Etched-in SAP stains, how to remove?

[eblend]

So been busy work/life for a while and finally got a chance to look at my dad's new car up close, and noticed a bunch of sap stains in the white paint that I never noticed before. My dad doesn't care, but I would like to remove them if possible. I know these came straight from the dealer as I saw the car covered in tree shit the night before pickup as they had to bring it out of Edmonton. They cleaned it well before delivery, but I didn't pay close enough attention and only a few weeks later noticed these stains. Normally I wouldn't care, but I am about to put some clear ppf on a few small sections and these stairs will forever be trapped underneath. Can these be removed in any way? They appear to on top of the clear coat, but so far I have tried rubbing alcohol, wd40, brake cleaner, kerosene, pain thinner (for oil paints), laquer thinner, goo gone, as well as nail polish remover, and nothing works. Also tried a clay bar. I tried on a small stain on top of the roof in a hidden area.

Anyone have any ideas or recommendations? Thinking of dropping by a detailing shot tomorrow to see what they say.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Vmwrc2N/0/X3/i-Vmwrc2N-X3.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-8MdJq7J/0/X3/i-8MdJq7J-X3.jpg

[arcticcat522]

You have a lot of issues with paint. I imagine some sort of compound and a power polisher would make quick work of it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't think you need to pay anyone to try get rid of that for you.

Get yourself some plastic razor blades from Amazon, and try again with some goo-gone bug & sap remover or isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber or bug sponge. Break the top layer of the sap with the plastic razor blade before you hit it with a chemical. It'll probably take some elbow grease.

You may not even need the razor blades if it's just those streaks and not a bunch of built up sap.

Any residues left should go away with a clay bar or quick polish.

Then put an easy spray ceramic coating (or similar) on that roof - the sap will come off so easily next time.

Other things to try:

- Superclean (I love this stuff)
- full strength APC
- Stoner Tarminator

Don't leave anything on your paint for too long and give it a good clean when you're done before applying a protectant.

[ExtraSlow]

Magic eraser?

[chongkee_]

Magic eraser?

Keep in mind that it's abrasive and would definitely need to polish after.

eblend Before you try anything aggressive see if Automotive Goo Gone will do it.
Then try Iron X, try claying if it doesn't work.
If none of the above works then you would need to try polishing it as someone mentioned above.

IIRC from your previous post this would be a Mitsubishi.
They have soft paint so should require minimal effort to polish.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Magic eraser?

Only if you want to do a proper power polish after. I personally wouldn't touch my car with one.

[eblend]

Hey guys,

So I went to two detailing shops this morning, neither was able to get rid of the spots, it appears they made their way into the clear or all the day down to the paint. One place was able to polish it out 95% in the lighter spots, but said he doesn't want to go any further as it may burn the clear. They tried various chemicals, alcohols, compounds etc and nothing worked. Unfortunately the bigger spot on top of the roof was buffed but couldn't get it out any further, so it will forever remain there as it's getting covered by clear bra.

The last shop said they could try sanding and buffing, but I would have to leave the car with them for a few hours, and I didn't have the time to deal with that this morning. It's weird because you can feel the "bump" of the spot when you go over it, so it definately feels like there is a buld up on top of the clear, but nothing seems to take it down.

With that being said, think I'm just going to give up on it and move on. it's my dads car and while its unfortunate, my dad doesn't care and it will be lightly dirty most of the time anyways so that will cover things up. Most of this is on the roof and whatever was on the hood was buffed out, so good enough.

[killramos]

Fuck trees

[ExtraSlow]

Would anyone use a magic eraser on PPF if there was older staining from sap or whatever?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Would anyone use a magic eraser on PPF if there was older staining from sap or whatever?

Generally speaking, you don't want to use anything abrasive on PPF as you can make it cloudy/hazy or permanently damage it. There are some techniques to polish it but you have to be super careful and you would probably want a professional to do it. If the stain is right in the PPF, you might have to get it professionally polished or try the magic eraser but there is a chance it will look worse after.

For future sap issues, the best thing to do is just put a quick ceramic coating on the PPF and then any sap that gets on the car will come off so much easier.

How old is it? Most films have 7-10 year warranties against staining and discoloration.

[ExtraSlow]

Was put on at shadow tint in 2012, so whatever warranty thier stuff would have had back then.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Was put on at shadow tint in 2012, so whatever warranty thier stuff would have had back then.


Might be worth giving them a call, if it was a 10-year product you might be able to get it fixed for free.

[Ichigo]

If it's tree sap, you might want to buy a small jug of Methyl hydrate $10-$15, wet the rag with it and let is sit on top of the stain for 30 seconds to a minute and it should rub out with no effort at all. If you drop by a detailing place they should be able to do it right there on the spot.

Edit: Hell just pm me and I'll "borrow some from work" for you.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Tire cleaner? That is what I have heard.

[darthVWader]

X2 for methyl hydrate. works awesome on tree sap. Test an area first

[D'z Nutz]

Have you tried Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover?

https://www.amazon.ca/Turtle-Wax-T-520A-Remover-Trigger/dp/B0009JKGII

I've never had an issue getting rid of tree sap with it before. Even used it this weekend and it comes right off with a couple wipes.

[eblend]

Hi Everyone, thanks for all your suggestions. I have tried just about everything but eventually just gave up. It seems like it's etched right into the clear coat now, so nothing gets rid of it. I did take it to a detailing place just before getting PPF put on the hood and the guy was able to polish it out 99%, but still see a bit of a shadow. The hood was done and that was the most visible spot, and the other biggest spot is right on top of the roof by the windshield, unfortunately it's already covered with PPF. I had an appointment made for PPF before I knew of the issues and tried to address them before the appointment last minute, but aside from the polish early in the morning by Bow Detailing, nothing else helped. I haven't tried Methyl Hydrate, would be something I might want to try on all the other spots, but already spent a bunch of things that didn't work so feel like a waste to keep buying stuff to try for something so small. I had a member on here offer me to come over and he was going to try to polish this out, and I was ready to go, but my dad had a fall and I had to cancel to drive him to an x-ray, and now it's a pain in the butt to get the car back just to deal with these, so perhaps I just leave it. My parents don't notice these or car, so it just bothers me that a new car would be sold like that. In the future I will be super anal on the paint finish before I buy anything.

I read about the Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover and people said it didn't really work, plus I tried more extreme chemicals that normally melt away tar, and they had no affect on these spots at all.

Anyway, thanks everyone for suggestions. I think at this point I will just leave it at is.

[rlim891]

Guys, remember this!

The best and easiest way to remove tree sap (fresh or caked ones) is methyl hydrate. You can easily get them at Canadian Tire.

Simply dab it on a MF and wipe gently on the sap and wow its gone!

And yes, perfectly safe on paint (as long as you don't pour it on to your paint and let it dry) . I have used this method many many many many many times.

✌️