GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Went out to my Vibe at lunch from work and found half of it covered with sticky sap.......the day after I picked it up from the bodyshop after $2000 worth of repairs. One guy at work reccommended gas line antifreeze would remove it but would also remove all the paintseal the bodyshop just applied and I would have to re wax the whole car. Does anyone know of a good way to remove treesap before it kills the already delicate paint on my Vibe.thanks

Thanks for your advice..I went to go to Canadian Tire to see what they had for tree sap remover but on the way I stopped at a self serve car wash just for kicks. To my amazement it washed right off with just the water spray and some soap, no brushes! I don't know whether the temperature was right for it not to stick or whether my paint sealant (teflon based) saved it, but I do know it made me smile...... I will no longer park on the street across from work, back to the assigned lot and the 5 minute walk, not so bad now that it is not -20C...

Most bug and tar removers will take that stuff right off without harming the finish.But always make sure that you're keeping a good wax coat on - will help keep it from sticking and let's it wash away easier.

Raging has it exactly right. But after using any kind of bug and tar remover the car still has to be washed and re-waxed. Most of them contain solvents that will strip off the wax. Keeping a good coat of wax on the car does wonders in helping to prevent things from sticking to it. Since your finish was recently sealed, it kept the sap from sticking.I've also heard of an old trick to coat the front end of the car with WD-40 before going on a long highway trip to keep bugs from sticking to the car.

Great info, silver! I tried half a dozen products (including tar remover) the first time I ran into this problem, and gas line antifreeze was the only thing that worked! Glad to hear it isn't an instant paint killer, but I'll try the clay bar thing this year. (There a big city-owned birch that gums up two of our cars every year. The only good news is the sap is transparent, so the cars don't look too bad if you don't get too close...)

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »The thread needs to be made sticky I think... I just found the information, thats all to help out anyone.Excellent suggestion---Done!

I question the nail polish remover statement (To remove the tree sap from your vehicle's surface, you can use finger nail polish remover on a cotton ball. After the sap is removed, make a paste of water and baking soda to wash the affected area, then apply wax.) and would suggest that it probably isn't the best thing to be using on your car.I am a chemist and we use acetone to remove pretty much everything from everything. If you are using acetone based nail polish remover, I would tread very, very lightly. One of the products I have analyzed in my job is the paint GM uses on the Envoy. Acetone stripped it off of the surface VERY nicely.Just be careful.

THE CLAY BAR!!!! get it, it works wonders, rail dust just disappears, sap same results!!! then use a good wax

I agree, use the claybar.. or even a bit of Simple Green on the glass (not the body) will help as well.

go with the clay,and DON'T use your fingernailsto scratch it off,it leaves little scratches in the paint you have to buff out

Quote, originally posted by champcaracing »THE CLAY BAR!!!! get it, it works wonders, rail dust just disappears, sap same results!!! then use a good wax So you just use the claybar without any type of solvent?

Goo Gone?

Quote, originally posted by ebslopp »So you just use the claybar without any type of solvent? No, never use the clay bar on the surface of the car without first spraying it with the lube. The lube that comes with the clay bars is just a spray quick detailer product. Those are available in many parts/automotive stores and even probably in WalMart.

Another simple thing that really works great on tree sap is Denatured Alcohol applied with a cotton swab and then as with the other remedies reapply wax or paint sealer. Works on all tree sap, soft or the hard kind which was left too long. Keep the swab moist and don't try to rub it dry as it will leave scratches from the dry swab. Let it dry by evaporation and then apply the wax or whatever you use.

I parked once under a tree at work and got sap all over the car that was the last time I parked under a tree.

Never got tree sap on my car, but I got it in my hair just a few days ago. Took forever to get out

Best way to remove treesap - use tar remover - it wont harm your paint.

remove tree's[IMG][/IMG]that was 1 of them 6ft balled christmass tree's when i planted it,unfortunately i planted it in the wrong spot dropped another while i was at it[IMG][/IMG]click on thumbnail's,u can see the sap build up on the car port,the sap would b a real mess at times, i would use wd-40 to remove the sap from the cars

Quote, originally posted by Vibe Rater »Goo Gone?I tried Goo gone, and wasn't thrilled with the results. Although I may have used to much or left it sit too long. My result was a slight fade in the paint. Very hard to notice, but still there.Tar remover works to, but I found I really had to work it, and didn't work on the dried up drops.Tree sap on the windshield is fine though, with any product. I actually use a white eraser on the dried up ones (again..windshield; not the body)