Sap Attack!

[otter63]

Help! My Tercel was parked under a fir tree. The weather got really hot, sap dripped all over it, and it's really tough to get off. I've been working on it with Bug & Tar remover, which works better on a hot day, but it takes forever, and as the days go by, the sap is getting harder. Now when I remove the sap, it has worked its way into the paint, leaving a purplish stain in my otherwise white car. Any ideas? I've already tried peanut butter and olive oil.

Thanks in advance!

[takza]

OEM paint will handle lacquer thinner? Paint thinner should be safe. I have some citrus oil based adhesive remover that seems to handle most stuff.

[ARCHINSTL]

I had this problem many years ago with my beloved white '86 626 and baked-on sycamore tree sap.
Absolutely NO solvent or compound worked - I even consulted several body shops, includng the best one in STL.
Finally, as a last resort, I used "liquid" soft cleanser (Comet ?) and water-soaked Bounty paper towels and rubbed gently in small swirls. This worked, but needless to say was kinda detrimental to the paint. It did not scratch the paint so much as really dull it. This was a white car, so the "dullness" was not as apparent as if it were, say, similar to the non-whites of our Wagons.
It took freakin' forever (days), as the entire surface of the car had to be done, in individual patches of 6-8 square inches.

Now - this was before clay bars were available; I would certainly try this method first. It may work...
Tom M.

[Petros]

Try "Goof-off" a strong solvent. Turpintine is a solvent made from pine tree sap, you might give that a try. The problem is that tree sap will "cure" just like paint, it absorbs oxigen into the matrix and cross links the molecules. Once cured it is just like paint, and anything strong enough to remove the sap can remove the paint. You might try heat softening it as a last resort, that can damage paint too.

Good luck.

[ARCHINSTL]

The problem is that tree sap will "cure" just like paint, it absorbs oxigen into the matrix and cross links the molecules. Once cured it is just like paint,...

A - HA !
So that is the reason - in retrospect, it certainly makes sense.
Tom M.

[otter63]

Well, here's an update, with a solution that may make you cringe. For various reasons, including two surgeries, I let the sap sit on the paint for 15 months. At this point, it is mostly dried, nice and crusty. I tried turpentine, but the sap just laughed at me. So I got out an old paint scraper and VERY GENTLY scraped the sap right off the paint! This created a new problem, namely, black marks on the white paint. Not sure why metal makes black marks on white paint, but these marks came off quite easily with standard rubbing compound. I got half of the hood done in an hour, and it looks really good. At this rate, I should have the entire car done in another 10 hours!

[takza]

I use a single sided razor blade that I glued a split vac hose to...as a handle. Blade has been rehoned a few times. If used carefully at the right angle it will take stuff off glass and paint without scratching.