Help: sap? removal

C

charlieo

New member
The horizontal surfaces of my 2000 black Civic have what I believe is baked-on tree sap/pollen/spring stuff coating them. I washed my car, tried AIO and even used Scratch-X, but it's not coming off so easily.

I'd rather remove this with chemical rather than abrasive action: will Dawn do it? I know you'll cringe, but I once heard that Afta carpet cleaner will strip the finish off of a car, preparing it for detailing: is there any truth to this (will it harm anything?)?

It's not unusual to have a rough, sappy surface on my car, what's unusual is that it hasn't

simply washed away.

I had to leave town on an emergency, so the car sat: I think that whatever's on the car kinda baked in, which is why it's so hard to remove.

Thanks for any thoughts you might share.
 
Isopropyl alcohol is great because it won't leave any residue. If that doesn't work, stoners tarminator is good too. I imagine wd-40 works similarly.
 
dshreter said:
Isopropyl alcohol is great because it won't leave any residue. If that doesn't work, stoners tarminator is good too. I imagine wd-40 works similarly.
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go for the ipa. Personally I use methyl hydrate, but I presume IPA would work the same.



SOAK a rag then gently wipe away the sap. The more you use, the better it lubes, causing no scratches. Take your time. You will have to re-apply wax/sealant after this as it strips 'er clean.
 
Wow, I've never thought of those solutions as I've never had to remove sap. I was thinking to start with clay? Will that work as well? or not do anything?
 
When I've used clay on sap it just shears off a tiny bit of it with each pass. I would have to go over each speck a whole bunch of times which would take a very long time if I have it in a bunch of places. Using alcohol is much easier in my opinion and I would imagine less likely to mar the paint. I guess it depends what kind of sap you have too. If it was very thin clay might work well, but when its like a drop, or droplet of it, its just too much work.
 
i've never tried methyl hydrate, but it looks like i should. i have always used ipa very effectively. put it on a cloth and let it soak on the sap for a minute. i practically wipes right off.
 
From what I've read: methyl hydrate= methanol=methyl alcohol.

It looks like a hardware store should carry it.

It's supposed to be very toxic, and gloves shold be worn when using.



I might try iso alcohol first and see if it does what I need it to.



Thanks again.
 
Well, it was really tough to find Methanol, but I finally found it at a Go-Cart place (performance cars also use it as fuel, I think).

If you live on Long Island: Bonsignore's Kart Shoppe 631-243-5220.

The question I have: will Methanol damage rubber or plastic? Hopefully I don't need to do this again: do I need to tape over rubber, or just be sure to wash thoroughly when done (which I will) (and AIO/wax the paint).



Interesting thing: anyone else notice: it seems like an unusual amount of sap this year?

Also: this is the first time I've had this problem, and it's the first time I didn't use wax over the AIO, maybe wax is better at keeping this stuff off? Or maybe it's the fact that I was unable to wash the car for a month, and it sat, filthy, probably baking in the sun at the dealership? Maybe both?

Anyway, thanks again.
 
I have never had to tape off. Soak some on a MF and wipe. If you really have lots of sap, you might have to do another wipe after your done or have a wax or AIO that will remove the left over sap residue. It will take some black color off rubber just as IPA will.
 
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