Tree sap removal

C

corvetteman

New member
I have used 3m smr for black cars, 3m hand glaze, duplicolor wax for dark cars, meguiars yellow 100% carnuba wax. The car looks good but not great. I want my paint to shine like some of the showcar looking cars on this board. Please advise me what to do. I'm really desparate for my car to look great. What would be my next step? I'm a long time lurker but first time poster. I will attempt to upload a picture in this post.
 
Hi Spree17 welcome to town! If your photos are too big to post just select a photo then do a "save as" and call it something else like xxxsmall. Now you have two copies of the same photo. Take the new copy and resize it to make it smaller. If the photo is still too big just keep resizeing it smaller until it will post.

I have a '94 black Porsche and I can tell you this much, perfection is next to impossible to obtain with black especially for a daily driver. Your car may need to be clayed to remove surface contamination. Use the sandwich baggy trick to find out. Put your hand inside a plastic sandwich bag and rub this lightly across your paint. If it is grabby or doesn't feel smooth then you will do well to clay the car. There are lots of clay bars on the market but many here are pleased with Mother's Clay Bar Kit and it is widely available at most autoparts stores.

<em class='bbc'>clic pic[/i]



Also the creator of this website has offered a $15 detailing book that is available online. It is a trememdous resource and the money helps to support this forum's expenses.

Look forward to your future participation. :)
 
I too have a black Porsche.

You have a good set of products. 3M SMR is good stuff, but technique in using it is EXTREMELY important. If you have swirls it isn't taking care of, get some 3M finesse-it II Finishing compound and use it first. If you use it improperly it will leave a terrible haze. If you use it properly it will bring back a pretty good, but not perfect gloss. Now use the same technique that brought back the gloss with FI-II, with the SMR - i.e., keep workin' it! Once this is done, optionally polish or glaze, then wax. Try Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid (best gloss) or their #26 Hi_tech yellow - I think both are better than their pure carnauba. And if you want a REAL treat, top it all off wth some Pinnacle Souveran.

I have used this exact recipe several times now on a few different cars (check out Back to Black ) and I am very happy with it. By the way, if you have a chance to swap out your 3M SMR for some Meguiar's Swirl remover 2.0, I recommend it highly. I think it might be SLIGHTLY less aggressive from an abrasives standpoint, but it is also much easier to use and leaves a beautiful finish when done.

lastly, if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail it is prtty deep. You can significantly reduce its appearance though, with another "miracle" product - meguiar's "Scratch-X". Very good stuff - apply with foam pad and one finger, rub back and forth with firm pressure in the direction of the scratch (not across it). Rub vigorously. As it starts to dry out, lighten your pressure and keep going until it is almost all gone.
 
Thanks for the help guys. I'm here to learn. Both me and my girlfriend are obsessed with our cars. I'm going to try all your suggestions. I hope to hear more. By the way I know how to resave a pic under a differrent name but have no clue as to how to resize it smaller. Once again thanks for the welcome and the help. I hope I do not make a pest of myself with all the questions I'm bound to ask.
 
Making pictures smaller is a basic function of most image editing softwasre - some probably came with your camera? Look for something called "image size". Be aware that there are 2 completely different "dimensions" or objectives one might use the "image size" function for. One has to do with "print resolution" and basically allows you to say how close or far apart to squeeze the pixels when printed. A 1024x768 image printed at 100 dots per inch would make a 7.68 inch by 10.24 inch image. You could print the same 1024x768 image at 200 DPI, and get a roughly 3x5 print. The number of pixels is the same, so the file size is the same. Only the "print resolution" is being changed.



However PC monitors aren't like printers - they have a fixed number of pixels per inch - usually 72. In this case, any image much bigger than 600x800 pixels is too big. You want your image editing software to actually reduce the number of pixels. This is sometimes called "resampling". 640x480 is a really good, common size for pictures you put up on the web. Then, when you save, choose "JPEG" as the file format, and tell it to use a moderate amount of compression (JPEG images can be saved at higher quality (larger file) or smaller file (lower quality). Somewhere mid-low to medium in the range is what you want.



Remember, if you think you ever want to PRINT your pictures, you want all the pixels you can get - so do NOT save this resized image over the original file. I usually name my original file something like "car.jpg", and the reduced size one "car_640.jpg"



I hope this was helpful!
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by spree17 [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I have used 3m smr for black cars...What would be my next step? [/b]</blockquote>
Hey spree, reading your post again it hit me. The next step for me that made a noticable difference was buy a PC and using SMR on a CMA white foam pad. I used the SMR by hand and it was ok but the PC and SMR together really makes the black look fantastic. After the SMR I've been using Pinnacle Souveran and all I can say is wow! I'm very pleased with the combination.

I took some pics this weekend that I've yet to upload to my computer. If they came out ok I'll post one on my Porsche Pics thread.
 
Thanks short cut. I was thinking of buying a polisher. If it makes a significant difference then I will. I just didnt want to waste the money on it if it is not effective. I have read such great things about soverign but I havent ordered any because its like over $70 with shipping. That seems like a lot for me to spend on a wax. I also read a lot of good things about klasse aio and glase. Any opinions? Really my car looks decent. Only the scratchs that bother me. The 3m smr didnt get them out by hand. I was considering trying a rubbing compound. I really appreciate all the help you guys are giving me. Lord knows I need it.
 
Just curious. Where in Texas do you live? I live in McAllen, Texas which is in South Texas.



For black, I would definitely go with the Klasse system. This includes Klasse All in One and Klasse Sealant Glaze. You should definitely get both products. The AIO will do a great job of cleaning your car and helping you with any small blemishes that you have on your paint. It will also give a very decent shine. Much better than you may expect. It also gives you a layer of acrylic which should give you 6 months of protection.



Now the Klasse SG is just awesome. It will make your black look stunning. One of the benefits of Klasse SG is that multiple coats will cover up the swirls that you have on your car. Trust me, it works. Of course, I would attack the swirls with Finnesse It 2 or 3M SMR first. For best results, try applying a minimum of 3 coats of Klasse Sealant Glaze. It will look stunning. I guarantee!



As for the Souveran being overpricey. I don't think so. If you wax your car once a month with this awesome carnauba, that wax should last you many, many years. I highly recommend it, especially for black. Hope this helps a bit. Laters
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by spree17 [/i]
<strong class='bbc'> I have read such great things about soverign but I havent ordered any because its like over $70 with shipping. That seems like a lot for me to spend on a wax. [/b]</blockquote>
I have to agree that's a lot of dough for car wax. About a couple of months ago Souveran went on sale for $39.95 and several members, including myself, took advantage of the offer and purchased it. I think that my container of wax will last for a year anyway because it easy to apply thin coats of it which conserves the product. As far as how long the protection lasts I can't tell you because I enjoy waxing with the Souveran so much I can't keep from waxing my baby for too long.
 
Here are some pictures of what I have so far. I really want this paint to shine so I'm going to follow everyones suggestions on this site. I want my 1995 Porsche to look like a 2000. Please tell me what you think. I can take any constructive criticism in order to make my car look better. Granted these are not the best pics.


http://www.geocities.com/sprewell17us/
 
I have some sap from a neighbor's pine tree on the hood, don't really know how it got there as the closest tree is about 40 yards away. Tried some clay and removed some of the sap, but not all. Should I keep trying the clay or is there an easier way? Thanks for any help.
 
314wolf said:
I have some sap from a neighbor's pine tree on the hood, don't really know how it got there as the closest tree is about 40 yards away. Tried some clay and removed some of the sap, but not all. Should I keep trying the clay or is there an easier way? Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

You could try something like P21S Total Auto Wash, or Optimum Power Clean. I would also try a more agressive clay.
 
I have a sap problem at my house and the very best way I found to remove it is with Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol 91%. You can pick it up anywhere and just take a paper towel and pour some IPA on it and wipe. It should come off completely after a couple of wipes!
 
314wolf said:
I have some sap from a neighbor's pine tree on the hood, don't really know how it got there as the closest tree is about 40 yards away. Tried some clay and removed some of the sap, but not all. Should I keep trying the clay or is there an easier way? Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

Follow the axium about "the hair of the dog that bit you" - turpentine is distilled from pine sap and is the best solvent to dissolve pine sap! Use on an old (but clean) MF towel or other soft cloth - do not rub very hard - let the solvent do the work.

Note: the area will need to be washed with soap afterwards and re-waxed.

Regards,
GEWB
 
I had some pine sap spots that could be removed with a LOT of rubbing using isopropyl alcohol or WD40. Then I tried some Tarminator. It worked like a champ!!!
 
gewb said:
Follow the axium about "the hair of the dog that bit you" - turpentine is distilled from pine sap and is the best solvent to dissolve pine sap! Use on an old (but clean) MF towel or other soft cloth - do not rub very hard - let the solvent do the work.

Note: the area will need to be washed with soap afterwards and re-waxed.

Regards,
GEWB
Click to expand...


What he said!

Bill
 
I have had very good luck dissolving tree sap with Tarminator. The local NAPA store ordered a can for me. It only took a day for them to get it. Tarminator should be on every detailer's shelf.
 
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