I have recently moved to a new house from my condo and there are rather alot of pine needles in the yard (with pine trees overhead) and while the homeowner has said there is no sap to be found on his cars, I'm betting there is and he was simply being deceptive.

Is there a typical season during which SAP is most heavily dumped? I have read the fall, but I'm not really sure.

Thought some of the professional detailers might know the time of year they find the most sap on customer cars.

Thanks!

 

It may just be that the homeowner never knew what sao looked like on the paint. Most people have no clue what their cars should look like and/or if there are imperfections like tree sap on the paint.

As for timing, I looked around on the net for a bit and there wasn't anything solid on the timing of when there would be more sap. I think it would be a function of the type of tree. I would also think that temprature would play a role. If it's a warmer day, the sap would be more liquid-like and if the tree has lots of pressure in it from the heat, that sap may come out through the pores of the leaves and/or the tree trunk.

To remove the sap, claying usually does the trick if it's been on the paint for a while and hardened. Otherwise, some rubbing alcohol does the trick. Just make sure to polish and wax the area where there was sap.

Hope this helps.

 

More during the summer here in VA from my experiences.

 

Definitely. THanks Moe.

Thanks.

I parked my F250 overnight in the driveway and found 1 rather large spot on the roof today (like 1.5 quarters in size) that seems to be it. It wasn't dried yet, so it wiped off rather easily.

Hopefully the sap stops in the next month or 2...Fingers Crossed.

 

Just maintain the paint with a coat of sealant and you shouldnt have any issues with the sap.

 

The truck is wearing Collinite 845IW (Caranuba) and the M3 is wearing Werkstatt Acryllic Jet (Sealant).

I was under the impression that no matter the protective coat, SAP takes a serious toll on the car when allowed to dry.

 

richie, sap sucks I have seen it etch a ton of clear that I have been working with lately.

how are you doing?

 

Tree resin (sap)
[: the resin produced by most plants is a viscous liquid, composed mainly of volatile fluid terpenes, with lesser components of dissolved non-volatile solids which make resin thick and sticky. Some resins also contain a high proportion of resin acids. Some resins when soft are known as 'oleo-resins', and when containing benzoic acid or cinnamic acid they are called balsams] [Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University]

Appears like a dark brown/ rust red coloured raised surface mark, some of the most common resinous tree sap types are: White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Walnut (also secretes an oily residue) Maple, Oak, Popular, and Blue Spruce, none of which are water soluble, the acidic content of the sap will etch the paint surface; causing a concave surface.

A lot depends upon the type of sap, which is actually an acidic resin emitted from the tree, the resin deposits can be removed by- Isopropyl alcohol (IPA), a safe solvent (Stoner’s Tarminator®) or turpentine, which is made from tree resins, in severe cases it can be used to break down the resin in tree sap, use as a last resort only and use sparingly and do not rub hard and give it some time to work and then use detailer’s clay.

 

I'm going to try and stay on top of it checking the vehicles daily and spot treating it when I find it. That said, it really does suck. Ill pick up some Tarminator early next week and I already have a bunch of spray wax to treat the areas. Then 1x or 2x a year the cars will get a full detail.

Im also now contemplating doing a clear film wrap on the entire center of the M3 (Hood, Roof, Trunk) to protect the clear and paint...your thoughts?

I am doing well...nothing too crazy to report just working like crazy to afford some more toys.

Thanks! Im going to stick with Tarminator and Turtle Wax Tar remover.

 

At work I unfortunately have to park under some pine trees and am frequently dealing with sap. There doesn't seem to be a particular time where they aren't dripping sap, although spring seems to be the worst and winter the best.

I bought a couple of those small plastic travel bottles. I put a mix of alcohol and water in one and some wax in the other. I keep them in a baggy in the car with a small MF towel. Whenever I see a glob of sap the alcohol takes it right off, and I follow with a quick bit of wax. This works well for bird droppings as well. Just make sure you are using a clean section of towel. This way nothing is sitting on the paint for too long.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

Luckily my sap problem is at home where I keep the massive detailing arsenal so I should be good to go when I do find it. Either way, I'm glad I didn't buy this house and am only renting for the time being.

 

If the sap is very fresh, usually it can be washed off w/ warm/hot water. This will even work after it's hardened a bit too but you'll have to lay a mf towel or rag on top and pour the water on letting it steep for a few minutes (i.e steeping a tea bag). This carries in line w/ using the least invasive method possible to fix a problem.

If it's hardened and just small quick spots, clay will pick it off the surface. Otherwise if it's blobs try either diluted rubbing alcohol or for really stubborn blobs denatured alcohol will make quick work of it.

No matter which method, follow up by re-protecting the area affected w/ a quick wax.