Washing vehicles.

That combination is awfully rough on your paint, Cuhu.

Try this...Add a cup of kerosene to a gallon of water. You can add a small amount of a mild kitchen dishwashing liquid to assist. Some people dont add anything. Stir it up and wash with it.

The kerosene is not a great solvent for paint but it will soften and help you remove the sap. You can just rinse the car off afterward and when it dries, it should look like it has been waxed.

I have used this for years. Try it on a hidden area of paint to be sure it works for you.

DO NOT USE lacquer thinner, toluene, or anything like that.

Soft Scrub:

DAMN! You trying to remove the PAINT as well?!?!?

Remind me to keep *BOTH* of more than arm's length from my cars!!!!

Have you actually *used* this method?

I use this for old computer cases someone has smoked too close to, but never a car!

However, I do have an old Corolla in the back yard...

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3173.bay.webtv.net:

Do you know if it's enamel or oil base? If you *know* it's enamel (or baked I guess) use turps. Where do you think it comes from?

Bon Ami works as a scrub for really dead, dead, dead paint although it won't look right unless you buff and wax it afterward. Seriously. Would I lie to you about something so important?

nate

Turps (turpentine) comes from trees. It can be a powerful paint solvent. I would be very careful before I used it.

Kerosene is a much poorer solvent, and that is an advantage. It can take off rosin without harming the paint, in my experience.

The clue about Bon Ami is also a good one. It is a very gentle compound based on feldspar. I have seen it used many times as a gentle polishing compound. It is not at all a strong abrasive.

I would hope not! I think if anybody has a clue as to how I feel about my cars, you're right up there!

Tree sap is a bear to remove. I use a couple methods. First if it is not baked on good old soap and water on a cotton ball. Set it on the spot and keep it wet. The water will soak in and soften the sap. If the sap has baked and set up it gets harder. What you can use then is a simple plastic scraper. I use the plastic scrapers sold that fit into a standard razor scraper. But a credit card works just as good if it has a good edge. Once you have most of it scraped off spray a SMALL amount of WD40 on the spot and let it set a second or two. Then use a SOFT cloth and wipe off the residue.

Then wash with plain water and some dish soap or car wash soap. Wipe it down and give it a double coat of wax.

Strong enough.

Trivia question. What was one factory/dealer prescribed use of Bon-Ami in the early 50's?

On Sep 20, 10:15 am, "Steve W." wrote: ng compound.   It is not at all a strong abrasive.

GM/Chevrolet

Dont know if it was dealer recommended, but they sometimes used it when they thought they had glazed rings in an engine. It was fed gently down the carburetor. I dont remember if they put it in water or fed the dust down.

In the 50s, rings often wore out or maybe even glazed before the car had

I second the kerosene idea. In fact, one Chrysler product we bought came with a car care kit including a road tar remover. It sure smelled like kerosene, and I have been told that tar removers you find in auto parts stores are primarily kerosene. That tree sap is a lot like tar.

About twenty years ago, I bought a gallon of kerosene at a gas station, for cleaning up some old car parts.At the gas station, I had to sign my name for the kerosene before I paid for it.

I think I have a small can of turpentine around here somewhere.I have a gallon can of mineral spirits.I will try some of that with a rag on the tree sap.If that doesn't work, next time I go to the store I will buy some Bon Ami and turpentine.Mineral spirits is very good for removing road tar from cars and trucks. cuhulin

I just went through this with the '91 240SX. Had about a year's worth of sap that appeared to be permanent. The local car wash had a pre-soak they sprayed on it, waited a couple of minutes, took it off with the steam wand, then ran it through the wash. Whole thing took less than 5 minutes , cost $6 & the sap was gone. According to the guy at the car wash, if that didn't work, the only alternative is to clay it off.

Dont use turpentine on your car, Cuhu...They have used that as paint thinner for years.

Be sure your mineral spirits is not an aromatic naphtha.

A long time ago, in the old West bang bang shoot em up days, some people who mixed up anything they had on hand for making booze to sell, some people put turpentine and wood alcohol, anything and everything, in that stuff.Some people went blind, some people died from drinking that stuff.

I tried some mineral spirits on the tree sap, it didn't phase that sap.Then, I was in my bathroom, I saw a mostly empty can of Ajax clenser on top of the bathroom cabinet.I wet a rag with water and I sprinkled some Ajax on the rag.Water and Ajax clenser works good for removing those tree sap spots.I need to buy an electric polisher to make the job go faster. cuhulin

You hate your paint, don't you? Seriously, now you're going to have to buff it with rubbing compound and then polish and wax it for it ever to look right again.

nate

GM and Ford both used it. GM actually had a service notice about using the stuff. You started the engine and with it running at a high idle you gently dusted 2 tablespoons into the carb. It would get drawn in an stick to the cylinder walls. Ring motion then carried it and it would de-glaze the rings/cylinders. In theory it was also fine enough that it didn't damage the bearings. I always wondered if it may have been the reason some folk complained about soft camshafts, can't think of a reason why it wouldn't grind in between those older flat lifters the same as it did the rings.

Ford did about the same thing except they didn't put it in writing. (at least I have never seen it)