Geez...I haven't been back to this board in a long time. well, my apartment complex burned down about a month ago so all the tenants were evicted, forcing me to move into my friend's livingroom and parking in the street. No more garages for my baby .

Well, I finally found the time between apartment searching to wash my car and realized that I had a big blotch of tree sap on the hood of my car that I can't get out. I've heard of polishes and waxes that can remove this...does anybody here know what they are?

I also have a few scratches on the trunk of my car next to my "M-A-X-I-M-A" emblem. Dunno if I got keyed or what, but is there something I can do to get rid of the scratch? They're light scratches so maybe its fixable. I'd appreciate it if anybody can help. I personally don't trust the mechanics around here in Berkeley.

 

There are a couple of ways to get rid of tree sap; they make quite a few products (sold at places like Pep Boys, AutoZone, Advanced Auto Parts, etc.) that are meant to take off sap/tar, or you can use a SMALL amount of paint thinner on a very soft rag.

Scratches? There are about 298374234 things you can do; buffing the car gets them out, but I wouldn't recommend buffing the car by yourself. For a quick fix, you can try washing the car, then using a tiny bit of rubbing compound (if it is a dark car, use the 3M dark car Swirl remover instead) around the scratched area, wash that area again, then wax the car. You can also just wash the car, use touch up paint, then wax it.

 

When tree sap freezes you can just pick it off with your fingernail. Just get a really really cold morning, below freezing and it should just flake off.

 

a great stuff to use is clay bars. mothers is famous, meguilars stuff. it absorbs the material after you rub the surface and you refold the clay and hide the junk sap inside the clay. good luck

 

**** on it.. the acid will melt it off

 

use claybar for the sap it works well.

 

Before my office moved I used to have this problem all the time. I used Meguilars paint cleaner remove it every time. Clay bar also worked well.

 

thanks for all the tips guys...i'm gonna stop by Kragen and Pep Boys tomorrow to see if I can find this stuff. I think I'm gonna try the claybars first.

As for the scratches...if I don't have anything to buff my car with, is there an alternative kind compound that I can just rub onto the car with a rag using my hands?

 

Would Goo-Gone work on sap too?

 

Use 3M Perfect It II Rubbing Compund to get the scratches out if they are too severe. For light scratches, I would use 3M Swirl Mark Remover.

 

Sap:
1. I've heard rubbing alcohol will take it off. Rub the spot until it disappears. Might want to give the area a quick wash when done. (Haven't tried this - but plan to in the future if I need to.)
2. 3M sap remover - again, never used, but heard it works great.
3. Bug & tar remover
4. Clay bar (I like Meguiar's)
5. Maybe you could try heating it up - with a hairdryer or something until it gets tacky again.

Scratches:
1. My dad swears by KIT scratch remover on his black truck.
2. I have had great success with Meguiar's Scratch X and Crystal System Cleaner and Polish. Although, my scratches were not very deep.

luvmymax

 

I would try to buff it out, or use a clay bar.

 

Goo-Gone is pretty much paint thinner. It MAY work, but use VERY little of it.