So how bad is tree sap for paint?

S

Skyhawk

New member
Well how bad is it? I never use to have to deal with this problem back home, but the parking lot i park in here on campus is surrounded by trees and i walked out to my car today and had little droplets of tree sap all over my car. :(



Does it strip Zaino?
 
It will eat through the paint if left on long enough. I had a car with damage from the previous owner. Zaino should protect well, and washing regularly should take the Sap off (esp. with Zaino) Try not to let it sit too long. Small spots can be cleaned with a QD or Bug n Tar remover. As long as it is not baking in the sun (Fall is nearly here) and you wash once a week I think you'll be ok.
 
my parents last car had tree sap on it everywhere. eventually, it damaged to clearcoat so bad that we coudl see holes right through it. that stuff is vicious.
 
I just posted a thread on tree sap on my wife's year old white Tacoma. The d--n stuff actually disolved a spot of paint. I removed it within six hours of it getting on the surface. It was still sticky when I touched it before attempting to remove it. She had not even parked under a tree. The d--n stuff must have gotten on it while she was driving.



On the other hand, last weekend I removed baked on tree sap from my daughter's 2002 silver Tacoma. I had to use a solvent, clay and my thumbnail to get it off. After I removed it I used ScratchX followed by a good application of ColorX. There was absolutely no visible damage.



I talked to a pro detailer who is a friend of mine. He said that the amount of damage depends a lot on the type of tree and the time of year. Both clear coats and single stage paints can be damaged. By the way, in his shop they use denatured alcohol to get the stuff off.



Tom :cool:
 
Sometimes tree sap is mistaked for honeydew. Honeydew is caused by insects called aphids.

When aphids excrete a sugary/sticky waste this is called honeydew. Honeydew or tree sap get it off asap.



If you do a google search on aphids you'll see a ton of info.
 
Will depend on the trees. I have removed some that is years old with no damage and some still tacky the left some damage.
 
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