Best way to remove tar?

[MilTownSHO]

My mom drove over tar in the summer of 03 in the 98 and I cleaned it all off the body and anywhere really visible, the car was then stored last winter, so I didn't worry about getting under the ground effects, wheel wells, etc.

This winter it will once agian be out in the snow so I need to try to finish getting this old, now hardened tar off the pain the butt places to reach on the SHO.

What's works quickly and safely? (without damaging the paint of course)

I also think salt is gonna stick to the tar and cause rust faster, but now that I think about it, wouldn't the tar be harder than heck anyhow cause it's coldout? Maybe it will actually help prevent rust, like an undercoating does...

 

[rangerj]

Mineral spirits or keroseen(sp?) will remove the tar. Dampen a rag with the solvent and wipe a small area. It takes a little time to soften and disolve the tar so be patient. CAUTION - NO SMOKING. These solvents are flamable.

You can buy a "TAR AND BUG RENOVER" but it is basicaly either keroseen or mineral spirits, and more expensive. "Prep-sol" will also work, but it is also expensive. Do not use lacquer thinner, nor enamel reducer, they are too harsh and could affect the finish.

The areas that are nor readily visible, such as the rocker panels can be clear coated after they are clean with a clear coat that is intended to prevent paint chips. IIRC there is a product called "Chip Gaurd", but I think Dupli-Color and some other name brands of auto paints make similar products. This will seal the area and help to minimize the salt damage. Use alchol (drug store type - NOT DENATURED) to clean the residue left by the solvents before you apply paint (clear coat).

It's time for some elbow grease!
rangerj

 

[MilTownSHO]

The areas that are nor readily visible, such as the rocker panels can be clear coated after they are clean with a clear coat that is intended to prevent paint chips. IIRC there is a product called "Chip Gaurd", but I think Dupli-Color and some other name brands of auto paints make similar products. This will seal the area and help to minimize the salt damage. Use alchol (drug store type - NOT DENATURED) to clean the residue left by the solvents before you apply paint (clear coat).

It's time for some elbow grease!

The extreme elbow grease was the reason I asked for suggestions this time!

Are you saying clear coat over the tar? Or are you saying the stuff I use will affect the paint's clear coat and I need to reapply clear coat.

Will any damage be done from just leaving the tar in the non-visibile areas? I really don't know if the salt will stick to it seeing as the tar is old and it's gonna be cold out.

 

[HopefulSHO]

FWIW, I used gasoline to remove tar off of my old MTX. Didn't take the finish off, but it did strip any wax that was on there off. Color still looked the same. Slicer looked great afterwards. But I can't guarantee this approach. Still had to use alot of elbow grease too.

 

[Off Road SHO]

Try not to rub the tar away, it has abrasive dirt in it and will scratch your finish. Paint thinner or turpentine or mineral spirits all work great. Use a spray bottle or soft bristle brush and let the solvent do the work. As mentioned before, now would be a great time to stop smoking. After the solvent has disolved the tar, you then wash the area with a strong car wash soapy solution to remove the tar laden solvent.

Tom

 

[Hack]

Lacquer thinner is what professional detail shops use. It will remove wax also, so be sure to reapply it. Not nearly as harsh on your hands as gasoline, nor as smelly.

 

[rangerj]

After the tar is removed and the area cleaned of any residue, the "Chip resistant" clear can be applied to the underbody part of the rocker panel area for some added protection from stone chips and/or salt. The stuff stays softer than "normal" clear coats and resists chipping away.

The rest of the car can be protected with a coat of quality wax. I did not mean to imply that you should clear coat the rest of the car or even the lower half. I meant that the underside of the rocker panel, that get hit with stones thrown by the tires, should get the extra protection. Rust will start wherever the paint gets chipped away from the metal. Salt speeds up the corrosion process, so the suggestion was for you to get some added protection on this vulnerable area of the underbody. rangerj

 

[Gen2Gen3WhatNxt]

What's works quickly and safely? (without damaging the paint of course)

QUOTE]

Best way I could tell you to go, Go to your local Truck Wash Blue Becon , Eagle One , or local. Ask the guys there to try to "Flash" your problem areas with their acid, and soap. Ask to use a hand mit.

This is likely to work, I know i worked at a truck wash for 2 1/2 years.

Be ready to shell out about 10 bucks for the wash, and if you really want them to do make sure its perfect just give them a nice tip (go buy them a soda)

 

[DHMag]

Bug & Tar Remover is available from your favorite local auto parts store.

 

[sdpatt]

WD-40 does a pretty good job and does not damage paint. And some think of this stuff as a lubricant.

 

[WakaShoMan]

FWIW, I used gasoline to remove tar off of my old MTX. Didn't take the finish off, but it did strip any wax that was on there off. Color still looked the same. Slicer looked great afterwards. But I can't guarantee this approach. Still had to use alot of elbow grease too.

DO NOT EVER USE GASOLINE AS TAR REMOVER!!!

Back in 1977 I was working at the Thrify Rent-A-Car lot at the Pittsburgh Airport and we had a Chevy Caprice that came back with lots of road tar on it. My buddy was about to go out to get some tar remover, but our boss was adamant that he use GASOLINE instead of "wasting time" on a parts-store run.

My Buddy said "Boss, gasoline will dull the paint", but Big Bad Boss would not listen. So we did what he told us to do.

So we took gasoline and rags to that car and the paint job dulled. Big time. The boss then said "No biggie, just wax it". We waxed our butts off and the car was still dull. Shoot, a brand-spanking-new gold metallic Chevy Caprice with a completely flat paint job.

Maybe today's paint systems are different, but I would never want to run that experiment again on any car that I own. :****:

 

[Gen2Gen3WhatNxt]

What's works quickly and safely? (without damaging the paint of course)

QUOTE]

Best way I could tell you to go, Go to your local Truck Wash Blue Becon , Eagle One , or local. Ask the guys there to try to "Flash" your problem areas with their acid, and soap. Ask to use a hand mit.

This is likely to work, I know i worked at a truck wash for 2 1/2 years.

Be ready to shell out about 10 bucks for the wash, and if you really want them to do make sure its perfect just give them a nice tip (go buy them a soda)

BTW, this will not hurt your paint finish. It will take off the wax, but leave the finish untouched. If you have any polished aluminium, then it will eat the polish But SHOs dont have any so dont worry.

 

[HopefulSHO]

Yeah, I was a bit skeptical about the gasoline too. But I tried everything that Advance Auto and O'riley had to offer on my tar and they didnt' do ****.
'sides, them green SHO's are a dime a dozen; and the paintjob was **** anyway.

 

[shojuan]

How about trying some Goof Off? You can get it near the paint supplies at a hardware store or walmart.

 

[awb85]

ford makes a "tar and oil" remover. Works real well, also removes other misc. marks/residues that shouldn't be there. I don't know how much it costs, my dad got a bottle for free back when we bought our 92 sable. (they stuck the dealer logo thing on the car, which my dad asked them not to do. So the sales guy comes out with a bottle of this stuff, removes the lable and hands the bottle to my dad).

 

[MO-KAN SHO]

I used a bug/tar remover from an auto parts store, can't think of the brand name, but it worked great... not much elbow grease, and from what I could tell, it did nothing to the paint, etc. I'll get the brand name when I get home.

As for gasoline... I sure as **** wouldn't use it as I found out it sorta melts plastic when I tried to use it to remove paint from a plastic model part when I was a kid. The little dashboard of my '94 Mustang model was melted enough you coudn't really tell it was a dashboard anymore. Anything that melts plastic like that did ain't touchin' my car.

 

[Mels]

WD-40 does a pretty good job and does not damage paint. And some think of this stuff as a lubricant.

Scott hit it right on the head with the WD-40. Easy to spray onto your problem areas, relatively inexpensive and use isn't limited to only tar removal. For example, I've come to rely on WD to melt away the adhesive left behind when decals or stickers have been removed.

Given the length of time the tar has been on your car, you'll probably find that any product you end up using will require more than one application. With this in mind, the WD route may also be your more cost-effective alternative.

 

[shojuan]

Scott hit it right on the head with the WD-40. Easy to spray onto your problem areas, relatively inexpensive and use isn't limited to only tar removal. For example, I've come to rely on WD to melt away the adhesive left behind when decals or stickers have been removed.

Goof Off is perfect for that. The WD-40 is a good tip. It's something that we all have around anyways. Goof Off is going to be a much heavier duty product to use for real problem areas (or for folks that want to take the easier stuff off FAST). I don't think it will harm the finish either.

 

[SHOZ123]

The base of WD 40 is mineral spirits which is doing the work. A gallon of mineral spirits is under $2.00. On the polished SS tips a plastic scrub pad works great with the solvent.

Mineral spirits is a rather generic term for Naphtha. It is obtained from petroleum refineries as the portion of the distillate which is intermediate between the lighter gasoline and the heavier benzene.

 

[pjtoledo]

WD-40 does a pretty good job and does not damage paint. And some think of this stuff as a lubricant.

Well, maybe a temporary lubricant. I use it for drilling, taping holes, cutting, cleaning and other stuff. It does have wax dissloved in it. I bought a gallon of the stuff once, left it out in a cold garage and the wax formed a skim on the surface.
Back to the issues, it's great for removing tar and grease, just spray a few times to allow it to soften that nasty old tar.

Perry