i have tree sap on my paint, i can use my finger nail to get it off and the paint is good under it. i have tryed turtle wax sap and tar remover,i used wd 40, it dosent even get soft it stays hard and chips off and leaves paint un marked what else can i use . should i buff it ?my veh is a 1988 300 se

i use a chemical made by hi-tech called sap zapper. pro car beauty also sells a sap remover...here in pa i am unable to purchase it due to VOC laws. www.prowax.com a distributor will let you meet them at a dealer as well. i always use chemicals for what theyre designed for.


someone once told me gasoline worked. i never tried it. otherwise stop at a local dealer and go right to the detail bay. when i worked there i would always give customers stuff cuz i didnt pay for it.

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95 E320 24k
07 E550 4matic 20k Soon to go
1977 240d 481k
2013 SL 600


Non MBs

02 Ford F250 Lariat 4 Quad Cab 7.3 Diesel 95k
01 Chevy Suburban 249K LT 5.3 V8
88 Saab SPG Convertible 32k
06 Lincoln Mark LT 59k
62 VW Bug
52 Bentley Mark IV
53 GMC half Ton Pickup
08 VW Beetle convertible 2k
07 bmw x5 4.8i 17k
03 bmw x5 4.4i 40k
08 Range Rover S 9K

Gasoline and a match are quite effective . . . . Just be careful, because it CAN damage your clear coat.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

I use Meguiar's cleaner wax it works great.

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1976 240D
1976 240D parts car
1970 220D daily driver

if i wipe down the paint with rubbing alcohal will it hurt the paint it takes the sap off right away

I also recommend using Meguiar's Cleaner Wax to remove tree sap. It definitely will not harm your paint. It also works well on wheels, provided you use it regularly and don't allow a heavy accumulation of brake dust.

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Fred Hoelzle

depending on the type of sap and the size of the droplets, paint cleaning clay might be another thing to try.

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Kevin Arburn
Overland Park, KS
1987 560SL

A little-known detailer's trick involves rubbing with a moistened Bounce dryer sheet. That works very effectively on splattered bugs, etc., although I have never tried it to remove sap. In any event, you will need to re-wax the treated area after using a dryer sheet. Let us know your results with whatever technique eventually works.

Edit: As Karburn advised, my first course of action would always be detailer's clay. Very few things are immune to the beneficial effects of clay.

BTW, one of the other posts suggests that rubbing alcohol hurts the paint. Not necessarily true. Using 50:50 dilution of rubbing alcohol is standard procedure when wet sanding automotive paint. Perhaps the intent was only to suggest that it removes wax, which I imagine it does, but without harming the paint itself.

De-natured alcohol not rubbing alcohol. It doesn't clean as rapidly but it also doesn't evaporate as fast leaving the "white" areas.

Its much simpler than you guys are making it. Diesel fuel, or kerosine. and remember to wax it in that spot after you are done, cause you are removing any wax also.

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81 300SD daily driver/project
86 420SEL (sold)
85 380SE(in the graveyard)

mineral spirits is my weapon of choice. easy to get and has many uses. charcoal lighter fluid is similar if not the same. good on a rag to clean your hands of grease and oil.

I've never heard of that before. Does it matter which brand you use?

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Never used anything other than "Bounce" brand.

__________________
1988 California version 260E (W124)
Anthracite Grey/Palomino
Owned since new and still going strong and smooth
MBCA member

Past Mercedes-Benz:
1986 190E Baby Benz
1967 230 Inherited from mom when she downsized
1959 220S Introduced me to the joys of keepin' 'em goin'

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world--those who understand binary and those who don't

Any idea which ingredient it is that gets the sap off?

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles