Removing tar spots on car paintwork

ruwithme · 13-03-2018 11:50pm #1

Hi, car has gotten bad of late with tar spots on paint work.round wheel arches mainly.any suggestions of a product or other means of removing this while not compromising the paint work.thanks

punisher5112 · 13-03-2018 11:53pm

Get tar X....

It runs off the car and no contact of any brush or cloth etc.

This means little to no swirling or scratches on your paint.

Go to the detailing section to get some more ideas and tips if you would like to take proper care of your car.... Be careful it can be expensive and addictive...

passatman86 · 13-03-2018 11:56pm

Only last week I removed faint scratches, tar and glue that built up over the years from my car.. it cost 50cent worth of petrol in a basin and a cloth..never ever expected the great results only for I tried it. When finished I power washed and waxed the car

SCOOP 64 · 14-03-2018 12:00am

Agreed with punisher5112 tar x really good ,use to used Autoglym tar remover but you had to
rub with cloth, but tar x spray it and it runs off.

punisher5112 · 14-03-2018 12:02am

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Agreed with above tar x really good ,use to used Autoglym tar remover but you had to
rub with cloth, but tar x spray it and it runs off.

Very true.

Had exactly the same issue but the ag was good at removing glue.

firstlight · 14-03-2018 12:59am

passatman86 wrote: »

Only last week I removed faint scratches, tar and glue that built up over the years from my car.. it cost 50cent worth of petrol in a basin and a cloth..never ever expected the great results only for I tried it. When finished I power washed and waxed the car

Same for me,Petrol is great for removing any residue from bodywork,used it all the time to take graphics of trucks that had been on it for years,always came out well after a steam wash and wax after

rex-x · 14-03-2018 1:05am

The very best thing for tar removal is petrol, it wont damaged good paint at all and is far more effective than any tar removal product I have ever used. It will strip all polish and wax though

JoeA3 · 14-03-2018 10:35pm

Petrol and even the likes of WD-40 will work but I think they're a bit severe. Petrol especially will tend to dry / evaporate quickly, it won't "dwell" on the tar long enough.

I bought a 5 litre drum of Autosmart Tardis about 2/3 years ago and I still have a bit left... very effective stuff. If you leave it dwell for 5 minutes, a blast with the power washer and all but the most stubborn tar spots will be gone.

ruwithme · 14-03-2018 10:57pm

Thanks for all them replys. i will try some of them.

vectra · 16-03-2018 11:07am

JoeA3 wrote: »

Petrol and even the likes of WD-40 will work but I think they're a bit severe. Petrol especially will tend to dry / evaporate quickly, it won't "dwell" on the tar long enough.

I bought a 5 litre drum of Autosmart Tardis about 2/3 years ago and I still have a bit left... very effective stuff. If you leave it dwell for 5 minutes, a blast with the power washer and all but the most stubborn tar spots will be gone.

ruwithme wrote: »

Thanks for all them replys. i will try some of them.

As Joe said
Tardis is brilliant but stinky
This is whee TarX shines. No chemical smell and works 100%
It is the only one I use now
As for petrol not harming the paint!!!!
Best of luck to you on that.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 10-04-2018 10:11am

Where can you buy Tar X from? Haven't seen it before.

punisher5112 · 10-04-2018 10:38am

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Where can you buy Tar X from? Haven't seen it before.

Detailing stores such as detailingshed.com or d&d etc.

vectra · 10-04-2018 12:23pm

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Where can you buy Tar X from? Haven't seen it before.

You can get it here at >>
Detailing Shed

JohnBoy26 · 11-04-2018 2:31pm

vectra wrote: »

As Joe said
Tardis is brilliant but stinky
This is whee TarX shines. No chemical smell and works 100%
It is the only one I use now
As for petrol not harming the paint!!!!
Best of luck to you on that.

What harm does it do?

punisher5112 · 11-04-2018 3:18pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

What harm does it do?

It's very bad and can really damage.

rex-x · 11-04-2018 3:32pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

It's very bad and can really damage.

I really don't agree. Clear coat is totally solvent safe, that's the idea of it! I'm pretty fussy with my paint and have spent way too much on cleaning products but I have always gone back to petrol for tar and have never had any damage.
If the paint is already compromised then it might affect it but so would many products

JohnBoy26 · 11-04-2018 3:39pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

It's very bad and can really damage.

But how? How is it any more harsh than tar remover? I've used petrol numerous times without issue.

punisher5112 · 11-04-2018 3:51pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

But how? How is it any more harsh than tar remover? I've used petrol numerous times without issue.

Go and look at a car where they let the petrol roll down the paint when filling then you will know

JohnBoy26 · 11-04-2018 4:03pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Go and look at a car where they let the petrol roll down the paint when filling then you will know

Happened me a good few times no damage done.

punisher5112 · 11-04-2018 4:05pm

With petrol people will get a rag and rub with the correct product one sprays and washes off and never let it dry.

vectra · 11-04-2018 5:20pm

rex-x wrote: »

I really don't agree. Clear coat is totally solvent safe, that's the idea of it! I'm pretty fussy with my paint and have spent way too much on cleaning products but I have always gone back to petrol for tar and have never had any damage.
If the paint is already compromised then it might affect it but so would many products

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

But how? How is it any more harsh than tar remover? I've used petrol numerous times without issue.

I just wonder would you both pour Tardis into your petrol tank of the car?

I don#t think so

Petrol was developed as a fuel for cars

Tardis etc was not, It was developed specifically to do the job in hand.

You still thnk they are literally the same?

Yoy think companies spent a fortune developing these products where they could have put some additive into petrol to "scent" it and bottled it.

rex-x · 11-04-2018 5:32pm

vectra wrote: »

I just wonder would you both pour Tardis into your petrol tank of the car?

I don#t think so

Petrol was developed as a fuel for cars

Tardis etc was not, It was developed specifically to do the job in hand.

You still thnk they are literally the same?

Yoy think companies spent a fortune developing these products where they could have put some additive into petrol to "scent" it and bottled it.

Nobody said it was the same. Petrol is a solvent and solvents are very good at tar removal. Brake clean etc also works but isn't as cheap. If you can show me evidence of damage I of course am willing to be corrected but I have used it many times for years with zero ill effects.

Curran · 11-04-2018 6:16pm

Will * remove tar; where * =
Petrol - yes
White Spirits - yes
WD40 - yes
Butter - yes
A hammer - yes

Will 10w30 oil lubricate an engine that is recommended to take 0w60 - yes - but would you? Probably not!

Petrol can swell the paintwork. Petrol, White Spirits, WD40 wont rinse off in the same way as a product designed, to emulsify with water will, so you will be left with residue using the others.

Note: yes butter will work, but a hammer may damage the paintwork more than petrol, white spirits or WD40

JohnBoy26 · 11-04-2018 6:48pm

Curran wrote: »

Will * remove tar; where * =
Petrol - yes
White Spirits - yes
WD40 - yes
Butter - yes
A hammer - yes

Will 10w30 oil lubricate an engine that is recommended to take 0w60 - yes - but would you? Probably not!

Petrol can swell the paintwork. Petrol, White Spirits, WD40 wont rinse off in the same way as a product designed, to emulsify with water will, so you will be left with residue using the others.

Note: yes butter will work, but a hammer may damage the paintwork more than petrol, white spirits or WD40

Can you show evidence that it will swell the paintwork?

Yes it will leave a residue but the key is to wash the area directly after and no residue is left.

punisher5112 · 11-04-2018 6:52pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Can you show evidence that it will swell the paintwork?

Yes it will leave a residue but the key is to wash the area directly after and no residue is left.

How do you apply the peterol

Curran · 12-04-2018 7:35am

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Can you show evidence that it will swell the paintwork?

JohnBoy26 · 12-04-2018 9:42pm

Curran wrote: »

So not only does it remove tar it also gives you more car for your money

Trasna1 · 15-04-2018 11:56pm

My experience may be unusual but I've found tarex to be useless when sprayed on. Wet a microfiber with it and it's great - lifts tar right off. Doesn't do the business when sprayed on and left to dwell for a few mins however.

Curran · 16-04-2018 8:59am

Were you spraying it on a wet or damp panel?

statto25 · 18-04-2018 10:20am

Curran wrote: »

Were you spraying it on a wet or damp panel?

Whats the correct method Curran? I have TRIX and Ive found it hit and miss too but its probably the way Im applying it. I wash the car fully and while the panels are still damp I spray on

Curran · 18-04-2018 11:32am

For best performance panels should be dry. Wet or damp and it dilutes the product.

TRIX will never perform anything like IronX and TarX used separately. It's a maintenance product to be used when early signs of contamination appear, not as a product to be used during a full decontamination process.

statto25 · 18-04-2018 12:44pm

Curran wrote: »

For best performance panels should be dry. Wet or damp and it dilutes the product.

TRIX will never perform anything like IronX and TarX used separately. It's a maintenance product to be used when early signs of contamination appear, not as a product to be used during a full decontamination process.

Thanks for the info Curran. I figured TRIX wouldnt be as powerful and I'm actually out of it so I'll order TarX separately and see how I go.

glinnwest · 09-05-2018 1:19pm

Any glue/tar remover will do

ruwithme · 15-10-2018 8:33pm

ruwithme wrote: »

Hi, car has gotten bad of late with tar spots on paint work.round wheel arches mainly.any suggestions of a product or other means of removing this while not compromising the paint work.thanks

i got around to trying out car pro tar x today on car.hotwashed yesterday so as car would be clean of dirt and dry today.sprayed on the tar x round a wheel arch just to be cautious seeing i had,nt used it before.

i left it on for no less than 4minutes and no more than 6 as the bottle suggested 3 to 4 minutes and no more than 7 to 10 minutes.

power washed the area on car then and it didn't remove any tar.

where did i go wrong here? it did start to run the tar spots soon after i sprayed on the tar x.but they didn't dissolve. i honestly thought i sprayed enough product.

the tar on the car would be 12months there on some of the spots.also the powerwash today was acold wash.any thoughts?

punisher5112 · 15-10-2018 8:45pm

ruwithme wrote: »

i got around to trying out car pro tar x today on car.hotwashed yesterday so as car would be clean of dirt and dry today.sprayed on the tar x round a wheel arch just to be cautious seeing i had,nt used it before.

i left it on for no less than 4minutes and no more than 6 as the bottle suggested 3 to 4 minutes and no more than 7 to 10 minutes.

power washed the area on car then and it didn't remove any tar.

where did i go wrong here? it did start to run the tar spots soon after i sprayed on the tar x.but they didn't dissolve. i honestly thought i sprayed enough product.

the tar on the car would be 12months there on some of the spots.also the powerwash today was acold wash.any thoughts?

Repeat.

Was car in sun light? Hot car?
Wet or dry surface.

Spray one side at a time and keep an eye on it that it stays wet and not dry in.

Spray more when or if needed.

Wash and repeat.

SCOOP 64 · 15-10-2018 8:52pm

Found car pro tar x to very good ,but expensive, but always had to use microfibre cloth to rub tar off not just spray it off , but came off easy enough.
ps whats the best price at moment, ran out.

ruwithme · 15-10-2018 9:03pm

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Found car pro tar x to very good ,but expensive, but always had to use microfibre cloth to rub tar off not just spray it off , but came off easy enough.
ps whats the best price at moment, ran out.

i think the elbow grease will be needed here alright, given that the spots are there sometime. €19 i think i give for 500ml bottle delivered some months back.

SCOOP 64 · 15-10-2018 9:14pm

.

ruwithme wrote: »

i think the elbow grease will be needed here alright, given that the spots are there sometime. €19 i think i give for 500ml bottle delivered some months back.

Yes on the dear side , might look for a cheaper alternative, had Autoglym tar remover before but found this slow to react.

Darwin · 18-12-2018 8:42pm

I drive on pretty bad roads to work and have tar spots on my car every week I go to wash it, on the boot, wheel arches even above the door handles! I don't use a specific tar removal product, what I find is applying a spray on wax after washing really helps as the tar doesn't bind as strongly with the wax applied. A little elbow grease is usually all that's needed to get the spots off. I use a product called Speed Guard which is very quick to apply - spray on wet or dry and then simply wipe with a microfibre cloth. It's not cheap, but I find it goes a long way - about 20 washes or so if applied sparingly.

punisher5112 · 19-12-2018 1:13am

Darwin wrote: »

I drive on pretty bad roads to work and have tar spots on my car every week I go to wash it, on the boot, wheel arches even above the door handles! I don't use a specific tar removal product, what I find is applying a spray on wax after washing really helps as the tar doesn't bind as strongly with the wax applied. A little elbow grease is usually all that's needed to get the spots off. I use a product called Speed Guard which is very quick to apply - spray on wet or dry and then simply wipe with a microfibre cloth. It's not cheap, but I find it goes a long way - about 20 washes or so if applied sparingly.

You shouldn't be wiping at all.

This is what detailing is about..... You are just scratching the car doing so.

You want a product that causes it to run off.

Spray was or those in the washes are of course better then washing liquid but the best way is the preparation of the paint and applying proper protection.

Stallingrad · 19-12-2018 11:52am

There is an age old argument on petrol V more expensive dedicated tar removers. If you are not too fussy petrol will do the job very effectively.

Removing tar spots on car paintwork

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