Best method on pine sap and pitch?

[Sequoia]

I'm having a lot of customers visit and have the same complaint:

Vehicle hoods and decklids with lots of trouble from sap and pitch. It ranges from fresh to ..... etched.

What's the best options for working with this and restoring the paint as much as possible?

 

[jfmoran]

For pine sap the best method I have found is good old Isopropyl Alcohol (found at your local drug store). If the paint is etched, you will need to have a professional detailer determine whether it can be repaired or needs to be painted. Sap left on paint will eat right thru the clear coat, have seen it many times. If by pitch you mean tar? You will need a good solvent based tar remover that can be found at any auto parts store or your local detail or chemical distributor. Either of these chemicals will strip any wax or protectant off the vehicles surface so they will need to be polished and or waxed after removing the contaminants.

John

 

[Jeff_L]

Another option for tar is to find your local Avon dealer (yes, I said Avon). Purchase some Skin So Soft (SSS) from her. That breaks down tar as well, plus leaves your hands oh so soft!

 

[smokun]

Zap The Sap

A very cost-effective alternative for removing sap is denatured alcohol. It is equally effective and quite a bit less expensive than isopropyl alcohol and readily available at any hardware or paint store.

As for tar (pitch), another cost-effective chemical available at the same paint or hardware store is mineral spirits (also called stoddard solvent), which is a mild petroleum derivative.

All are highly flammable, so keep away from flame or cigarettes and use carefully in a ventilated area.