Best tar and sap remover?

I've had good success with Stoner's Tarminator.

Tarminator

It works well and is paint friendly.

It also removes adhesives so be careful on wheels that have adhesive attached wheel weights.
 
Trix works great but only on paint but it's a little pricey. I would get a bug bar. It's a stiff yellow open cell brick. They call it bug brick too. You can use it with straight car wash shampoo or QD. It will not scratch your paint
 
daves120 said:
Wd40
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It will work, but you should not use this. WD40 contains more than the solvent because it is intended to provide persistent lubrication. It does this with non-volatile oils. If you spray WD40 onto your paint, those oils will stick and will not evaporate. This layer will also be water repellent so it is troublesome to remove properly. If you were to try applying a nano sealant over the top, it would be seriously compromised.

Other things which people will recommend would be simple kerosene, diesel or gasoline. All these things should be avoided. Again, they will work but again, they will have additives which help an engine run but which will leave residues. More than that, these are less processed than the solvents we use in dedicated products. This means that they will have more in the way of higher aromatics or similar and these things will break down the paint system with repeated application. More again, these unprocessed products are typically much much more hazardous for the users health, not least because they are extremely flammable.

As I have been arguing elsewhere, it never fails to amaze me what can pass as acceptable in detailing circles. A relatively innocuous solvent like IPA is treated like a big bad wolf whilst seriously aggressive things like gasoline will be thrown all over a vehicle without second thought.
 
PiPUK said:
It will work, but you should not use this. WD40 contains more than the solvent because it is intended to provide persistent lubrication. It does this with non-volatile oils. If you spray WD40 onto your paint, those oils will stick and will not evaporate. This layer will also be water repellent so it is troublesome to remove properly. If you were to try applying a nano sealant over the top, it would be seriously compromised.

Other things which people will recommend would be simple kerosene, diesel or gasoline. All these things should be avoided. Again, they will work but again, they will have additives which help an engine run but which will leave residues. More than that, these are less processed than the solvents we use in dedicated products. This means that they will have more in the way of higher aromatics or similar and these things will break down the paint system with repeated application. More again, these unprocessed products are typically much much more hazardous for the users health, not least because they are extremely flammable.

As I have been arguing elsewhere, it never fails to amaze me what can pass as acceptable in detailing circles. A relatively innocuous solvent like IPA is treated like a big bad wolf whilst seriously aggressive things like gasoline will be thrown all over a vehicle without second thought.
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The primary ingredient in WD40 is fish oil, no harm will come to the clear coat using it for removal of tar or the likes of that. That said anyone that is removing these derbies is going to wash the car after this process.

Where I don't disagree with you on gas and other aggressive products of it's nature. The processes is detailing is to start with the least aggressive and increase until you start to get the results.

I've read your post twice and for some reason, why am I missing the product you are suggesting?

Thanks;)
 
PT Barnham said, " Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." That said, when I suggested K1 kerosene, I assumed (yeah I know) that most folks would have sense enough to know that you follow up with a good strong wash to get the kerosene off. This may seem silly that you have to do 2 steps to get tar off, but I'd rather do 2 quick steps that one long tedius one. I'll bet all the other fancy, pricy tar removers have directions to wash afterwards too.
 
Beemerboy said:
The primary ingredient in WD40 is fish oil, no harm will come to the clear coat using it for removal of tar or the likes of that. That said anyone that is removing these derbies is going to wash the car after this process.

Where I don't disagree with you on gas and other aggressive products of it's nature. The processes is detailing is to start with the least aggressive and increase until you start to get the results.

I've read your post twice and for some reason, why am I missing the product you are suggesting?

Thanks;)
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I am not suggesting a product, I am advising of some of the potential risks, with the benefit of expertise in this area. If you wish a suggestion, I would suggest you use a product designed for the purpose in question - DIY solutions are generally best avoided without expertise.

I believe you may be mistaken with regards to the content of WD40. In any case, it is not the carrier oil which worries me, it is the additions which are non-volatile and 'sticky'. The danger is not so much damage to the clear, it is the potential that you simple cannot effectively remove these persistent additives with a quick wipe.

Lou Bunn said:
PT Barnham said, " Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." That said, when I suggested K1 kerosene, I assumed (yeah I know) that most folks would have sense enough to know that you follow up with a good strong wash to get the kerosene off. This may seem silly that you have to do 2 steps to get tar off, but I'd rather do 2 quick steps that one long tedius one. I'll bet all the other fancy, pricy tar removers have directions to wash afterwards too.
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You misunderstood in the opposite sense to the above. I realise a rinse is always necessary. The risk with some of the more raw solvent 'blend' (e.g. kerosene) is not the residue, it is the fact that they are not free from nastier hydrocarbons. The smell that you get from kerosene is not the basic kerosene solvent you actually want, it is the smell of higher aromatic contaminants. For starters, you don't actually know what they are. Take something like toluene, one such aromatic. This is a common component in paint thinners and paint strippers. Each to their own but it seems like an un-necessary risk to potentially be applying it to my pride and joy.

Dedicated products will simply not use these raw grades. From a safety perspective, it is unthinkable really. We will use much more tightly specified fractions of the base solvent and we will ensure that those nasty aromatics are not present. I do appreciate that some kero you buy will be the de-aromatised version but this is important, base kerosene (which is normally a bit yellow, not water white) should be avoided. I suspect it is asking a lot for a normal user to accurately identify if they are using the right form so I would suggest it better that users do not risk it.
 
I've tried everything and the best (and safest) is Tar X, the reaction time is almost immediate on small spots. I use to use Tarminator but the aerosol spray can tend to wander all over the adjacent surfaces. I just wish the Tar X was available in a larger size like Iron X, at least I haven't been able to find it. I've also used it to remove rubber from a GT-R that was tracked at Lime Rock. Also, it removed Krylon overspray from a home project I was working on.
 
honda2112 said:
I've tried everything and the best (and safest) is Tar X, the reaction time is almost immediate on small spots. I use to use Tarminator but the aerosol spray can tend to wander all over the adjacent surfaces. I just wish the Tar X was available in a larger size like Iron X, at least I haven't been able to find it. I've also used it to remove rubber from a GT-R that was tracked at Lime Rock. Also, it removed Krylon overspray from a home project I was working on.
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You can get a 5L jug (1.3 gallon) of TarX from CarPro-US.


 
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