# Tree sap removal



## DazVin66 (Jan 1, 2015)

Anyone got any tips on removing tree sap? I was at a show last Sunday where it was baking hot and my car got covered in tree sap, unfortunatey work this week hasprevented me from doing any cleaning as yet so just wondering if anyone has any good tips to remove this stuff......thanks


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## neilmcl (Mar 26, 2010)

Insect remover should do the trick.


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## Woodsmoke (Feb 12, 2018)

I have this issue where i am forced to park all the time. BH autofoam strips it right off for me its scary...


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## scooobydont (Feb 25, 2017)

I had it in the spring, the stuff was like glue, I ended up using a claybar as no chemical products would shift it.


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

If I catch tree sap early enough I have found warm/hand hot shampoo works.
If not and you have tar remover to hand,try that as I have had good results with that on my cousin's car that had been caked in tree sap for months.
Don't do what my cousin tried and use T Cut:doublesho


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## Autoglym (Apr 10, 2008)

Our Intensive Tar Remover works. It is what we use at AG HQ


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## Paul7189 (Nov 11, 2015)

I use autosmart tardis. Its great for Tar and tree sap. Also you can get about 5 litres of the stuff for cheap if you contact your local rep and buy it from them directly.


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## Peteo48 (Jun 12, 2013)

This is an interesting take on the problem.


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## pee (Apr 6, 2009)

Just wash it!!!! I just do the usual foam and rinse and the sap is gone


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## westerman (Oct 12, 2008)

Peteo48 said:


> Car is plastered with Tree Sap - How to remove tree sap safely - YouTube
> 
> This is an interesting take on the problem.


I was going to post this Youtube clip myself as I watched it the other day.

I get a honeydew type covering on mine, tiny specs of the sticky stuff which appears to come from a nearby Birch tree.

It's scary but a good spray of ONR allowed to dwell for a minute or so ( cool conditions) followed by a gentle wipe with a soft sponge or MF soaked in ONR solution does the trick. I use BSD as a drying aid to good effect.

Fascinating to see Jon use all those chemicals only to find water works best

Harry


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## alfajim (May 4, 2011)

Not cleaned my car for 7 weeks and it felt like sandpaper. Covered in sap and dust. Gave it a wash yesterday and it came up like new. Just soaked it and some power maxxed tfr on the bug collection on the front. Car chem shampoo.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

pee said:


> Just wash it!!!! I just do the usual foam and rinse and the sap is gone


^^^ this as it works well enough for me. It's only sap and won't strip away your cars paint 😂 lol.


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## Whytecat (Jun 19, 2018)

Woodsmoke said:


> I have this issue where i am forced to park all the time. BH autofoam strips it right off for me its scary...


Worked for me too


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## neilmcl (Mar 26, 2010)

I had a spot that had been sitting on my bonnet for a while now and had thoroughly baked on, not sure if it was tree sap, pollen, bee poop or what, and so I decided to tackle it today. The car has been pre-washed with BH AF and washed a number of times and it still remained.

First things first, I too had previously watched the Forensic Detailing video and I can tell you now water alone was no way going to shift this. I hit it in the following order giving plenty of dwelling time and rinsing in between and nothing shifted it - Warm water, ONR, bug spray, tar & glue remover, fallout remover, none of which touched it. Finally I had to resort to using my clay cloth and this eventually did the trick after a number of passes.


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## westerman (Oct 12, 2008)

neilmcl said:


> I had a spot that had been sitting on my bonnet for a while now and had thoroughly baked on, not sure if it was tree sap, pollen, bee poop or what, and so I decided to tackle it today. The car has been pre-washed with BH AF and washed a number of times and it still remained.
> 
> First things first, I too had previously watched the Forensic Detailing video and I can tell you now water alone was no way going to shift this. I hit it in the following order giving plenty of dwelling time and rinsing in between and nothing shifted it - Warm water, ONR, bug spray, tar & glue remover, fallout remover, none of which touched it. Finally I had to resort to using my clay cloth and this eventually did the trick after a number of passes.


Tree sap of the type discussed will cover all your car, not just leave a spot.

Harry


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## Peteo48 (Jun 12, 2013)

westerman said:


> I was going to post this Youtube clip myself as I watched it the other day.
> 
> I get a honeydew type covering on mine, tiny specs of the sticky stuff which appears to come from a nearby Birch tree.
> 
> ...


I guess tree saps vary - some are more resiny than others but Jon makes the point that most are water soluble. I park under some trees about twice a week and I have noticed that if you get a massive downpour, the paint loses that horrible sandpapery feel and is almost smooth again.


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## Taxboy (Aug 23, 2006)

Peteo48 said:


> I guess tree saps vary - some are more resiny than others but Jon makes the point that most are water soluble. I park under some trees about twice a week and I have noticed that if you get a massive downpour, the paint loses that horrible sandpapery feel and is almost smooth again.


What most people describe as tree sap is not sap at all but rather aphid poo from the insects living on the tree, which is why it normally washes off. I have pine trees in the garden an pine resin is an altogether different story which definitely requires the use of a solvent to remove.... especially if it has baked on 

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk


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## westerman (Oct 12, 2008)

Taxboy said:


> What most people describe as tree sap is not sap at all but rather aphid poo from the insects living on the tree, which is why it normally washes off. I have pine trees in the garden an pine resin is an altogether different story which definitely requires the use of a solvent to remove.... especially if it has baked on
> 
> Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk


Yes you are spot on. Tree Sap is a term used loosely for the secretions of aphid/insects. A more accurate name would be 'honeydew'.

I imagine true tree sap oozes from the bark of trees and as such would appear as irregular blobs. It would also be true resin and difficult to remove.

I suppose there should be different threads for honeydew and resin as they are indeed very different curses affecting our car's finish.:devil:

Harry


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## neilmcl (Mar 26, 2010)

Well the thing on my car was a small yellow dot of something and whatever it is was a real bugger to break down and remove.


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## Peteo48 (Jun 12, 2013)

Aphid poo? If I hadn't been on this site I would never have discovered this.


Makes absolute sense now I think about it.


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## Bmpaul (Apr 12, 2010)

Same, I’d have never have known that- perfect sense! Also a big pain in the **** as my allocated parking spot is right next to trees along one side and the rear of the car, washing every day is not practical but the thing gets absolutely covered in a few hours and annoys the life out of me, would love something quick to just wipe over and remove rather than resorting to a full wash! (Perfect world and all that)


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