Got tar on car how can i saftly remove it?

[sickcars]

Hello,

Had my car parked this morning in a local parking lot where we are allowed to park in near my work & they decided to spray tar the ground with a liquid tar right beside my car and a few others. needless to say they got splatter on it and even a little on the hood. I talked to the owner of the company and I told him I was going to try and wash it all off myself & if it came off then not to worry about it however if it does not then I would be contacting him.

I know washing it probably wont get it off & i know using a clay bar will however that's a lot of time. He was telling me to use WD 40 on it. Any opinions on that? I do not want to damage he paint or rims on my car at all.

2007 VW GTI

Thanks

[LOOSEWHEEL]

I was going to recommend WD40 as well.

[Pvo1]

If I were you I would take it to a detailer and bill the company that caused the damage.

There are some chemical sprays that are made for removing bugs/tar. Clay will also work but will take more time.

Good luck!

[Ironballz]

How about goo-Gone Automotive Cleaner (http://googone.com/GG-Browse-Products/Goo-Gone-Automotive-Cleaner-16oz)?

[sickcars]

I was thinking that however because its not a big amount I rather see if I can remove it without to much effort and if it does come off then great. Mistakes happen so I dont want to go and throw a $100 or $200 bill in front of this guys face without even trying. If I was in his position I would hope the other person would at least try and be reasonable. However like I told him if it wont come off easily or at all then I'm giving him a call & hes going to pay for it. He even offered to give me a few bucks for the hassle. I said its alright let me try to take it off first.



If I were you I would take it to a detailer and bill the company that caused the damage.

Your best bet would be clay. There are also some chemical sprays that are made for removing bugs/tar.

Good luck!

[jackie999]

I don't know about tar..but I had some really *stuck* tree sap on my fender and windscreen. NOTHING would budge it..goo gone was useless. I was about to use a razor on the glass then decided to try some of that hand sanitizer (purell?) ...it removed it instantly. Worth a shot - on the paint I'd be ready with a soapy rag to remove remains...

[Pvo1]

This may work, but the alcohol will burn through your clear coat. Be very careful using alcohol based products.

It's pretty much acting as a paint thinner..


I don't know about tar..but I had some really *stuck* tree sap on my fender and windscreen. NOTHING would budge it..goo gone was useless. I was about to use a razor on the glass then decided to try some of that hand sanitizer (purell?) ...it removed it instantly. Worth a shot - on the paint I'd be ready with a soapy rag to remove remains...

[CanadianMoFo]

Use a clay bar. They're on sale at Canadian Tire this week too. :) I assure you it will pick up the tar and not damage the paint. I am always cleaning up bits of tar from that crappy patch material the city throws into pot holes leaving it to be compacted by traffic. I can hear the pinging of the tar bits hitting my car after I drive over the patch material if its fresh.

CM

[XtremeModder]

Use a clay bar. They're on sale at Canadian Tire this week too. :) I assure you it will pick up the tar and not damage the paint. I am always cleaning up bits of tar from that crappy patch material the city throws into pot holes leaving it to be compacted by traffic. I can hear the pinging of the tar bits hitting my car after I drive over the patch material if its fresh.

CM

Can you hear the process of it hardening onto your car? Seems a little excessive.

I was going to recommend a clay bar as well

Never used it but I've heard of a product called tarminator as well. Seems pretty self explanatory as to what it does...

[sickcars]

Thanks,

I know clay bar will clean it, I was just trying to avoid the long time it will take to fully clean it off. Oh well I was thinking of claying the whole car anyways might as well do it properly when I get a chance.

Thanks


Use a clay bar. They're on sale at Canadian Tire this week too. :) I assure you it will pick up the tar and not damage the paint. I am always cleaning up bits of tar from that crappy patch material the city throws into pot holes leaving it to be compacted by traffic. I can hear the pinging of the tar bits hitting my car after I drive over the patch material if its fresh.

CM

[packardbell]

i would claybar it

[sunnybono]

I don't know about tar..but I had some really *stuck* tree sap on my fender and windscreen. NOTHING would budge it..goo gone was useless. I was about to use a razor on the glass then decided to try some of that hand sanitizer (purell?) ...it removed it instantly. Worth a shot - on the paint I'd be ready with a soapy rag to remove remains...

Best and effective solution for tree sap is rubbing alcohol!!! I use it every time. The only thing is that you will need to apply a was to remove the haze left behind by the rubbing alcohol!!

[LOOSEWHEEL]

Seems like a waste of a clay bar to me. Before you clay, the car should be as clean as possible and that means removing the tar. Use WD40. Google 'WD40' and 'tar' and see how many have used it successfully.

[Sh00t3mUp]

I DO NOT recommended it (since your car is 2007) but I had the same issue with my beater. Used paint thinner and it worked perfectly.

[MS MSP]

Varsol.

But you will have to re-wax

[jackie999]

I think the purell works because of the alcohol in it. My vehicle was clay barred last year and finished with zaino so I wasn't too worried about the clear top coat. I would still follow up quickly with a soapy cloth...no matter what the finish.

[TrevorK]

There is a product called Tar-X (from the people that make Iron-X) that claims to remove tar very easily without scrubbing heavily. I have never personally used it but plan on buying some when I make my way to our new detailing store in town.

You can look for YouTube videos on it, there were plenty while I was looking it up awhile ago.

[qaz393]

touchless product then clay. get some tar remover.

[manteiv]

Use peanut butter or vegetable oil to remove the tar or any fatty compounds of the like. Let it sits for a few minutes and rub the tar off. Don't use mineral spirits based products as they will damage the paint to some extent and especially do not use acetone, it will dissolve the paint in front of your eyes!!

[AnotherCanuck]

Two pages in and only one person has mentioned Tar-X?

Tar-X. Tar-X. Tar-X.

http://www.eshine.ca/carpro_tar_x_tar__adhesive_remover_600ml-5411.php

[ekashyap]

Use a dab of engine oil or an all in one machine oil. Let it sit for a few minutes and rub the tar off. Done.

[sickcars]

So I removed it yesterday. Tried to clay bar it off but it was such a hassle and was taking forever to come off that I finally gave up and just used WD 40 which worked very well. After I was done doing that I waxed the areas that had wd 40 on them and she looks great.

Thanks

[LOOSEWHEEL]

So I removed it yesterday. Tried to clay bar it off but it was such a hassle and was taking forever to come off that I finally gave up and just used WD 40 which worked very well. After I was done doing that I waxed the areas that had wd 40 on them and she looks great.

Thanks

And all you wasted was a clay bar..........................

[sickcars]

And all you wasted was a clay bar..........................

Well I did not waste it I already had clay bar and used a bit of it.

[CanadianMoFo]

Two pages in and only one person has mentioned Tar-X?

Tar-X. Tar-X. Tar-X.

http://www.eshine.ca/carpro_tar_x_tar__adhesive_remover_600ml-5411.php

Oooo sexy. Will add to my next eShine order. Thanks!

CM

[M-e-X-x]

I don't know about tar..but I had some really *stuck* tree sap on my fender and windscreen. NOTHING would budge it..goo gone was useless. I was about to use a razor on the glass then decided to try some of that hand sanitizer (purell?) ...it removed it instantly. Worth a shot - on the paint I'd be ready with a soapy rag to remove remains...

Tree sap use rubbing alcohol, BUT dilute it with water. Sap came off lickity split after months of it being baked under the summer sun, etc.

[KL]

This may work, but the alcohol will burn through your clear coat. Be very careful using alcohol based products.

It's pretty much acting as a paint thinner..


Alcohol won't harm your paint, detailers use alcohol to clean off residues after polishing compound for swirl marks.

You may be mistakenly thinking of acetone, which is MUCH stronger than alcohol, and should be used carefully if cleaning stains of paint finishes.

OP, you can try alcohol, my favorite cleaner for stuff like this is Coleman's camping fuel, it's naptha, strong enough for most sovlent based stains, but won't damage properly cured paint.

[nielboy]

Another vote for WD-40 or GooGone. I find that WD-40 is easier to work with though.

I've owned numerous cars that I've maintained meticulously & never had an issue using WD-40 to remove tar splatter & such.