Brunelleschi

So I am driving my brand new '03 WHITE C240 back to work from lunch when I unexpectedly discover that the road crews decided today would be a perfect day to lay a nice fresh patch of TAR and OIL all over the road. My car is covered in the stuff. I can't get home to start washing it until early this afternoon. Any good ideas or getting the stuff off?

Brunelleschi

another shot

Brunelleschi

and yet another

awiner

Stop on your way home and pickup a bottle of tar remover from your local auto parts store. It will make your life a lot eaiser.

KOMPRESSORnSC

Man...

I'd just sell the car and then buy a big gun and go shoot the guys who tarred the road and then allowed you to drive on it!

You may even have to clay after the B & T remover-especailly on white. Good luck!

Brunelleschi

Thanks for the input...and yes I definitley did consider the second suggestion. I bought three bottles of tar remover. That plus a bottle of paint cleaner and about three hours of my time took care of the problem. I am thinking it is going to be about a week of cleaning and touching up before I have it 100% good. I guess on a brighter noter, I now have a good thick layer of tar protecting my under carrige from any damage.

Still planning to write a nasty letter to the city.

Mr.PS

Dont use paint thinner or acetone or any mineral spirits it will yellow your clear coat get 3M's Tar and Adhesive remover or try Eimann Fabrik Hi-Intensity cleaner from www.properautocare.com it works great for tar I had a whole wheel well full of tar and pebbles got it all of with ease and no scrubbing.

davis449

I know how you feel, accpet we get a double dose of the bad stuff here. They rock and tar our roads every couple of years and you get a lot of tar and rock chips as a result. It sucks, I feel your pain!

Guest0001

i have some of those tar, dirt stains near the bottom sides of my car.

can i use cleaner wax to get rid of it? i have the meguires cleaner wax and it says remvoves the grime, tar etc on the back of the bottle.

what you think?

Mr.PS

I wouldent use it because it will probley cause swirls cause of your towel picking up the crap its best to just spray it and hose it off with something like 3M tar remover or EF HI or Simple Green.

E55AMG99

What fr0zen said and because it will remove some paint surrounding the dirt as it wears the dirt off. Imagine welding a BB to a piece of plate steel and then taking it off with a die grinder!

Now do you see why polishing dirt is a bad idea?

Mr.PS

Its going to be very simple to spray some simple green full strength and then letting it sit and then going over it with a soft brush and gettin all of the tar off it will come off so easily.

Guest0001

oh now i see what you are talking about

then what do i use my cleaner wax for?

i have 3m remover as well. do i just put some on a cloth and then wipe it away?

thanks i am newbie in detailing so bare with me

E55AMG99

I don't know. How about...
1. A gift to a co-worker you dislike?
2. Use it to remove/hide the scratches on a rental?
3. Brighten up the old mailbox?
4.....?

Guest0001

are u suggestion the stuff sucks

Mr.PS

Its ok stuff but I wouldent use on anything exept my wheels If you want a good polish try meguiars Professional Line and top with a sealent IE Klasse or #20 Polymer Sealent then topp with a carnuba and you will get great affects.

Guest0001

is it that abbrasive? wow ill just throw it out.

how about that quik detail spray they have?

i just want to keep things simple and not too time consuming but still have a good shine

thanks for your help

Mr.PS

Its not abrasive at all Its just not that good of product for tar and other stuff its ok but there is alot better stuff out there that is more powerfull and will get rid of swirls and paint blemish really quick and give you the new finish. The cleaner wax is ok because it kind of brings out the shine a lil bit why giving the Carnuba Pop but its nothing special. Pick up some Simple Green for the Tar and leave the Cleaner Wax for Wheel and Doorjambs it works good there and will make cleaning those areas easier later.

lars

The quick detailer is a great product between washes. Don't use it to clean off bird droppings though, because you'll wind up putting scratches into the paint from grit in the poop. Bird droppings need a wash mitt and lots of running water.

I like the Meguiars professional line too, but it does commit you to a two step process (three if you count the wash). I've used #5 and #7 polishes for the first step and think #7 gives a better gloss. My second step is #26, which is a carnauba wax. For swirls, I have #9 but I can probably go two years without using it. These products are fine with buffers, but I use a buffer only for problem areas. Everything is usually done by hand.

I hand-wash once a week and do the two-step process twice a year, in the spring and fall, with an extra top coat of #26 one week later. That seems to be enough. My car is garaged 22+ hours a day though, so the paint stays pretty clean.

E55AMG99

lars and fr0zen have very good advice. I've never been a fan of the "All in One" stuff. I believe in doing the cleaning, polishing and waxing separately. Mostly because you don't always have to do the first 2. If you take care of your paint by washing often with a good car wash soap and mitt, clay bar and wax every 3-4 washes, you will rarely need the polish.

Remember to pre-soak bird poop before taking the mit to it. Most things that come out of a bird's a$$ are abrasive. Just look at what they eat!

Mr.PS

Lol Yeah bird poop is horrible so is tar and other crap. IMO My favorite cleaner for Tar is Eimann Fabik Hi-Intensity Cleaner. If you want to have a good finish you gotta invest some money Gettin some polishs,waxs and sealents I would try sites like www.platniumautocare.com, www.premiumautocare.com,www.topoftheline.com

They have lots of good advice and great products and prices.

Guest0001

Wow guys you have so much information

thanks for all the tips

what would you guys recommend for a newbie starting to detail

so how bout doing regular washes every 2 weeks or so and then waxing every 2 months or something?

E55AMG99

I wash as necessary. If I drive the car daily, it gets washed every week. I clay when the paint feels sticky and loses that smoth as glass feeliing. I think I've clayed and waxed the car 4-5 times this year.