TREE SAP new thread

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yellow20thgti

New member
Well did a search on this, and some stuff came up but seemed kind of old. Anyway, have a brand new car 03 and it got spotted with a lot of tiny sap spots. Therefore, wanted to see what the best way to get this off, bug/tar or clay bar.



Thanks in advance
 
I've been leaving our Volvo beater outside 24/7/52. We have a lot of trees, so I can sympathize with your sap spot dilemma. Some/most tree sap comes right off with a normal wash, especially if you don't let it bake on too long. Oak vs. pine, some trees are a bigger problem than others. If the wash doesn't get it off, I use clay. Done VERY gently, during the wash, you can do it without taking off your wax/sealant (which you CAN'T do with bug/tar remover).
 
If the sap is fresh, it should wash off with car wash soap and water!



A lot depends on the type of sap.



Sap from maple trees comes off easily. Sap from conifers (pines, spruces, fir trees and other evergreens) is a bear to get off, especially if it starts to crystalize.



For pine sap that has crystalized, bypass bug/tar remover and go right to an automotive solvent, such as Dupont prep sol, etc.
 
the tree in fornt of my parking space didnt produce sap before:nixweiss but has a bit recently?? it washes off with reg washing, but nonetheless is frustrating:mad: ive heard if a particular tree is attacked with insects ect ; it will produce sap as a defense mech? this could and prob is the case with the my tree? at least its not entirely over my car, just the fornt area, so if need be i just park back a bit
 
Thanks for the imput so far so what it comes down to is either, bug and tar remover or a clay bar, and then wax...? Maybe I will design the first tree sap and bird crap remover :cool:
 
I have noticed the tree I have parked under for years is producing sap in large amounts. I have always been a nut about my cars, lately though its been very noticable, I thought it must just be me becoming more alert to the condition of my paint or the extremely wet spring, never thought of bugs, seems very logical.
 
You might consider using a good quality car wash in undiluted form. I recently used this technique on my black BMW and it dissolved the tree sap completely. The sap had not hardened or crystallized. Good luck.



Russ
 
If its covering the whole car and it doesn't come off in a wash, then I would suggest clay. I parked near a spraying sap monster beast of a tree (the kind where the leaves are all wet from sap and everytime the wind blows it just sprays a mist of sap off the branches) and was pretty ticked off to see the little sap dots all over my car. I was all prepared to clay it when I realized that they were coming off in the wash. Some sap comes off if you wash it soon enough. Its when it dries in the sun and petrifies that it becomes hard.



Try washing it first. If they don't come off then try clay. If that doesn't work then you'll need a good sap and tar remover. I really like the Turtle Wax version in the yellow can. That stuff works very well.
 
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