Removing tar spots from paintwork?

thirdmantackle

Hi all.

While washing the car recently I have noticed tiny spots on the car's black paintwork of dirt/tar around and behind the wheel rims. they won't come off with washing.

what is the best thing for getting rid of these?
or any links to the best methods of getting rid of these.

Cheers in advance

pa990

dab it with a petrol on a cloth.

be sure to wash car thoroughly afterward

gpjordanf1

pa990 wrote: »

dab it with a petrol on a cloth.

be sure to wash car thoroughly afterward

Agreed, Done mine yesterday.

Took 2hrs but I hadn't done it in 2 years, so there was alot!

Nothing better!

1916

WD 40, works every time

rebel.ranter

Make sure you wax the areas you treat with petrol or other solvent.
I would rather use a Tar Remover product than petrol/WD40

vintagevrs

Use a clay bar,

I have used all the methods mentioned above and a clay bar is the easiest and does no damage the paint.

Hope that helps

vectra

I have used petrol with the last 30 years or so.
Clean properly afterwards and rub some form of car polish on it afterwards to protect the paint.

Petrol never harmed any paint of mine

gpjordanf1

vectra wrote: »

I have used petrol with the last 30 years or so.
Clean properly afterwards and rub some form of car polish on it afterwards to protect the paint.

Petrol never harmed any paint of mine

Same as above, Petrol wont damage your paint. Its the quickest method of all tried.

Neilw

vintagevrs wrote: »

Use a clay bar,

I have used all the methods mentioned above and a clay bar is the easiest and does no damage the paint.

Hope that helps

It's a bit of a waste of a good clay bar removing tar with it.
I use tardis, spray on and the tar disolves, then just wipe off.

Here it is in use on my wheels, you can see the tar start to dribble off the inside of the wheel.

-Corkie-

vectra wrote: »

I have used petrol with the last 30 years or so.
Clean properly afterwards and rub some form of car polish on it afterwards to protect the paint.

Petrol never harmed any paint of mine

I remember my neighbour using brillo pads on a new car a few years ago..... Twas sum mess:eek:

cian1500ww

There's spray on tar remover you can get, the best I've used was Holts. Spray it all along the bottom of the car because the tar isn't always that noticeable.

Mr Benevolent

SARASON wrote: »

I remember my neighbour using brillo pads on a new car a few years ago..... Twas sum mess:eek:

Arrrgh!

DUBLINHITMAN

Tardis from auto amart
the only man for the job
if people want to use petrol/wd40
leave them too it .
But tardis is for removing tar
so why would anyone want to try petrol/wd40
makes no sense
like saying ah try some breast milk on your co co pops
same thing " yeah right

Tardis from autosmart
go to a local motor factors and go halfs on 5 litres with a mate
lasts ages and you,ll never be annoyed by tar again

teednab-el

Ive got a tar remover spray, its brillant. Spray it on and leave for 2 mins and then it comes smoothly!

muckwarrior

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

why would anyone want to try petrol/wd40

Because they're things that most people already have lying around.

cena

what about t-cut tar remover

gpjordanf1

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

Tardis from auto amart
the only man for the job
if people want to use petrol/wd40
leave them too it .
But tardis is for removing tar
so why would anyone want to try petrol/wd40
makes no sense
like saying ah try some breast milk on your co co pops
same thing " yeah right

Tardis from autosmart
go to a local motor factors and go halfs on 5 litres with a mate
lasts ages and you,ll never be annoyed by tar again

Why dont you have a look at your little can of over priced tar remover and have a look at it's ingredients, I would guess it is petroleum based in some shape or form.
So why bother with a watered down version of petrol and use 100% petrol, its in every shed that has a lawnmower etc.
Why on earth would you waste money on a gimmick product?
So if they want to use an inferior product, leave them to it.

And yes I've used branded tar remover too and what a waste of time it was compared to petrol.

MetzgerMeister

If you want to remove the tar and make sure there's no damage to the paintwork while also getting the benfit of a wax, use Meguiars Bug & Tar Remover.

As mentioned above - petrol, WD40 will work as will parafin. I don't know what affects (if any) these will have on your paintwork.

Stay away from Turtle Wax tar remover, it's rubbish. You might aswell be spraying fresh cream into the car.

Whatever dissolves the tar best is the one to go for. The less you have to rub it the less chance there is of scratching the paint.

Seperate

gpjordanf1 wrote: »

Why dont you have a look at your little can of over priced tar remover and have a look at it's ingredients, I would guess it is petroleum based in some shape or form.
So why bother with a watered down version of petrol and use 100% petrol, its in every shed that has a lawnmower etc.
Why on earth would you waste money on a gimmick product?
So if they want to use an inferior product, leave them to it.

And yes I've used branded tar remover too and what a waste of time it was compared to petrol.

Every day of the week I see the damage petrol does to paintwork.

Every single car that comes into me has dry/flaky clearcoat below the petrol cap. Petrol does have detrimental effects on modern clearcoats. You might not see it after 2 or 3 months, but under lights (or the sun) or anytime you properly wax the car, you will notice it looks/feels different to the rest.

If you're smearing it all over the doors/bumpers etc. too - sooner or later its going to start showing.

There is no petrol in Tardis. Obviously it is a solvent - it has to be in order to work, but there is no petrol in it.

biko

Ingredients Tardis
http://www.autosmart.co.uk/images/PDF%20Folder/Autosmart%20COSHH%20sheets/TARDIS%20-%20SDS10022%20-%20GBR.pdf
Mainly
WHITE SPIRIT
XYLENE, similar to benzene which is an additive in petrol (actually petrol is benzin in German)

vectra

Seperate wrote: »

Every day of the week I see the damage petrol does to paintwork.

Every single car that comes into me has dry/flaky clearcoat below the petrol cap. Petrol does have detrimental effects on modern clearcoats. You might not see it after 2 or 3 months, but under lights (or the sun) or anytime you properly wax the car, you will notice it looks/feels different to the rest.

If you're smearing it all over the doors/bumpers etc. too - sooner or later its going to start showing.

There is no petrol in Tardis. Obviously it is a solvent - it has to be in order to work, but there is no petrol in it.

Of course any chemical will stain/destroy your paint if you do not clean it off and give it some form of polish to protect it after useing it.

*Kol*

I was polishing the car the other day and tbh most of the tar spots flicked off with a push of a finger nail and the little black spot that remained polished away easily enough with normal polish.

biko

Baby oil. Apply a few hours beforehand.

vectra

biko wrote: »

Baby oil. Apply a few hours beforehand.

LOL
and wait for a good gust of wind to stick every bit of dust/grit to it.. Then rub it off :eek:

biko

Not rubbing.
You're going to wash the car anyway - the point being the oil will soften the tar and once you start washing it's easy to get off with just a fingernail. And it's not petrol.

I see I must be very precise in explaining. I use a power wash and first wash off big dirt and the oil before putting shampoo on using a microfibre mitten. During this I can remove the tar by simply using a fingernail. If I miss anything I'll see it when waxing.

I'm not saying this is the best method but it works and there is no petrol involved.

znv6i3h7kqf9ys

biko wrote: »

Not rubbing.
You're going to wash the car anyway - the point being the oil will soften the tar and once you start washing it's easy to get off with just a fingernail. And it's not petrol.

I see I must be very precise in explaining. I use a power wash and first wash off big dirt and the oil before putting shampoo on using a microfibre mitten. During this I can remove the tar by simply using a fingernail. If I miss anything I'll see it when waxing.

I'm not saying this is the best method but it works and there is no petrol involved.

How long does it take you to wash your car?

tossy

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

why would anyone want to try petrol/wd40

Some people are still living in Celtic tiger Ireland apparently,with the price of petrol these days id rather sue it to run my car and lawn mower not clean my car! I gave up cleaning my car with petrol,wiping my arse with 20's and filling my bath with actimel around 2006

Autosmart tardis is your only man.

Yakult

Cleaned my car today for the first time in a few weeks and was shocked at all the tar spots :O

It looks terrible so Im heading down tomoro getting that Tardis stuff. Dont wanna risk petrol etc.

TomMc

Tardis is one of the best products for removing tar, but I would strongly advise people to keep in mind health and safety issues first. It is a professional strength concoction, not a diluted consumer one. Wear proper gloves and eye protection when using it. It comes in metal containers for a reason. And don't store it somewhere children or pets have access to.

biko

Griffin Obedient Memento wrote: »

How long does it take you to wash your car?

Probably sounds like it takes ages but you only have to wax occasionally
Washing, about 10 mins or so.
With wax etc, fecking ages unfortunately... But it's a nice way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon with the radio on.
I have an older car that was neglected by previous owner so am trying to get it back to shape again.

thirdmantackle

thanks for the info

great to see the discussion.

as a follow-on... Whats the best thing for some small stratches on the bonnet/side panel

vectra

tossy wrote: »

Some people are still living in Celtic tiger Ireland apparently,with the price of petrol these days id rather sue it to run my car and lawn mower not clean my car! I gave up cleaning my car with petrol,wiping my arse with 20's and filling my bath with actimel around 2006

Autosmart tardis is your only man.

Dream on bud

Just looked up Tardis thee on Detailerdotie

Guess what..!!
5 Litres = €27.95

Now for the good old petrol

5 Litres = €6.75 ( Depending on pump prices..)


Are you sure you are not still stuck in the Celtic Tiger era..

tossy

vectra wrote: »

Dream on bud

Just looked up Tardis thee on Detailerdotie

Guess what..!!
5 Litres = €27.95

Now for the good old petrol

5 Litres = €6.75 ( Depending on pump prices..)


Are you sure you are not still stuck in the Celtic Tiger era..

first off i'm not your bud

Secondly that 5 litres of Tardis will last 100 times longer than the petrol as far as removing tar goes.

sean1141

tardis or holts tar remover gel are the best i have used

vectra

tossy wrote: »

that 5 litres of Tardis will last 100 times longer than the petrol as far as removing tar goes.

Proof ??

Neilw

vectra wrote: »

Proof ??

Petrol evaporates quickly off a cloth, so you have to keep applying more to get the tar off.
A mist of tardis onto a panel, leave it for a couple of mins and wipe off. Tardis does go further.

-Corkie-

Tardis is the job i got a gallon of it of the autosmart truck a few weeks ago. Its brilliant tack didnt cost 27 euro either;)

vectra

SARASON wrote: »

Tardis is the job i got a gallon of it of the autosmart truck a few weeks ago. Its brilliant tack didnt cost 27 euro either;)

Its a lot easier to go get a litre of Petrol out of a pump and off you go de-Tarring to your hearts content
But
whatever floats your boat.
Up to the OP what he/she prefers to use/spend their money on.

Both work fine

gpjordanf1

vectra wrote: »

Its a lot easier to go get a litre of Petrol out of a pump and off you go de-Tarring to your hearts content
But
whatever floats your boat.
Up to the OP what he/she prefers to use/spend their money on.

Both work fine

Dont waste your breath Vectra, cant talk sense to some people :rolleyes:

petrol all the way but sure what would I know with 19 years driving experience and with that 19+ years of washing said cars.

vectra

gpjordanf1 wrote: »

Dont waste your breath Vectra, cant talk sense to some people :rolleyes:

petrol all the way but sure what would I know with 19 years driving experience and with that 19+ years of washing said cars.

YUP
Like I said earlier myself
I have been doing the petrol trick with 30 years and no paint issues.
But hey
what would I know.
I mean, I only use "Petrolium based" Thinners to spray cars years ago..

Masada

Ive used Petrol, tar spot remover, thinners etc etc all with good results. dont be under any illusions that tar spot remover is perfectly safe for your paint either though, you'll have to clean it off just as you would petrol.

My personal favourite tar spot remover though is IPA (Isopropanol), a solvent used in paints, prep wipes for panels in body shops etc, its very good and cheap enough too, it comes in a metal can in anything from 500ml to 5 Litre drums. Its also great for removing any sticky marks like window tint glue, vinyl glue etc.

TomMc

Pour some petrol on your hands and then let it soak in. Now tell me it doesn't dry your skin. It is doing something similar to your car paint, which is porous just like human skin. And it is water based paint, not solvent based like the 80's and early 90's, so more susceptible to damage by harsh petrochemicals. Specialist tar removal products are far more refined, so they also remove bugs, glue, sap, silicones and even fuel stains.;)

DUBLINHITMAN

Correct when you say people are livin in Celtic tiger years
the amount of 2010 cars coming in to be washed is unbelievable
so why would I use petrol to remove tar
what kind off shock would a customer get if they came back and the car is covered in petrol .

At the end of the day op use what you like you've got petrol wd40 and tardis from people here and holts was mentioned too
btw not every car that I get is covered in tar So I don't use tardis alot maybe 3 out of every ten cars 1 litre lasts me about a month
if it's for your own car then 5 litres is goin to last a long time
once you detar your car it shouldn't need it for a good few months
Good luck with whatever product you choose
tardis 5 litres one car IMHO will last a whole lot longer than 5 litres of petrol

vectra

TomMc wrote: »

Pour some petrol on your hands and then let it soak in. Now tell me it doesn't dry your skin. It is doing something similar to your car paint, which is porous just like human skin. And it is water based paint, not solvent based like the 80's and early 90's, so more susceptible to damage by harsh petrochemicals. Specialist tar removal products are far more refined, so they also remove bugs, glue, sap, silicones and even fuel stains.;)

Pour some Tardis on your hands and let it soak in.. Now tell me it is a safe non chemical product

Joey the lips

I use to import a product into ireland called "gunk tar remover" the reason i mention it is it was brilliant. I sold loads around my area as i done one lads car wrong had driven through a nasty mess.

I think it has all changed now as the import company I was with has closed however I am prity sure its available through halfords....

On that note they also do "driveway" clear. Its brilliant for removing oil from the driveway.

I know from that job that "holts" did a brand just as good and this was available through woodies.

Johnny Utah

Vectra,

Do you work for Texaco or something..... you seem to be desperate to sell the petrol idea to people?



(For the record, I use Holts Tar remover and I thoroughly clean the area with a good quality car shampoo and wash mitt afterwards. You can pick up the Holts Tar Remover fairly cheap in the larger Tesco stroes. No way I'd put petrol or wd40 on my paintwork! :eek:)

vectra

Johnny Utah wrote: »

Vectra,

Do you work for Texaco or something..... you seem to be desperate to sell the petrol idea to people?

NO..LOL
BUT
Think about it
which is the easiest product to get your hands on?

Johnny Utah

vectra wrote: »

NO..LOL
BUT
Think about it
which is the easiest product to get your hands on?

I dunno, gloves? mittens perhaps?

DUBLINHITMAN

vectra wrote: »

Pour some Tardis on your hands and let it soak in.. Now tell me it is a safe non chemical product

People in the business will know what to use
on cars and what's the best way to deal with tar
your average joe will try anything
people with no clue will go to a detailer to get the job done
maybe these are the people living on Celtic tiger land

If you use petrol on your car and it works for you fairballs
don't get the hump if people in the trade use products for the trade
if you brought your car to me or anyone in the business and wanted it
buffed professionaly
and came back and seen me using a buffer from lidle
and some mayonaise mixed with sand as a componud
I dint think you'd be happy

People in the business won't cut corners or skimp on
products

vectra

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

People in the business will know what to use
on cars and what's the best way to deal with tar
your average joe will try anything
people with no clue will go to a detailer to get the job done
maybe these are the people living on Celtic tiger land


People in the business won't cut corners or skimp on
products

Been there...done that
Was in the business many moons ago.
Still never saw petrol doing any harm tp paint..
OH
Hold on..
Yes I did actually.
I have seen loads of cars with big dirty petrol/diesel stains down them by the filler cap.

You think I suggest as you put it " Covering a car with petrol"
I think not
I am talking small amount of petrol on cloth..dab the stin..leave it for a couple of minutes to soak.. wipe off.. Wash/polish.

Getting back to where you say not cutting corners...people in the business...!!

Me getting the hump..,,, << No Chance..


Just to remind you of the OP's question
It had nothing whatsoever to do with getting their car detailed.
They want something to get a few spots of tar off.. Not Douse it in petrol or any chemical

thirdmantackle wrote: »

Hi all.

While washing the car recently I have noticed tiny spots on the car's black paintwork of dirt/tar around and behind the wheel rims. they won't come off with washing.

what is the best thing for getting rid of these?
or any links to the best methods of getting rid of these.

Cheers in advance

TomMc

vectra wrote: »

Pour some Tardis on your hands and let it soak in.. Now tell me it is a safe non chemical product

Your missing the point. Both are harmful to skin, but then neither were designed with hand care in mind. Petrol is refined so it can fuel engines, not to clean car paint. Tar removers on the other hand are formulated with auto paints specifically in mind. And if you think petrol and tar removers are more or less the same, why not put some Tardis in your fuel tank, and see how far you go.