Protection against tree sap mist?

4

4regt4

New member
Hi. Newbie here. Been lurking and searching for quite some time and decided to finally register.

My issue: We have oak and madrone trees all over the place. One or the other or both seem to emit a sap mist that rapidly makes a car`s surface feel like 180 grit sandpaper. Like in one day. I`m not talking about pitch blobs. This is pin point size particles that stick to the car.

Our 2017 GMC (red metallic) had a bad case of this "sandpaper". I clay bar`d it and at first I didn`t think it did anything. But on closer inspection, it seems I traded convex pitch spots for concave paint pitting. Crap. The paint is covered in near microscopic pits that you can both see and feel. Polished it up, and it is reasonably acceptable.

My question:

Does anybody have a suggestion for protecting the paint going forward? Priorities (in this order):
1. Maximum protection against the sap mist.
2. Long lasting - Although I regularly wash/wax my garage queen, I dislike spending any more time than necessary on the daily drivers.
3. Easy to use.
4. Least critical: Appearance. It`s not a show car, just as long as it looks generally presentable, I`m happy.

I`m going to partially answer my own post. On our white Chevy Volt, I applied a 15 year old can of Finish First, followed by Zaino Clear Seal (ZCS). Surface feels like greased snot, the tree sap easily comes off with any quick detailer. But these products are old school, and I`ve read that the tech has come a long way recently. So there must be better solutions out there. Also, a number of years ago I had to have a small area of a car repainted from a minor dent. I had used Finish First on it. The body shop had an extremely difficult time getting the paint to stick. It would fish-eye badly. They tried all kinds of solvents, thinners, surface preps, etc. After many tries, they eventually got it painted. I`ve heard that some silicone compounds could cause this, but that may not be correct. Just a guess. So Finish First may not be ideal!

Suggestions?

Thanks,
Hans.
 
4regt4- Welcome to Autopia!

Yes indeed, some tree sap is incredibly damaging, and ongoing exposure to it would sure be a challenge.

Regulars here know what I`d recommend....FK1000P High Temp Paste Wax. Last time I had to park my Tahoe outside for a while it was under one of those oaks and the sap did indeed wash off OK. But hey..it wasn`t exposed to the stuff all that long and it didn`t stay on long either. Still, none of my other LSPs (Last Step Product, i.e., "wax"/etc.) would`ve stood up to that as well.

Heh heh, the FK an older product, but sometimes an oldie really is a goodie.

New-tech: Maybe one of the Coatings that`re so popular in some circles would be a solution if just upgrading the wax isn`t enough.

Some products *are* hard to get off/out of the paint...not a problem unless/until you do need to strip `em off for painting and then it sure can be a problem.
 
I get the same mist from my pecan trees. Nothing other than a cover will provide the protection you are seeking. Waxes, sealants, and coatings will all protect the paint making the sap easier (not a whole lot) to remove. If you decide not to use a cover then I would go with a sealant or a coating over the use of a wax because you need to wash weekly to remove the sap and wax will not hold up to the abuse. The sap mixes with dirt and dust turning it into a horrible mess. I left a car uncovered and unwashed for two months during the misting season and it turned black and it had to be scrubbed vigorously to get it clean, never again. Welcome to the forum!
 
Accumulator:

Thanks for the reply.

I forgot to mention: I have some Zaino products laying around, and I applied AOI, Z5, and ZCS to the GMC. No where close to being as slick as the Finish First/ZCS combo. It kinda sorta seems to protect from the tree sap, but not as well as the FF/ZCS on the Volt. Of course, heat might be an issue - the Volt being white doesn`t get quite as hot. Heat might "cure" the tree sap, making it harder to remove.

Does the FK1000P need to be re-applied frequently?

Thanks,
Hans.
 
Ok, sealant or coating it is. Now I just have to figure out which one. Again, durability is key, as I don`t want to have to do the daily drivers a lot.

A cover is completely out of the question. These cars are run-out-the-door, drive off. No time for fuss or muss. Weekly washings are probably not in the cards either. Heat and lack of shade in the summer, very cold in the winter.

I saw on here a thread with a bazillion posts about these products. The OP was recommending Kamakazi (sp?). I haven`t poured through all the posts to see if others thought yea or nay, but I guess that will be my homework assignment.

Hans.
 
I recently moved to South Carolina and I have a pine tree sap issue. As previously mentioned, the sooner you get to it the better. I don`t get misting so hand sanitizer seems to do the trick. I`ve been using Sonax Polymer Net Shield as my go to sealant and I`m pretty happy with it.

However, I`m thinking about giving a coating a try to see if it`s more effective. I`ve never dabbled with coatings before so Gyeon Q2 CanCoat is at the top of my list right now.
 
Interesting...

In summer 2017 I started noticing a fine, crystalline-feeling deposits on the surface of our car that sits outside 24/7. Pretty much colorless, fine grit...wouldn`t come off windshield completely with wipers/washers so it`s hadda be kinda `persistent` on the painted panels as well.

Wash the car one evening, leave it out in driveway the next day and by late afternoon, covered in grit again.

We have lived on a heavily wooded lot (many oaks) since 1991 so maybe it was/is the trees? It happened again this past summer but seemed lessened somewhat. Never noticed it before in all the years we lived here but the cars that sat outside back then received very little attention so maybe been happening all along?

Anyway, I got the pressure washer/foam cannon setup specifically to see if a good pre soak would remove the grit before i took a wash mitt and it easily does so problem solved as far as dealing with it without any lasting impact. Still a pain and irritating but at least it seems not to have any lasting impact.

Our cars are all coated so I`d think/hope/pray/wish that it helps with the protection and somewhat easy removal but maybe a good sealant would do it as well.

Funny that trees never really occurred to me. I stood on our roof for 30 minutes holding a clear piece of plexiglas near the chimney exhaust with furnace, the a/c running, held the piece of plexiglas near dryer vent outlet for a cycle and completely wrapped a lilac bush in plastic for day...all trying to find the source if the misty, floating grit. Guess I shoulda just looked up?
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
I get the same mist from my pecan trees. Nothing other than a cover will provide the protection you are seeking. Waxes, sealants, and coatings will all protect the paint making the sap easier (not a whole lot) to remove. If you decide not to use a cover then I would go with a sealant or a coating over the use of a wax because you need to wash weekly to remove the sap and wax will not hold up to the abuse. The sap mixes with dirt and dust turning it into a horrible mess. I left a car uncovered and unwashed for two months during the misting season and it turned black and it had to be scrubbed vigorously to get it clean, never again. Welcome to the forum!
Click to expand...

Yeah, but at least you get pecans, right?
 
I say this very tongue-in-cheek:

I`ve worked occasionally in race car pits. Race cars get filthy very quickly. In particular, race tire rubber melts off the tire and sticks firmly to the front of the car behind. Very difficult to remove. So.....

Many teams spray the nose of the car with Lemon Pledge furniture wax before each session. Upon returning to the pits, a quick dry wipe with a shop rag and the car is pristine again!

Not sure I want to be the first to try this on a nice street car, though. Don`t have a clue as to what long term effects it might have on the paint, nor how long the coating would last.

But I bet tree sap won`t stick.

Anyway, I appreciate all the comments.

Hans.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
I get the same mist from my pecan trees. Nothing other than a cover will provide the protection you are seeking. Waxes, sealants, and coatings will all protect the paint making the sap easier (not a whole lot) to remove. If you decide not to use a cover then I would go with a sealant or a coating over the use of a wax because you need to wash weekly to remove the sap and wax will not hold up to the abuse. The sap mixes with dirt and dust turning it into a horrible mess. I left a car uncovered and unwashed for two months during the misting season and it turned black and it had to be scrubbed vigorously to get it clean, never again. Welcome to the forum!
Click to expand...
Wow. I’ve never seen a car turn black. Wow.
 
Welcome to the Forum Hans !

For sure, in absence of a garage, a car or truck, cover will keep the sap off the vehicle/s..
Good, light, tight, ones are are very easy to install and remove.. I have 49 years experience using them..

I have had everything - waxes, all of the Zaino products, etc., sealants, coatings, on Client vehicles and my own personal vehicles..
None of these products have ever undergone - extreme tree sap mist tests - so I have no direct experience with that..

In order of things that are easiest to apply and might work for your particular challenges are Finish Kare Hi-temp paste wax - https://www.autopia-carcare.com/finish-kare-hi-temp.html#.W-pQKNWQH3g
Sonax Polymer Net Shield - https://www.autopia-carcare.com/sonax-polymer-net-shield.html#.W-pQ-NWQH3g
Coatings

And of course, as has already been said above, even with these products, washing the vehicles a lot with some soaps will tend to remove some of the products faster..

So now you have to think about investing in soaps that are made to be kind to coatings, etc...
The one that I know really works great on coatings is called Carpro Reset - https://www.autopia-carcare.com/carpro-reset.html#.W-pSENWQH3g

Whatever you may decide to do to all the paintwork, please make sure a good paint correction happens first, so that the product will have the best chance to adhere the best and longest to it..
Good luck with your research !
Dan F
 
4regt4 said:
I forgot to mention: I have some Zaino products laying around, and I applied AOI, Z5, and ZCS to the GMC...
Click to expand...

I really like the ZAIO, it`s what I usually use as prep for the FK1000P.

I would never expect Zaino LSPs to rival FK1000P when it comes to protection or durability. Zaino`s LSPs are notorious in some circlesd for allowing contamination to etch/etc., so much so that I`ve never even considered using it (though I wouldn`t use it on most colors anyhow just because of its look).
Does the FK1000P need to be re-applied frequently?
Click to expand...


Not as frequently as most other conventional LSPs, at least not in my experience and that of maybe 95% of the people here who`ve tried it (I can think of two, maybe three, Autopians who get better durability/protection from Collinite waxes, which are what I used prior to discovering the FK and comparing the two on my vehicles).

Using a really potent shampoo/etc. to clean the sap off will kill any conventional LSP rather quickly. So if the prep/application isn`t a problem (or if you pay to have a Pro do it, which I recommend), a *GOOD* coating would probably be best for your particular situation. But that`s a lot of "if"s and switching to a different wax is cheap and easy.

And, if you`ll forgive me for stating the obvious, beware of unsubstantiated Internet claims, few things bring out the [unreliable Detailing "info" ] quite like this kind of topic. "Have you cleaned this kind of sap off of that LSP without any issues?" oughta be the ground floor IMO.
 
Accumulator said:
I really like the ZAIO, it`s what I usually use as prep for the FK1000P.

I would never expect Zaino LSPs to rival FK1000P when it comes to protection or durability. Zaino`s LSPs are notorious in some circlesd for allowing contamination to etch/etc., so much so that I`ve never even considered using it (though I wouldn`t use it on most colors anyhow just because of its look).


Not as frequently as most other conventional LSPs, at least not in my experience and that of maybe 95% of the people here who`ve tried it (I can think of two, maybe three, Autopians who get better durability/protection from Collinite waxes, which are what I used prior to discovering the FK and comparing the two on my vehicles).

[/COLOR]Using a really potent shampoo/etc. to clean the sap off will kill any conventional LSP rather quickly. So if the prep/application isn`t a problem (or if you pay to have a Pro do it, which I recommend), a *GOOD* coating would probably be best for your particular situation. But that`s a lot of "if"s and switching to a different wax is cheap and easy.

And, if you`ll forgive me for stating the obvious, beware of unsubstantiated Internet claims, few things bring out the [unreliable Detailing "info" ] quite like this kind of topic. "Have you cleaned this kind of sap off of that LSP without any issues?" oughta be the ground floor IMO.
Click to expand...

Thanks bunches. This is the kind of info I really need. Sounds like FK1000P is in my near future.

I`ll use up the Zaino products on the garage queen, it doesn`t get exposed to sap, etc. I`ve layered it on thick, and I like the appearance on my dark charcoal (technically "Grigio Granito") car. But I`m going to experiment on the daily drivers.

As far as car soap, it`s been Zaino again, specifically Z7. On my treated cars, it seems to work OK on the tree sap. MUCH better than IUDJ no rinse. The concentration used for no rinse doesn`t seem strong enough to cut it. Haven`t try Optimum for this, though.

Is Z7 known to be harsh on the various LSP`s?

References are made to "coatings". I`m a bit confused by the difference between coatings and sealers. I thought they were the same. Are coatings the silicate (SiO2??) (i.e. glass) treatments? Any good DIY ones to try?

Again, you guys have been very helpful in shortening my learning curve.

Hans.
 
Most coatings do contain some sort of SiO2 chemistry in them providing hardness and durability. There are many good consumer coatings available and if you can apply a sealant you can apply a coating. Just watch a few YouTube videos and search here for reviews of coatings before applying or buying. The prep of the vehicles surface is the hardest part of the coating process. You want the surface to be as free of scratches as possible as a coating will magnify most defects. Choose a coating sold here and you really can’t go wrong though there are coatings sold elsewhere that are just as good or maybe better. Just follow the instructions, make sure you have good lighting, and beware of the dreaded “high spots” and you will do fine.
 
Would try Jescar power lock plus and or Sonax Polymer Net Shield.

Pledge will work on your paint temporarily but it’s not really made to protect from the elements like UV and other things vehicles see. It can also be streaky on paint

Car cover or portable shade unit is the best option. A bit more work each time but would actually have a physical barrier


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