Tar removal

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 12:07am #1

Hi I bought a can of holtz tar and spot remover to romove all the tar off my Renault Trafic van. It did a very good job.

One problem I have now is that over spray got onto the plastic handles etc. And they are not as black now. In fact there kinda white and black now.

I rubbed it off right away but it has still affected the plastic.

Is there any way to restore them to the previous black??

Thanks in advance

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 1:03pm

Anyone any ideas?

irish gent · 19-08-2014 1:05pm

You can get a small bit of black matt paint put some on a cloth a give it a quick wipe over.

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 1:11pm

irish gent wrote: »

You can get a small bit of black matt paint put some on a cloth a give it a quick wipe over.

Does that last and does it need to be a certain type of paint?

irish gent · 19-08-2014 1:23pm

did you try son of a gun its a polish for plastics .Well I used the paint because over over spray on the plastic, because When we would use The Thinners to remove the over spray it would leave a white layer on the plastic.Thats why we used the black paint ..

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 1:34pm

No I haven't tried sun of a gun. I have some at home. I'll give that a go and see what the results are. I was hoping for something that will last a week or two at a time. A few weeks would be even better

MetzgerMeister · 19-08-2014 3:25pm

Don't use matt paint on a cloth, it'll only make it worse. the tar remover has silicone in it (greasy) which will act as a barrier against the paint bonding to the handle.

What you should do it get alcohol wipes or isopropyl alcohol and clean the handle as much as you can. This will remove the tar remover.

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 3:31pm

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Don't use matt paint on a cloth, it'll only make it worse. the tar remover has silicone in it (greasy) which will act as a barrier against the paint bonding to the handle.

What you should do it get alcohol wipes or isopropyl alcohol and clean the handle as much as you can. This will remove the tar remover.

Ya all actually I ran out of doing the back doors and had to buy another can of it. When I wiped it off and then rinsed the treated area like the previous can it left an awful looking mess on my door, bonnet and bumper. I thought it ruined the pair until I spent over an hour wiping it off with clean kitchen roll.

That must be the oil you are referring to so that is on the handles etc.?

MetzgerMeister · 19-08-2014 3:56pm

Yep, that's it exactly! You should be able to wash it off in a few minutes rather than the way you did it though!

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 4:07pm

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Yep, that's it exactly! You should be able to wash it off in a few minutes rather than the way you did it though!

Ya that worked with the first can. Sprayed it on, left it three mins, wiped all the tar and spray off, wiped the area with a wet rag then dried it with a dry rag but that didn't work out with the second can. It left an awful mess on the door and bumper and took ages to get it off with clean kitchen roll.

Are those wipes expensive? Would I buy them in an autoparts shop?

MetzgerMeister · 19-08-2014 4:11pm

No, you'd get them in a pharmacy.

You could also get pre-paint in an auto factors. It preps areas that are going to be painted.

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 4:23pm

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

No, you'd get them in a pharmacy.

You could also get pre-paint in an auto factors. It preps areas that are going to be painted.

Like panel wipe?

MetzgerMeister · 19-08-2014 5:21pm

galwaydude18 wrote: »

Like panel wipe?

Exactly

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 5:28pm

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Exactly

Do you have to buy a big few litres of that stuff?

When I get it cleaned off is there any way to get all the plastic looking nice and new again? Like the way lads spray on back to black but that doesn't last long at all?

Spike Witwicky · 19-08-2014 5:37pm

Gtechniq C4 might be the job

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 5:45pm

Spike Witwicky wrote: »

Gtechniq C4 might be the job

Spike Witwicky what is that stuff?

Spike Witwicky · 19-08-2014 5:48pm

Its a permanent trim restorer. Should last at least 2 yrs. Chemically bonds to the plastic to become the new surface.
Tis kinda expensive though. about €30 for a 15ml bottle but you use very little

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 5:52pm

Spike Witwicky wrote: »

Its a permanent trim restorer. Should last at least 2 yrs. Chemically bonds to the plastic to become the new surface.
Tis kinda expensive though. about €30 for a 15ml bottle but you use very little

Oh ya that's sounds like the ticket alright. Is it a one coat solution? Wipe it on and wipe it off?

Spike Witwicky · 19-08-2014 6:05pm

galwaydude18 wrote: »

Oh ya that's sounds like the ticket alright. Is it a one coat solution? Wipe it on and wipe it off?

yep exactly

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 6:34pm

Spike Witwicky wrote: »

yep exactly

AH cool that sounds the ticket then. Jeepers its dear aul stuff for such a small amount

Spike Witwicky · 19-08-2014 7:07pm

It is a bit expensive but then again you only use a little. I did my scuttle panel with was the largest piece of plastic on my car and still had 3/4 of a bottle left

Gordy6040 · 19-08-2014 10:57pm

Try a bit of back to black first.

andrew1300r · 19-08-2014 11:07pm

Best thing for tar removal..fill a spray bottle with petrol & spray areas where effected.. Leave it for 3-4 mins...good damp cloth & soak a little of it in petrol & rub & rub !!! When finished just wash car down with a good car shampoo & car will look like new again.If you don't do this the petrol will leave white streak marks but they will go away.

Curran · 19-08-2014 11:16pm

andrew1300r wrote: »

Best thing for tar removal...... & rub & rub !!!

Its not the BEST thing - it works, but far from the best!

Thats like me saying that Gloss paint is the best thing for your walls in your house - its not, it works, but its not the best!!

You do not want to be rubbing anything on your paintwork, if you can do the job without rubbing. Tar contains fine dirt and grit; rub that on your paintwork and you are going to scratch it, even microscopically, but this results in dulling of the paintwork over time!

galwaydude18 · 19-08-2014 11:47pm

Curran wrote: »

Its not the BEST thing - it works, but far from the best!

Thats like me saying that Gloss paint is the best thing for your walls in your house - its not, it works, but its not the best!!

You do not want to be rubbing anything on your paintwork, if you can do the job without rubbing. Tar contains fine dirt and grit; rub that on your paintwork and you are going to scratch it, even microscopically, but this results in dulling of the paintwork over time!

What's the best for removing tar without rubbing?

Curran · 20-08-2014 1:24am

Dedicated tar removers, not something that will remove the tar...theres plenty of those things out there, but not safe for your paintwork.
Very hard to find a good tar remover in your local motor factors too - the likes of Holtz is very aggressive.

You need to look at a Detailing Supplier - there are various products available...some that are very good, removing the majority in one application but a bit more expensive. Some that are cheap, but may require 2 or 3 applicaitons. Some are more like gels so sit on the tar / paintwork, others more like water and run off the tar / paintwork. Its a matter of finding one that works for your needs. If you do the de-tar process frequently, the cheaper options may suit you as there wont be a lot of tar on the car.

Spike Witwicky · 20-08-2014 1:41am

Curran wrote: »

... Some that are cheap, but may require 2 or 3 applicaitons.

I found this with Autoglyms tar remover. Cheap but took a few goes.
Considering something else.

Noccy_Mondy · 20-08-2014 1:47am

Spike Witwicky wrote: »

I found this with Autoglyms tar remover. Cheap but took a few goes.
Considering something else.

Ya that stuff ain't the best at times. Sometimes I wonder if it's just water they put into the bottles :rolleyes: Takes ages for it to work its magic, but like you said it will eventually get the job done.

MetzgerMeister · 20-08-2014 9:25am

The best Tar remover I've used is Autosmart Tardis. It doesn't leave a greasy residue as it's more like a solvent than a gel.

irish gent · 20-08-2014 11:13am

TAR can be removed with petrol on a cloth ,just wet your cloth with the petrol .Rub it over the tar and you will see it melt away under your eyes. As I said also about the black plastic rub a little bit of black paint on a cloth use a j cloth and cloves small bit now.;)

irish gent · 20-08-2014 11:17am

Sorry, if the Tar is very hard , use a plastic spreader like an old visa card, and take the top layer off tar and then us the petrol on the cloth that will get it off.

galwaydude18 · 07-11-2014 5:24pm

I finally got a chance to get the panel wipe to clean the plastic handles etc. It doesn't seem to remove the whiteness off the handles etc. Is there anything else I can do to remove the white off the handles etc?

galwaydude18 · 10-11-2014 3:19pm

Anyone?

galwaydude18 · 28-11-2014 10:28pm

bump? I'm going to wash the van tomorrow and would like to try sort this out.

Curran · 29-11-2014 11:58am

Any pictures of the handles?

galwaydude18 · 29-11-2014 11:48pm

I'll get pics tomorrow. Ended up away for the day and didn't get to wash the van :-(

galwaydude18 · 30-11-2014 5:11pm

Here's a PIC of one of the handles. I tried saturating it in panel wipe and clean I with a clean cloth and I didn't work :-(

cena · 30-11-2014 8:49pm

Curran · 30-11-2014 10:21pm

You will be able to darken the overall appearance of the handle with a plastics and trim product, but at the edges where there is the very light grey spots/areas, the plastic, I would guess is damaged beyond repair. Perhaps removing them and re-spraying them, might be the best option.

galwaydude18 · 30-11-2014 10:26pm

Curran wrote: »

You will be able to darken the overall appearance of the handle with a plastics and trim product, but at the edges where there is the very light grey spots/areas, the plastic, I would guess is damaged beyond repair. Perhaps removing them and re-spraying them, might be the best option.

What would u re spray them.with? That was done with the tar removal product I used to remove the tar on the van :-(

Curran · 30-11-2014 10:36pm

PlastiDip would work well - easy enough to use and if you make a mess of it, it just peels off!

What tar remover were you using!?

galwaydude18 · 30-11-2014 10:37pm

Curran wrote: »

PlastiDip would work well - easy enough to use and if you make a mess of it, it just peels off!

What tar remover were you using!?

Holtz . it melted it off but wrecked all my handles and plastic at the bottom of my windscreen :-(

Curran · 30-11-2014 10:45pm

Holtz is one of the most aggressive tar removers I have come across - yes it does a fantastic job on tar removal, but destroys everything in its sight, and Im pretty sure it reacts badly with the paint too!!

galwaydude18 · 30-11-2014 10:47pm

I dont know if it reacted with the paint. The van was destroyed in tar spots. the back doors where half black there was that much tar spots on them. Right so my only option is to use the plasti dip then?

Curran · 30-11-2014 11:00pm

I think they are beyond fixing by a simple fix of a Plastic and Trim Dressing.
You might be able to PlatiDip them in place - YouTube a few videos. Another alternative would be to source them in a breakers - offer to swap back the old ones, and part with a few quid for the exchange??

galwaydude18 · 30-11-2014 11:11pm

I just watched the plastidip vids on youtube. Would the plastidip feel like a rubbery plastic when applied?

Curran · 30-11-2014 11:14pm

Slightly; also, thinking about, it, Im not sure how durable it would be if that handle takes a bit of heavy usage.

galwaydude18 · 30-11-2014 11:25pm

Ya my driver door, sliding door and rear door handles would take a good bit of usage. I would be constantly in and out of the van during jobs. Would back to black be any good?

galwaydude18 · 30-11-2014 11:26pm

What was in the Holtz tar remover that ruined the plastic like that?

Mr Detail · 03-12-2014 10:52pm

Tar removers vary in make up but many mention not to get near plastic, due to the particular solvents in them.

Personally I'd just get some black bumper paint or matt black paint. Remove them and spray them. They will look original even in texture and will last pretty well.

Darraghmh91. · 13-12-2014 1:41am

I'd agree with the above I'd take them off and spray them .. I wouldn't imagine there's much else you can do with it

Tar removal

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