Tree Sap

[T2FFN]

Simply...

My car gets pasted with huge amounts of tree sap on a daily basis due to where I am forced to park.

a) Will it damage paint work if left for a few days?

b) Will it damage the soft top?

c) Any products to help protect against it?

It does take a good 10minutes of jet washing to remove it all! (No lectures on using jet washes please oke: , I'm not hand washing the car every 2 days :headbang: )

Thanks

Paul

 

[ksher]

I don't think tree sap will bring much damage to soft top, but not good for paintwork. The only thing you can do is to wax the car more frequently to build up barrier on paintwork against tree sap. In summer, I avoid parking my car under the tree. The sap on the windscreen is so sticky and gets even worse if you try to clean it with wipers.

 

[Hunter]

Yes it will damage the car. Buy a runaround, buy a cover, park else where, cut down the tree!!!!

 

[T2FFN]

There's no avoiding it right now, although thinking of moving so that might be the solution :lol:

When the windows start to look like they're made of treacle its pretty embarrassing, but I can't justify paying to jet wash it everyday!! :thumbsdown: The blobs of sap were so large the other day, it honestly looked like a giant had unloaded his man-juice all over the car!! :rofl: Disgusting state for the car to be in, but I like my leafy avenue :lol:

 

[Sub]

BMW tech told me to get the sap off of my car asap. It eats paint. He recommended googone to get it off, and it works GREAT for that. Sap on the soft top; sounds like that will be a pita to remove.

 

[pvr]

I have a bit of treesap on my X5 right at the edge with the window and no matter what I try, I can not get it out of there and it looks like a load of glue over the edge.

Will try that goo gone - had never heard of it before. Thanks for that tip.

 

[T2FFN]

I'm not talking about a little sap here... after say 3 days, there's prob not a single part of bodywork not covered!

The whole car becomes sticky overnight after cleaning, and found out today rain partially dissolves it and makes it smooth, like its been melted all over :?

 

[Tref]

I use a great product from 3M called FinesseIT. I saw a bodyshop using it and asked what it was. Gets nearly all debris off paint, and cuts out minor scratches too (better than that scratch removing paste you can buy).

Best thing you can do is get some protectant onto the paint/roof, then clean the car as frequently as possible to keep the paintwork pristine.

 

[TO//M]

My wife and I own a condo in Hawaii and we have the same tree sap problem in out assigned parking place. We use rental cars when we go over for a visit so when the sap gets too bad, we just take the car back to the agency and get a clean one. But for your situation, I would get a car cover. Using Finesse-It frequently to keep the paint clean will eventually polish it right off. Then you get to see the "other" BMW color that wasn't in the brochure-primer grey.

 

[Smokin]

goo gone will strip the wax, that' s what it does. Try some kind of quick detailer, but if there is no way to avoid it, I'd get a cover. Wax frequently.


BMW primers are color coordinated to paint color, but you sure don't want to find out if they had a bad day when your car was made.

 

[RustyZ4]

To be honest I doubt if its tree sap,most people assume it is tree sap, but the real culprit is far more likely to be insect honeydew, excreted by aphids or scale insects that infest the leaves and branches. To get it off, if its still sticky is just a warm soapy water job, if its hardened a tar remover should do it.

If it is tree sap, removing tree sap from a car's finish is a bit more difficult than say removing tar, as hardened sap can scratch your paint. best thing to do is by hand-rubbing the sap spots with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol, you will able to easily remove the sap without damaging the finish. Mineral spirits and denatured alcohol acts as a solvent to break up and dissolve the sap.

Let either of the above harden to any great degree on the soft top and you will have problems, and if this is happening everday, its going to be like "painting the Forth bridge", buy a car cover, not an expensive one, just something to chuck over it when you park it there.

 

[Tref]

I've just realised the solution to your problem

 

[pvr]

The chain needs tensioning

 

[AJZ4London]

I have the same problem, one road I avoid like the plague but could not last night...having just cleaned her. Warm water and shampoo gets it off...

 

[T2FFN]

Image if you saw a car on quiet residential avenue... with a car cover on it...

Maybe its me, but I imagine it'd attract some possibly unwanted attention to a car that can already get jealous looks... :fuelfire:

I'll try to take a pic of the "blobs", as some days they're very small, sometimes they're like 2p pieces!! They're sticky, but soft. They come off with a jet wash.

Looking at a new apartment today so might be away from the trees soon.

This has only been happening for a few weeks, so I assume is a seasonal thing.