Recentyl I have noticed my car has gotten these very small, brown bumps on its exterior. when i peel them off w/my fingernail or something sharp, they leave a brown, sticky residue. i used to keep my car in a garage and that's when it began. i moved 30 miles away and so it's outside all the time, fully exposed to the elements. any ideas? what can be done about it? Thanks...

 

do you have pics of it?

 

sounds like it might be road tar or tree sap...

Any roads or highways get repaved near you recently?
Do you park under trees or drive under trees for extended periods of time?

No matter what it is, if it's sticky, Tree Sap/Tar Remover will probably get rid of it. The solvents in tree sap/tar remover neutralize sticky substances. Try Wurth Tar Remover, that should do the trick.

 

sorry. no pics. i don't have a digital camera. right now, i don't park under any trees. I'll try some of that wurth tar remover and see what happens. thanks guys.

 

You know... cheaper locally available tar removers work too you know.

Personally I wouldn't use Wurth anyway, as aerosols may be great for large areas, but I don't like overspray. Just use a soft cloth and let the remover soak a bit if it's stubborn. Don't get impatient and try to rub it off with too much force.

If they're very small, like pinhead size or less, and using a tar remover is slow going, you may also want to try claying them off as long as you don't have a ton of it. Depending on how hard the spots are, this method is sometimes faster.

 

No question. That is tree sap. You would definitely need a good tar and sap remover to get rid of them or soften them up.

 

yeah that's def. tree sap now that i think of it..i just noticed 2 spots on my hood while washin the car yesterday, and i usually park under a tree...