turpentine

MasterofDisaster

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Spring has sprung in Michigan, and we've had sap on our cars. The rental next door has a giant cottonwood that leave sticky, sappy seeds over a large area. Alcohol had been effective in removing the sap, but it's a little harsh.
I thought I'd try turpentine because it's made from really sappy trees. It works better than alcohol at removing sap and the stupid cottonwood seeds. It's oily, and it doesn't damage the finish. It also removes road tar as well as the kerosene based products. A quart is about $10, but you don't use much.
Probably want to clean it up and apply wax as soon as you've removed the contaminant from your finish.
 

Aerofinz

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Cottonwoods are the worst! The sap and the spring "snow" all over everything! I had the same issue at my first house (also Michigan) nearly 30 years ago from a 100 foot tall cottonwood. After trying WD40, tree sap remover, 4 letter words, etc. I finally used ice cubes! Working directly in the sun on a hot day I glided the ice cubes over the gooey sap which fairly quickly turned them into a hard blob I could then wipe off. Tedious and lots of cubes but it worked to remove hundreds of spots. I then learned to spray the car off first thing in the morning before the sun hit the sap turning it into gooey mess. That prevented 99% of the sap issues.

Thanks for the idea of turpentine! And hoping I never need it again!
 

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