Stubborn tree sap = paint cracking?

[dhuang]

Hey detailing folks, I have a bit of a dilemma.

My guess is the previous owner of my Series.Yellow parked underneath the Tree of Thor, which has resulted in some really stubborn dried tree sap on a few places on the paint. Since these hardened blobs were clear at first, I thought it was a bad touch up job, but recently I've noticed that there are cracks forming underneath the blobs -- so I'm assuming it must be sap.

I've tried clay, hand-applied compound, WD40, and a plethora of other car care products with very little success before the cracking has started. Now that I'm noticing the cracking, I'm fearing a repaint in my future.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hood 1:
(You can see the tree sap has a bit of a trail)


Hood 1 (different angle):


Hood 2:


Bumper:

[humfrz]

Alcohol should take the sap off.

I don't know about the cracked paint - maybe some rubbing compound would blend it together -


humfrz

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by dhuang

I've tried clay, hand-applied compound, WD40, and a plethora of other car care products with very little success before the cracking has started. Now that I'm noticing the cracking, I'm fearing a repaint in my future.

i believe most of your issues are in the hand application-- it's not creating enough heat to move the paint around to 'heal' the issue(proper buffing technique involves treating the paint like a hard clay). i'm relatively confident that proper use of some mild scratch removers, a mild cutting pad, and a rotary buffer would remove the majority of the signs of the sap.

what i've experienced in the past is that the cracking shouldn't be in the clearcoat, but in a thin hardened layer of the sap itself. the trick is heating it up enough to pull it away(sap reacts quite well with heat, and can turn gummy enough to be pulled away), or otherwise blending it with the nearby paint. it requires some heat, but not a ton of heat. i use the rotation of the rotary buffer to 'push' the paint in one direction in the affected area, and then i'll use the opposite side of the rotation to 'pull' the paint back over the the blemish. it won't get rid of all of it, but it would pull enough of it away to make it very hard to see at the very least.

if you were near chicago, i'd offer to spend a day showing you, but my car won't allow me to pass tail of the dragon while traveling to atlanta, and that increases it well past a weekend trip

my suggestion is to seek out a local detailer that can either show you how to correct it, or if you'd rather, correct it for a fee

[dhuang]

Originally Posted by soundman98

it's not creating enough heat to move the paint around to 'heal' the issue... the trick is heating it up enough to pull it away(sap reacts quite well with heat, and can turn gummy enough to be pulled away), or otherwise blending it with the nearby paint. it requires some heat, but not a ton of heat.

Using heat is something I haven't tried. One of my detailing friends said that I should try a steamer with distilled water and see if it softens the crazy-hardened sap.

Originally Posted by soundman98

if you were near chicago, i'd offer to spend a day showing you, but my car won't allow me to pass tail of the dragon while traveling to atlanta, and that increases it well past a weekend trip

Trust me, resisting is not possible. I've made day trips from Atlanta out to Deal's Gap -- it's tiring, but doable. Better to stay in Fontana village during the week and touge early in the morning w/o all the "tourists."

[finch1750]

Rubbing alcohol. Hold it on the sap for a bit and it'll come right off

[ls1ac]

You might be lucky and the cracks could only be in the sap, then dirt into the cracks to look like it is deep.


solvent and low heat like a hair dryer on low..

[Ammunition]

@dhuang - It looks like the cracking is just within the hardened layer of sap, although it could have extended to the clear coat.

I recommend picking up 3M Adhesive Remover - it can be purchased at most automotive and major retail stores (e.g. AutoZone, Walmart.)

It's a bit expensive for an aerosol ($11 - 13,) but that product is a champ; in experience, it has taken off stubborn adhesive residue, road-grim, and sap (albeit not hardened to the extreme that you're dealing with) with ease - just be certain to avoid getting it on non-painted plastic trim, or exposed plastic of any other variant (it would leave etching.)

Be sure to let it dwell for a bit on the area (you could try lightly heating the sap w/ a hair-dryer prior,) and I'd spray a generous amount on whatever cloth you'll use to try to wipe/rub it off with.





Another idea would be to try utilizing cooking oil (vegetable-based,) via the same method; I haven't tried it with sap or on car paint, but I've used it to dissolve the gruesome-strong adhesive off of a little rat that was pasted to an adhesive-trap, so I imagine it to be paint-safe so long as the surface isn't warm/hot, nor exposed to direct-sunlight.

Barring that and the suggestions you've tried, you might need to seek the aid of an accredited detailer.

Good-luck to you, and I'm hopeful that you'll be able to get it all worked-out!

[Jesse36m3]

I've been detailing over ten years and have come across my fair share of sap. Laquer thinner will remove it, but typically not the stain left behind. You may have to do some wetsanding 1.5k - 2k then follow it with a buffer [compound, polish & wax] to get it looking prior to the incident.



Let me repeat, Laquer thinner. Not paint thinner.

[soundman98]

^ to follow up on this advice, pro's tend to have a better understanding of using lower sanding grits with light pressure than gorilla's like me. i'm pretty good at sanding through surfaces...

my preference, due to the lack of a margin of error, and the fact that i'm not exactly gentle in most things, is to start with the higher grits (2k in this case), with light pressure and do the work over a longer time, with constant checking of progress.

as far as my typical wetsanding procedure, i did a small how-to on another forum a while back for orange peel. same technique overall, but you're dealing with a small blemish instead of a fully blemished surface like my how-to.

https://www.club3g.com/forum/3118649-post22.html

[dhuang]

Thanks for all the knowledgeable advice guys! So far with the resources I've had access to...

I've tried...

• 70% IPA pads
• Hand sanitizer (letting it sit)
• Simple Green
• Goof Off (reduced it a bit, but the "raised-ness" is still there)
• Hot water on a towel (letting it sit)

Next up will be to try:

• Steamer
• DA w/ cutting compound
• Wetsanding (leaving it to a pro)
• Replace entire car

[el-guapin]

Good Luck. Do report back what if anything worked.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by dhuang

• Replace entire car

if you get to this point, i'll begrudgingly take it off your hands to see what kind of magic i can work into the motor-i mean paint.

[radroach]

tut-tut, don't leave your limited paint color car baking under a sap tree and not wash it off

Try Chemical Guy's Citrus Wash. It is a very strong soap, especially when you dilute a lot of it into your wash bucket. I find it removes stuck-on sap well, with a few wash mitt passes, no need to aggressively work the paint. If its still on, use a clay bar, lots of lube, and fold the clay bar after each sap dot you collect.

[zerodark]

I know it may sound crazy but have you tried peanut butter? My family used to live in New Hampshire (pine trees everywhere) and regularly get sap on their cars. I read about using a little bit of regular peanut butter on the sap and was amazed that it actually worked when I tried it (granted every time I used it on their cars the sap was still a blob and not dried up like your situation).