I had to park our '97 F-250 truck under some sort of a hardwood tree for one day and night. I cannot identify the tree species as of yet, but whatever it is the tree dripped some sticky, mostly clear, sap onto the hood of our Maroon Ford truck and that sap is NOT coming off very easily!

Regular auto washing soap got some of it off, but there is still enough there to be unsightly and I am afraid that if left there the sap will eat into and damage the paint.

What are the products -even non car specific chemicals -that you recomend for tree sap removal, but which will not damage the finish on the truck?

The original factory paint and finish on this truck are still quite nice as the truck was garaged before I bought it, and I want and need this truck to be my ride for a long time.

THANKS, in advance.

I don't know if it's best practice but have used WD40 and GooGone. I used some agressive solvent (goof-off?) but it seemed to be lifting more than the sap. WD gets tar off really well.

Guy at the carwash told me to use a rag soaked in gasoline. Then wash with soap and rewax the small area. I've done this a few times and it seems to work.

+ 1 on the Gas......make sure to wear rubber Gloves....

second for WD-40

I would wash your truck a few times,then check,and if needed further steps.

3M Weatherstrip Adhesive Remover (from your local auto parts store). It's great for removing the adhesive left behind from bumper stickers, and it works well for most tree sap too.

This will also remove the wax, but I've used it for years and never seen it damage automotive paints / clear coats. Just dampen a rag with the solvent, wipe away the sap and then apply a fresh coat of wax to the area and you should be good to go.

pee on it then wipe it off. the acid in pee works real good.

...trade it for a K98

chisel

3812s DuPont enamel reducer washed on with a clean cloth and wiped dry with same. Will remove stubborn road tars also and not harm your paint. A fast dry reducer. It will also remove any oils and most silicons so if you believe in wax you need to re-apply afterwards...

Cutting torch with a #4 tip

It's got to be unicorn pee.

It's THE BEST

Kerosene or diesel work great.

My more serious answer is elbow grease and dawn dish soap with a small cotton towel.

I'm not going to recommend anything solvent based because I don't want to see anybody wreck their paint trying to remove a little sap.

Tree sap?

Acetone.

listen to dave,piss on it.did you try bug and tar remover


finger nail polish remover is 90% acetone

Carb and Choke cleaner works best for removing sticky gummy stuff.

I have not tried anything, yet. Symptoms like restless leg syndrome etc. had me up and down most of the night so I am just now getting rolling here at 8:15.

I plan to try the WD-40 then Dawn soap ideas first, but if I need to resort to the pee on it I will be glad that I have a 'hose' that will reach up there without me having to climb up

Doesn't that also eat into the finish? Seems to me like it would be pretty harsh on the clear coat and paint.

This truck having been garaged its whole life, still has its clear coat and shinyness fully in tact. One of those great find, bought it from the original owner who was a retired engineer and able to keep it up perfectly kind of deals. Zero fading, wash out or other defects. Sherri and I are way blessed to have found this truck and large 5th wheel all together in one package for the same amount of money we sold our Avalanche and 25 foot light trailer for.

Starting tomorrow, truck and trailer are our home for 5 or 6 weeks other than my hospital stay of about one week.

A big THANK YOU to all who have offered constructive advice and ideas. I really want to take great care of this truck and drive it for a long, long time.

It never has when I have used it. I have used it several times to get the film left behind by the decal stickers on vehicles, I tried WD40, goo gone, acetone, and none of them come close to carb and choke cleaner. I never saw any adverse affects to the paint because of it. YMMV

Thanks for the input there. If I have to resort to that, I shall.

If I ruin the pain, that will give me an excuse to paint the whole thing bright yellow







JUST KIDDING! Looked great on my Avalanche, but would not look so good on so large a truck.

Or mineral spirits. Nothing real strong.

Tannerite!!!

Chainsaw

WD40 and Dawn soap worked terrific. THANKS EVERYONE!

Maybe, ....but they seem "Puny".

GTC

AA goin to set you straight, you bragging on that ole thang again..