Tree sap....

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inkjunkie

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Pick up spends a lot of time parked under the Ponderosa Pine trees on our property. It is time for it's annual bath/polish/wax. Several big globs of sap up on the roof....any suggestions for getting it off?
 
I have the same problem with my RAM and I've tried everything, first scraping with a plastic trim tool, then any of the aforementioned ideas. I do manage to eventually get the blob off but it leaves a discolored mark in the paint every time. Fortunately the paint isn't that great to start with.
 
Acetone works great but make damn sure you have a clear coat.

Regular wax is a great cleaner. I pick up a cheap bottle of Meguiars Cleaner Wax every couple years and use an old micro fiber towel to get the hard to clean stuff off my car. You'd be surprised at the cleaning power of wax.
 
Kerosene and elbow grease to remove the sap.
Wash with dawn dish liquid.
Second wash with dawn use a clay bar.
Polish and wax.
It will clean up depending on how good the paint was before the tree sap.

And quit parking under the tree.......
 
And quit parking under the tree.......

This will work to prevent future globs.....won't do squat to get rid of the current ones :D

You would think I would not park under the trees, not like I do not know better :banghead:

Someone on another forum mentioned alcohol wipes....going to give them a try. If that does not work I will make the 74 mile round trip to the "local" Home Depot tomorrow to pick up a can of WD 40.........be a nice day for a bike ride....
 
Kerosene would do it Ink.
It's so close to WD40 anyway, and what you need is an oil based solvent to not remove the paint also.

WD40
Kerosene
Bug and tar remover
Trans fluid (slower but works)

Soak a rag in any one of these and set it on the big spots for awhile to soften it up.
 
Just went out with an alcohol wipe, the kind that is used when I give myself my bi-weekly shot.....took one of the lumps off with 0 effort....
 
Must have been a lot smaller stuff than I pictured.

There is half or dozen or so ranging in size from a pencil eraser to a bit over a quarter in diameter, most of them are about the thickness of a quarter....
 
Just plain old rubbing alcohol has always worked fine for me. Do re-wax where you use it though.
 
If it's completely hardened, I use a razor blade and carefully scrape it off, then go back over it with isopropyl alcohol. Works good, but you have to be careful.
 
Has anyone tried dish soap like Dawn? In a bucket of nice hot water?
 
I was taught a long time ago Pine-Sol dissolves the sap like magic and cleans up very easy. And no chance it will harm the paint, even single stage paint.
 
Maybe for Indiana trees, but not Georgia pine. That stuff is like JB Weld when it dries.
 
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