Tar spots and removing them

With all the resent cold weather and the amount of pot holes about the local council are getting there act together and filling them to create speed bumps. Any way with all this fresh tarmac around there is more and more risk that your car is going to be covered in it.

From washing my car today i had tar sports up all the doors, the skirts, front bumper rear bumper, mirror pods behind the wheel arches on the lower wings, so basically everywhere bar the roof and boot.

There are tar removers like AutoGlym Intensive Tar remover which work very well on small surfaces but for the larger areas its quicker to clay bar it to remove the spots and to also create a glass smooth finish on the paint work.

What ever method you choose make sure to wax the area afterward to protect the area and to make it easier to remove any more Tar you might pick up on your journeys.

good tip - thanks Pete

:cool:

Another tip, tar spots can also be removed with WD40 ;)

I have found clay doesn't always remove tar on a single pass or even a second, so it can still be time consuming to use.

Also Bilt Hammer clay doesn't require the use of a detailer product to lubricate it like some other brands. All you need is tap water :D

thanks for that Steve!

:cool:

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Originally Posted by pessling

There are tar removers like AutoGlym Intensive Tar remover which work very well on small surfaces but for the larger areas its quicker to clay bar it to remove the spots and to also create a glass smooth finish on the paint work.

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Peter - it might be me coming from an age of duco paint and "cut and polishing", or it might be that the Antipodes are still a long way from England, but I've not come across this "claying" concept until I joined this BB. My car arrived from England with lots of tiny hard spots on the paint that you cannot see, only feel, that I assume is hardened tar. I used a razor to remove them from the glass on the rear side windows (ZT-T), but haven't even tried on the paint.

Will claying do the job, and what exactly is it, please?

in this cold weather have 2 lumps of clay on the go- one in a pot of warm water, as it gets less pliable when it cools off- as do your hands

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Originally Posted by Malcolmr

Peter - it might be me coming from an age of duco paint and "cut and polishing", or it might be that the Antipodes are still a long way from England, but I've not come across this "claying" concept until I joined this BB. My car arrived from England with lots of tiny hard spots on the paint that you cannot see, only feel, that I assume is hardened tar. I used a razor to remove them from the glass on the rear side windows (ZT-T), but haven't even tried on the paint.

Will claying do the job, and what exactly is it, please?

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Have a look here [if i've posted the link correctly :rolleyes:] under Auto detailing clay http://www.meguiars.com/faq/index.cf...Detailing_Clay

Yes tar, fall out, tree sap, general rubbish, a claying will make the paint smooth as glass to the touch of your finger tips, also try the crisp packet test, using a foil type crisp packet split in half and rub against a clean car and you'll probably find it catches on the paint, clay bar it and then try the test again

Also see

https://www.two-sixties.co.uk/mgoc26...ead.php?t=4723

Thanks chaps - I did my usual cotton-wool and Brasso then polish trick on half the bonnet recently in an attempt to restore the surface but while it is now smooth to the touch there are too many swirl marks so I haven't tried doing this elsewhere. I'm now off to hunt out a claying kit!

Try here

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MEGUIARS-MEGU...item58865c46ee

Too easy! Thanks Colin!

My pleasure!

i use lighter petrol as this is very refined and is cheap works well

The megs kit is expensive compared with the competition. The quick clay kit contains a 50g clay bar and costs around £14.

The bilt Hamber clay bars are 250g, and are £10 at www.theultimatefinish.co.uk.
So you get 5 times as much clay for less money ;)

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Originally Posted by SteveW

The megs kit is expensive compared with the competition. The quick clay kit contains a 50g clay bar and costs around £14.

The bilt Hamber clay bars are 250g, and are £10 at www.theultimatefinish.co.uk.
So you get 5 times as much clay for less money ;)

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Not once you've shipped it to Australia!!

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Originally Posted by Ragman

Not once you've shipped it to Australia!!

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Shipping a 300g package to Oz costs £4.11 according to the Post office website, so still works much better value then the megs kit.

True enough!!