Insects, resin and tar can accumulate on your car's surface and penetrate through the paint, leaving bad marks and compromising visibility. Fortunately, all of these three substances can be removed without much effort. Read on to find out how to remove any sticky residue from your car to make it shine like the first day.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Remove the Bugs
Step 1. Don't wait too long
Insect "juice" could dry up by getting into your car's paint, and if you wait too long to clean it it would become nearly impossible to remove insect traces without removing even a thin layer of paint.
Step 2. Clean your car regularly to remove any bugs that have accumulated up to that point
If you've taken a road trip or driven on country roads, encountering lots of bugs, clean your car within a day or two of returning home.
Step 3. Rub WD-40 on your car body
This oily substance will soften dead insects and make them easier to remove. Apply it to the surface of your car with a cloth or using the spray can, and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Do not use the WD-40 on the windshield or windows. Being an oily substance, it would be very difficult to remove.
- Don't have the WD-40? Try a bug and tar remover. Your local auto parts store should have a large selection of products that can remove traces of insects.
- This method is also great for removing traces of tar.
Step 4. Scrub the bugs away
After the WD-40 takes effect, use a towel to remove the bugs in a circular motion. Be very careful not to scratch too much, you could damage the paint.
- Don't use the abrasive side of a sponge or steel wool to remove bugs from your car - you will scratch the paint.
- If you clean your car before the bugs dry out, one pass should be enough to remove them. If they have dried out and penetrated deeply, you may have to repeat the process by reapplying WD-40, letting it sit, and wiping again with the towel.
Step 5. Clean the windshield and windows
You will need something else to remove the bugs from the glass parts of your car. A mix of dish soap and water is usually sufficient, but if you think you need something stronger, you can find window cleaner at your local auto parts store.
- Spray soapy water on windshields and windows. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Scrub the bugs away. For stubborn bugs, use the abrasive side of a dish sponge.
Step 6. Wash the car
Once the bugs are removed, wash your car thoroughly to remove any residue from any products you used in the process.
Part 2 of 3: Remove the Resin
Step 1. Remove the resin regularly after a few weeks
The resin tends to form a thick and strong layer if it is not removed regularly. If your car tends to collect a lot of resin, try to clean it every other week, remembering to clean it more often during the summer, when it will be concentrated and stain more easily. Doing this regularly will prevent you from having to work excessively to remove the buildup of months and months.
Step 2. Soak a cloth in alcohol and apply it to the resin
You could also apply a resin remover from a car repair shop, but alcohol will work just as well. Let the cloth cover the offending area for at least 10 minutes. The alcohol will begin to break down and soften the encrusted resin.
Step 3. Scrub the area to remove the resin
Use a microfiber cloth to remove the softened resin. If it doesn't come off, you should cover it for another 10-20 minutes. Keep drenching it in alcohol and scrubbing it until it's completely gone.
- If the resin is particularly stubborn, coat it with WD-40, which should help loosen its grip. Don't use the WD-40 on the windows, though.
- Do not use an abrasive sponge or any other rough material to scrape off the resin from the body of your car because, along with the resin, the paint will also come off.
Step 4. Scrape away stubborn resin from windshields and windows
If the dried resin does not come off the glass, use a cutter blade to scrape it off. Be very careful and do not use this method to remove resin from painted parts of your car.
Step 5. Wash the car
With the resin removed, you should wash the car to remove any residue. Some small residues of resin could in fact end up on other parts of the car, forcing you to deal with the problem again.
Part 3 of 3: Remove the Tar
Step 1. Coat the tar with the right product to soften it
Of the three sticky substances that can dry out on your car - bugs, resin and tar - tar is the easiest to remove. Another advantage is that there are several substances that we all have at home that can remove it. Coat the tar with one of the following for 1 minute to soften it:
- WD-40 (not on windshield and windows)
- Goo gone (or any other equivalent adhesive remover)
- Peanut butter
- Special product for the removal of tar
Step 2. Scrub the tar away
Use a soft cloth to remove the softened tar. If it still resists, apply the product again and wait a few minutes before trying again. Keep applying the product you are using and scrubbing until the car is completely tar free.
Step 3. Wash the car
When the tar is gone, wash your car to get rid of any residue from the product you used.
Advice
- The WD-40 is also great for removing tar.
- Work slowly. Don't try to force things to do first. Be patient, these methods will work without a doubt.
- As an alternative to normal denatured alcohol, you can use wheat alcohol. Do not use isopropyl alcohol.
- If there are large lumps of resin, even dry, the method described here will work better than any commercial product. Just "soak" the area a little longer, until the consistency of the resin feels like a melting hard candy. At this point you can start removing it.
- Wax the car after washing it.
- Don't let your car get submerged in bugs, resin or tar before cleaning it, or it will take you all day.
- Soft terry cloths are ideal for this type of use. Make sure you remove as much lint as possible by shaking the cloth a few times.
- Do not apply denatured alcohol to areas where paint is missing and exposed metal, or primer. Doing so would cause the paint to start coming off.
Warnings
- Don't use alcohol near an open flame or while you're smoking.
- Use denatured alcohol in a well-ventilated area. The vapors are quite intense.
- Test rubbing alcohol on a small, out of sight area to see if it can cause problems for your paint. Paints are generally not affected by alcohol unless applied for more than 5 minutes.
