Washing Your Own Car Like a Professional

Road Paint And Sap - Two Nearly Impossible Substances To Get Off Your Car Safely

17 October 2018 by Tina Hill

There are two substances that can cause real problems with the finish of your car – tree sap and road paint. Fortunately, you can remove both of these substances from your car safely using the same techniques. Here, you'll learn what those techniques are.

Wash the Entire Car

The car needs to be washed from front to back. As you wash the car, use a grease pen to mark any faint spots that you might not be able to see again once the car has dried. Let the car dry and then move on to the next step.

Treat the Spots

The first product to use to attempt to remove the road paint and sap is Vaseline. Move the car to a shaded area and smear a thin coat of Vaseline over each spot. Let the Vaseline sit for a few hours and return with a playing card. Use the playing card to peel the sap or paint off of the car. The Vaseline should have softened the substance – if not, leave it sit a while longer and try again later.

Another product that can effectively remove road paint and sap is WD-40. You simply spray the WD-40 over each spot and let it sit for an hour or two. It works just like the Vaseline and will eventually soften the sap or paint to make it possible to peel it right off without disrupting the clear coat underneath.

Now, if neither of these processes have worked to soften the paint, go back to the Vaseline and get some plastic wrap. Make sure the car is parked out of the sun and coat the spots with Vaseline again. Now, cover them with plastic wrap. This will trap the moisture of the Vaseline in and force it to work on the paint and sap.

It can take several applications if the paint or sap has been baking onto your car for a while, but eventually it will come off.

After you've removed all of the sap and paint, you'll need to give your car a good cleaning and a fresh wax job. The wax will help to create a seal and make the spots that you've just worked to remove less visible. If you didn't wax, those spots may be easily seen whenever the car is wet, as the cleaning process will have likely removed the wax.

If you don't have the time, desire or ability to get this done on your own, take your car to professional car wash services and have it done for you.

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