My daughters 10 year old white car has some seriously old tree sap on the roof. It is now black and appears to be embedded in the paint, have moved some with white spirit/strong cleaner/T-Cut but most of it is being very awkward.
Any suggestions?
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This is going to sound very odd, and I haven't tried it, and I don't know what will happen to your paintwork, but here goes...
Tree sap is an aqueous solution of sugars and proteins, largely. Sugars are readily soluble in water and so rain should have removed most of these, so what you may be left with are protein remnants that have become attached to the bodywork (like animal glues, which are basically proteins). You could try two things. Proteins are usually unravelled by temperatures, so you could try very hot water, even boiling if you dare, and see if that shifts it. The weirder alternative is to try the juice of a fresh pineapple, which has powerful protein-destroying enzymes in it (that's why it makes meat tender). I suppose a biological washing powder might also be worth a try.
I haven't tried any of these and they may well damage paintwork - you have been warned!
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I have heard that the company that makes "Locktite" produces a range of suitable solvents for shifting tree-sap and other such resinous products (sorry, but I cannot remember the trade name at the moment)
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Not used it myself but others recommend Meguiars Clay Bar. Might be worth a try. www.meguiars.co.uk/
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In fact its full name is Quik Clay Detailing System and it specifically says it will remove tree sap.
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A Google search took me to a site where contributers mentioned
1. WD40
2. Turpentine
3. Fairy liquid
There was also mention of the quick clay stuff
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The tree sap you get on the car is actually nearly all made up of aphid carp and can be quite acidic.
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"vintage tree sap" is a crossword clue for "amber"
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Should be valuable then!!
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I use a clay bar and it will indeed remove the stains.
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