Detailing Question
 

@datawiz or anyone else who knows: Will a clay bar remove old dried-up tree sap from a car's paint? If not, what detailing technique should I ask The Guy to use to remove that shit?

:popcorns:

Yes, clay barring will remove old contaminated crap from your finish, just finished up one last Wed that felt like sandpaper, when finished, slick like a mirror.
Meguiars or Mothers clay kits work well.


https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/...d.php?t=127672

I’d start with a clay bar. If that doesn’t work use polishing compound either by hand or an orbital buffer depending on how much and how extensive it is. I have a non-orbital buffer I use with rubbing or polishing compound, but it’s easy to burn the paint on edges with those so you need to know what you’re doing.

Dried tree sap *can* be beyond the reach of a clay bar.

WD-40. :cert:

Depends upon the size of the sap. The sap that comes off the trees here is usually very tiny droplets and they always wash off with water. Clay bar should work just fine, but be sure to use a lot of detailing spray to keep the bar from scratching the paint (I use Meguiar's Final Inspection but any detailing spray will suffice).

Also, fold the "dirty" surface of the bar in on itself a few times (kind of like kneading dough) to give you a clean surface to work with.

Have used Kerosene to remove tree sap on lacquer and enamel paints. put a little on a cotton ball and tape it to the area and leave it for awhile. It will break down the sap and not hurt the paint.

Or Mineral Spirits works well and also will strip all old wax .....windshield looks like there is no glass in it too :eek:
I had Thompsons water seal on a Blazer I had.....thought it was far enough from the deck but.....it wasn't.

in 9 years i have yet to detail wash my truck. water, soap, rinse, wipe dry with chamois, done.

Paging DetailDude

This is where I would have taken you as well. I agree with all of the above already suggested, but you may need a chemical. Start light, like mineral spirits, or a light alcohol. I've also used acetone successfully for things like that in the past, but be VERY careful with acetone. Strong stuff. If your clear coat is healthy, you should be fine.

Don't know if this works on all tree sap, but pine tree sap comes off very easily with 99% rubbing alcohol. Not sure if the 70% stuff works as well.

Might try white vinegar? Haven't used it for tree sap but it does a good job of dissolving baked on bug splatter.

I have some denatured alcohol and it seems to work, but it's extremely labor intensive. The Guy would probably charge me $1000 in labor to get all the little spots off. :lol:

I had to wash the entire S10Blazer with mineral spirits,then wash with car wash soap and water,dry it and then wax it :willy:
At end of day I did have a popeye arm :eek::lol:

Pro tip: Go to an auto paint store and get a gallon of this. It’s what they use to remove contaminates before painting a car. It won’t hurt paint. At $25/gallon I always have a can in my garage.
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Clear Coat or Single Stage?

With clear coat you have a thin layer on top of the color coat. With single stage you are removing the color coat with about anything you touch it with.

Even a little heat from a hair dryer or heat gun may help and you can get plastic razor blades at Home Depot for scraping without damage. Then a light polish to remove the fine scratches followed by a coat of good wax.

This. I also use my thumbnail as a scraper if the stuff is dried out and opaque... helps lift without hours of soak and rub. If still clear I simply wet a folded paper towel, sit it on the sap for a bit to soften then wipe with a clean towel. HTH.

It's a Lexus so I'm pretty sure it's clear coat. :D

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look for the plastic raazor blades. :thumbs: