Didn't Wash My Car For A while..Now It's Baaaaaad...HELP..!!

[solaris=amazing]

Man does this suck.. I usually wash my car once a week by hand, with a towel/sponge and bucket of car soap along with a hose. For the past like 3 weeks i've been just hosing the car off, and not using soap..just water.

NOW, after a week of BAD RAIN on Long Island, i said to myself let me clean this car good. I go to clean it, and i notice ALOT of tree sap stains/bug stains/bird sh*t has gone under the clear coat-so it looks like it. Mainly the tree sap, i tried to scrape it out with my thumbnail while it was soaped up...it looks as if the sap stained the clear coat....?

Keep in mind i didn't use any tough grime soap like Palmolive (dish soap), just car soap. What would be the best thing to get the cars looking nice again, just a month ago it was prestine...now i got all these little spots all over.

I'm gonna try using dish-detergent soap tomorrow, so it will take off ALL wax on the car (i waxed it 2 months ago) then re-wax...do you think that's good..?

[ec437]

Eh. I park under a big tree all the time. My car looks fine when I wash it. Of course I hate washing cars so I never clean it either.

[Marc-OS]

use HOT water and wash with normal car soap. for the bigger sap spots, you can hit it with WD-40, and then re-wash and wax it.

[Heep]

I'm no expert at car washing (mine is horrible, haha), but perhaps some rubbing compound and then wax would do the trick?

[blindside.AMG]

http://www.bmwworld.com/repairs/detailing/tree_sap.htm

^^^
That'll do it.

[andy2005]

I had a bunch of tree sap and tar on the hood of my truck once. I bought a can a Turtle Wax foaming tree sap, bug and tar remover at Autozone for a couple bucks. Worked pretty good.

[MBTN]

NEVER use dish soap. It takes the wax and then clear coat off. VERY bad to use on a car, although it does smell nice

[v10_viper]

Originally Posted by MBTN

NEVER use dish soap. It takes the wax and then clear coat off. VERY bad to use on a car, although it does smell nice

Yeah I was gonna say your an idiot to use dish soap, always use an automotive soap. You could possibly use some of that de-greaser stuff sold in stores like Wal Mart, I was told that shit takes grease right off of engine parts and such, like valve covers, but that might not be a great idea either, you might just want to take it to an actual car wash and use the high pressure to take it off.

[solaris=amazing]

Thanks guys, yeah tomorrow i'm gonna re-wash it and maybe use that bug and tar remover...then re-wax.

BTW, using dish soap (palmolive) strips any old wax left behind, and it gives the new wax a better base to adhere to-this is the best thing to do on re-waxes. Instead of just waxing over old wax, you MUST remove it all with a strong soap. AND it will not eat the clear coat, if anything Rain will...cause it has harmful acids in it which attack clear coat/metals.

[Rally Sport]

I have used dishwashing soap before and it hasnt done any harm, if anything it made the wax that I put on afterwards stay on longer.

[drewh4386]

sap has frustrated me to the point to where I have a scratch on my trunk from where i lost my cool trying to remove it. fucking trees. I bet they laugh too.

[-Davo]

I haven't washed my car in over 3 months... I have bug guts all over the front... hmm...

[SiGNAL748]

Oh yeah ok, don't use dish soap. Mainly because thats what professionals use to strip off the old shit to apply a fresh coat of wax.

[Zachp911]

Originally Posted by solaris=amazing

NOW, after a week of BAD RAIN on Long Island, i said to myself let me clean this car good. I go to clean it, and i notice ALOT of tree sap stains/bug stains/bird sh*t has gone under the clear coat-so it looks like it. Mainly the tree sap, i tried to scrape it out with my thumbnail while it was soaped up...it looks as if the sap stained the clear coat....?

I had the same problem from that rain storm, I just washed my car sunday and found all tree sap and shit all over. I used a little WD40 and it came right off.

btw I live on Long Island too, where are you located?

[AlmostStock]

I've had good results using the detailing clay bars available from Mequires, Mothers and other companies on tree sap. It comes with a cleaner/lubricant that must be used with it. It leaves the surface very smooth and ready for wax.