every hint of sap and tar from the silver paint. I even used a seperate bar and did the black plastic trim below the rocker panels with great success. Just make sure you keep the surface that you are claying well lubricated!
 
This is a section from the Mayor's article on Tree Sap......



"Removing tree sap from a car's finish is a bit more difficult than tar, as hardened sap can easily scratch your paint. I've found that by hand-rubbing the sap spots with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol, I'm able to easily remove the sap without damaging the finish. Mineral spirits and denatured alcohol act as a solvent to break up and dissolve the sap.



If there is a large amount of sap on the car, or if the sap has been left on the finish for an extended period of time, it can be a lot of work to remove. For these cases, I discovered that hitting the affected areas with a light-duty buffing compound removes the hardened surface on the sap spots. Then I can go back and use mineral spirits to remove it. The light duty buffing compound softens the sap so the mineral spirits or denatured alcohol can do its job. The goal is to use the least pressure possible to reduce the risk of scratching the paint. After removing heavy sap, I always buff the treated areas with a good polish to clean up any marks created during hand-rubbing with solvent. The treated area must also be re-waxed"



Hope this helps.
 
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