cleaning tar off my car!

[russellwatson17]

Hi there,

I don't know if its common practise in all areas, but my local council seem to like pouring tar on the road then emptying lorry loads of fine gravel onto it as a new surface which generally results in 20 stone chips, a cracked windscreen and some tar on the cars of the people who use the road.

So basically, chips and cracks aside, i've got tar on the side skirts of my shiny new white Abarth 500. Does anyone know a safe way of getting this off without damaging the paint? I tried some polish and good old elbow grease on one of the smaller areas but it left a small mark!

I though about a steam cleaner but decided against it as im unsure if this would damage the paint!

Does anyone have any advice?

P.S. im possibly over reacting, reading the above you'd think my car was now black with tar. There are a few lines about 3-4cm long and 1-2mm wide and lots of little speckles but its enought to get on my nerves!!

[budgie smuggler]

I've seen stuff in Halfords for this, but not used it:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

A quick search on DW reveals various overpriced stuff, such as http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...

Edited by budgie smuggler on Monday 11th July 12:11

[Jonnas]

Autosmart Tardis works a treat.....

[muppets_mate]

budgie smuggler said:

I've seen stuff in Halfords for this, but not used it:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

I've used Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover and been really pleased. Apply liberally, wait a couple of minutes and you can see it disolve the tar, maybe give it a light wipe if necessary, then rinse off. Recommended.

Job jobbed

[russellwatson17]

Thanks for the help, much appreciated!!

[tozerman]

Don't pay over the odds for fancy cleaning stuff, just use WD40 work brilliantly and most people have some lying aroung somewhere.

cheers.....Tony..

[skodamanpat]

Megs body solvent.

Whatever you use make sure you rinse and wash the car after and follow with a good polish, seal, and wax as the tar remover will strip any protection you already have on the car.

[HovisT2]

After getting covered in tar from the beach after the Torri canyon sank, my Mum plastered me with butter!
After a few mins, the tar fell off. Cheaper than the rest! LOL

[davepoth]

Any oily solvent should do the job. Petrol does it great (don't spill it on the driveway!) but will ruin the paint.

[Zippee]

tozerman said:

Don't pay over the odds for fancy cleaning stuff, just use WD40 work brilliantly and most people have some lying aroung somewhere.

cheers.....Tony..

I was about to post exactly this. Great for tar spots on both bodywork and alloys.

[Marvindodgers]

Zippee said:

I was about to post exactly this. Great for tar spots on both bodywork and alloys.

Make sure you wash the WD40 residue off afterwards though as it stays slightly sticky if left on the car and attracts more dirt and grime to it.

[mikey k]

Had this REALLY bad on my 330d a while back.
I use this every time now;
Wash & rinse
White spirit on microfibre cloth
Hold it over spot/s for a bit to soften it then wipe off gently
Wash & rinse again
Coat of polish to seal it back up

[JFReturns]

Wow, a massive amount of misinformation, including some guidance that will damage your paintwork. Ignore it.

- Buy some decent clay
- Wash the car thoroughly, then use the clay with plenty of lubrication (follow the instructions)
- Note that a mild clay will remove tar spots, but it might take plenty of passes (20+)
- Wash the car again, rinse thoroughly
- Dry
- Use a polish to remove a fine layer of clearcoat / paint and bring the finish out
- Seal the car (sealant, wax or preferably both)

The advantage of clay over AG Tar Spot remover and it's ilk is that the clay will remove the tar spots AND deep clean the paint work of contaminants all over rather than specific areas. The intensive tar spot stuff is still useful, but mainly for seriously stubborn areas.

[mikey k]

I used to use clay on small spots on my cars but found it just smeared it before it actually removed it
I've used the above technique on 4 S2000's, a 330D and an Aston Martin Vantage with no issue!

[papple]

WD40 is the one. I have always used it for tar spots. It does NOT damage paintwork

[JFReturns]

mikey k said:

I used to use clay on small spots on my cars but found it just smeared it before it actually removed it
I've used the above technique on 4 S2000's, a 330D and an Aston Martin Vantage with no issue!

I love your car Mikey, and with respect; white spirit is far too harsh to use. And polish does not seal the paintwork - sealant and wax does.

IMO it is far better to use tried and tested products that are designed for the purpose of cleaning car paintwork, rather than driving out water, lubricating and cleaning paint brushes!

[Kiltox]

WD40 is great for removing tar.

I also find it hard to believe petrol will cause much damage - the paint around the filler cap in every car in the world would be stripped off if it did. When I spilt loads of petrol down the side of my snotter thanks to a faulty fuel pump / tard of an operator, it took the tar off nicely