how the h do you get this stuff off painted surfaces without damaging the paint? It's all over my husband's car....
Any help is appreciated...thanks in advance.

 

It washes right off my car with normal carwash liquid.

 

OH, sap is the WORST ... get it off ASAP. If you don't, it becomes amber (well after a few years) and it will never come off.

Try some very hot water (not boiling) to soften it up, scrub it bit ...its going to smudge. Then try again with some soapy hot water. Chemicals stuff just seemed to make it worse. It takes a lot of work

Good Luck and don't let it sit too long!

 

have you tried wiping them down w/ a detailing spray?

 

Asked my friendly local high-dollar car wash about that and the guy there told me they use a bit of WD40 on a rag. Not good for the wax, but it apparently takes the sap off most ricky-tick.

 

Katie, try spritzing it with a very diluted solution of Simple Green, (if the WD40 suggestion doesn't work). Let that sit a few minutes, then wash the car with car wash soap. You'll probably need to re-wax/re-polish it, afterward. Good luck with it!

 

WD-40 has worked great at taking off cone marks. Doesn't damage the paint at all. So it's worth a try to use on sap. Good luck! (and don't your husband drive your car anymore unless he's going to learn to treat it better!)

 

it's his car....mine is safe in the garage...
Thanks for the tips, folks.

 

Yep WD-40 is the answer. I have used it for years for getting sap off of just about anything with no problems.......lol

 

regular rubbing alcohol will remove it like it was never there as long as it hasnt set too long. It will also break down the sap after it has hardened and turned yellow. I have removed pine sap soooooooooo many times with rubbing alcohol.

Try it it will work! Then wax the areas you used the alcohol, and be sure to use a clean soft cloth and be sure the surface is clean aside from the sap to avoid possible scratches from wiping the car.

Good luck.

 

from the drug store. Goo Gone, the orange oil cleaner, also works. I have been parking under a "gosh-darned" Monterey Pine that's over a hundred years old and has been dripping sap on my driveway for over 10 years. I keep hoping the city will take it down one day, but it's considered a historic tree and is protected. Not only is it dripping sap on my cars, it's roots are breaking up the sidewalk in front of my house as well as my driveway. It's gonna cost big bux to fix all that stuff.

 

Great tips all!!! I was accosted by a tree a few years back and have always treated them with suspicion ever since. Same with fireworks displays.

(you have been warned)

 

Any good bug and tar remover will remove sap - just make sure that you rewax the affected area.

 

It's the one product that I keep around for nostalgia (my Grandfather swore by the stuff)... Bug and Tar Remover from Turtle Wax.

This stuff, like almost every suggestion above, will strip any wax away from the finish in an instant, so you will need a fresh coat of wax after the sap removal (which will also make future sap removal easier w/ a weekly wash and a good auto detergent).

I would advise against the Simple Green... It has been shown to damage wheel clear-coat finishes. I'd assume that it would do the same to paintwork.

 

For those of you who said wd-40 ... which I didn't know would do the trick ...

My wife just came in and complained her hands were full of pine sap!!! We had cut down a pine and she was planting around the stump. I said Whoa, "try wd40"!!!

It worked great!

THANKS!