# Removing tar from plastic trim



## Chris.91 (Jan 22, 2018)

My Civic has these grey plastic guards on the wheel arches which I believe were an extra when bought.

I was de-tarring the arches and sideskirts with Gtechniq W7 tar and glue remover a couple of weeks ago, spraying on then jet washing off. The product worked well but didn't get all of the tar off, so I'll look at using Tardis in future.

I stupidly got overspray onto these grey plastic guards and it seems to have stained them. Any idea what I can use to get it off? The bottle says use car shampoo but I think that's while it's still wet.

One more thing, I have some Gtechniq C4 trim restorer, is it okay to use on these as they are grey not black? Once I've got the tar off...

Cheers.


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

*Car pro pearl*

Car pro pearl neat should bring them back, if I were you I would remove them as they will collect dirt and water behind them that will damage your paint and cause rust issues


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## Chris.91 (Jan 22, 2018)

Rian said:


> Car pro pearl neat should bring them back, if I were you I would remove them as they will collect dirt and water behind them that will damage your paint and cause rust issues


Yeah, I was thinking that. It's a 10 year old car so I'll be expecting the worst. The previous owner also had door guards on which had scratched underneath. These guards do more harm than good!


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

Chris.91 said:


> Yeah, I was thinking that. It's a 10 year old car so I'll be expecting the worst. The previous owner also had door guards on which had scratched underneath. These guards do more harm than good!


Fingers crossed its just some scratches that can be polished out, ill keep my fingers crossed for ya if you decide to remove them.

Yea 100% they do more harm than good,


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Neighbour used AG Intensive Tar remover on his Mini and it removed the tar very easily from the plastic wheel arches etc with no issues at all


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

Andyblue said:


> Neighbour used AG Intensive Tar remover on his Mini and it removed the tar very easily from the plastic wheel arches etc with no issues at all


Any info for the OP though ?


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## SunnyBoi (Apr 25, 2013)

use WD40, it wont affect the plastics yet remove all the tar.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Rian said:


> Any info for the OP though ?




I was giving advice on another option (other than Tardis) to remove Tar from plastic trim - as per his title "Removing tar from plastic trim" and he advised the G7 hadn't removed it all and the photo appears to show tar...

Have I missed something ?


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

Andyblue said:


> I was giving advice on another option (other than Tardis) to remove Tar from plastic trim - as per his title "Removing tar from plastic trim" and he advised the G7 hadn't removed it all and the photo appears to show tar...
> 
> Have I missed something ?


AG intesive tar remover contains 70-90 % Naphtha were W7 only contains 50-70% Naphtha so the AG intesive tar remover is more likely to damage the plastics, on the plus side it will dissolve tar quicker

From is post he has already used the tar remover so needs a trim restorer or something similar not more tar remover,

and remember not all plastics are the same so the MINI plastics may be a different composition and have different dyes etc so just because it was okay on a MINI it may not work of this type of plastic


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## BaileyA3 (Jun 14, 2015)

Rian said:


> AG intesive tar remover contains 70-90 % Naphtha were W7 only contains 50-70% Naphtha so the AG intesive tar remover is more likely to damage the plastics, on the plus side it will dissolve tar quicker
> 
> From is post he has already used the tar remover so needs a trim restorer or something similar not more tar remover,
> 
> and remember not all plastics are the same so the MINI plastics may be a different composition and have different dyes etc so just because it was okay on a MINI it may not work of this type of plastic


I would say looking at the picture posted and the fact the op said not all the tar was removed he clearly needs more tar remover. Good shout on the different composition's and dyes of different plastics, something I had never really considered, goes to show a test spot is always a good idea.

To the op, I have tried a fair few different trim dressings/restorers and can recommend infinity wax rubber and plastic wax. I find most liquid dressings can be quite messy, not very durable and to leave streaks down the paintwork after rain but don't have any of these problems with rubber and plastic wax and it leaves a nice uniform finish.


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## benjcarter (Nov 24, 2017)

More Tar remover needed. Just don't leave it on the panel too long or you'll soften your clear coat. 

I've found the most effective to be Auto allure Tar remover and AG Tar remover. They are both strong but I think Auto Allure has the edge. It smells of turps (it's not masked with a pleasant scent), so only a quick spray, 10 secs to dwell, wipe and rinse well. I imagine it will deal with overspray with ease. I used it to rid motorcycle fairings of loads of tar - it cut through it immediately. There's a balance of course, it is strong but then it's very effective.

You could try something more gentle like CarPro TarX but to I haven't found it effective at all for removing Tar. Might be your best option however if you're not overly confident. 

Gtechniq trim restorer will probably work on the guards - I haven't come across much it wouldn't improve. At the very least it will darken and offer some protection. Obviously they need to be super clean first though. You could then layer it until you're happy with the finish. :thumb:


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