removing pine sap from car w/o damaging paint job?

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I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum for this, but I've posted automotive questions here before and thought I'd try again.

My parking spot at work is under pine trees and I keep getting globs of pine sap all over my car. Does anyone have an effective (and hopefully foolproof) way of getting it off? The globs are mainly on my roof and hood, but there are two globs on my windshield, as well.

Someone else had suggested WD-40. Does anyone know from experience if that actually works?

WD-40 is my go to "sticky stuff" remover. I don't recall using it on it on pine sap but I think it would do the job. Vegetable oil might work if you want to try something a little more organic.
I've used WD-40 on my car without a problem, however, I would recommend removing the residue with soap and water just to be safe.

Oh I know....Acetone (aka nail varnish remover) would work and it won't damage the finish on your car either. Alternatively, try lighter fluid or turpentine.

Hope you can swap parking spots. Or cut down the pine tree.

Try Clay Bar it's the best non abrasive way to make your car look like new.

I would definately avoid using acetone, on this, and use something milder, like kerosene, which is what a lot of used car dealerships use to remove the residue left behind by bumper stickers. You may also have decent results with rubbing or denatured alcohol or even straight Pine-Sol or Turpentine. --If you use Denatured Alcohol bear in mind that this is usually methanol, and it may possibly destroy any rubber parts near the pine tar that you want to remove.

I had the exact same issue on my Lotus Elise, which had just gotten resprayed. It was in a garage with pine beams. Even though the garage was like 100 years old it still leaked sap (! !).. I took it back to the body shop and they took care of it for around $500, including a buff job. There was some minor etching, so the buffing was necessary. I'm not sure what their whole process was.

By the way, if this is ongoing, don't park your car there, or if you have to, put a plastic outdoor cover on it! And have a bag for the cover.

Thanks. Yeah, I was thinking of just doing it in the parking lot of the car wash next time I'm there and running it through as soon as I'm done, especially since some of the globs are on my windshield.

$500? Did you try to get the garage to reimburse you?



This is a Point A-to-Point B vehicle I use for commuting and making home visits to clients on a daily basis, so I'm not sure I see myself wrestling with a cover every day, several times a day. I used to be more protective of the car when I first bought it, but considering this is a '10 Corolla that's parked outside year-round and had been rear-ended by idiots and dented by runaway shopping carts on multiple occasions, a little pine sap probably isn't going to be the end of the world at this point. It's mainly just that some of the sap's in the middle of my windshield and it's annoying.

No, it was a rental house I was living in and if I had tried, the owner would have called my bluff because I can't go to small claims over a $500 matter. Better to keep the peace. It wasn't really his negligence anyway.

You sure you want clients to see you in a 2010 Corolla?

I'm a social worker for low-income people with disabilities, many of whom live well below the poverty line. So, my goal is to help my clients, not to try to impress them. (Or, really anyone else, for that matter). In some of the housing projects and other sketchy neighborhoods I visit, half the the time I'm sticking out like a sore thumb even just with my late-model Corolla.

Well if you're only worried about it on your windshield feel free to use abrasive substances

I'm not kidding it works a treat, then just use dish washing soap.

I don't know if this guy parks under a pine tree or not and I don't recommend doing this to your car - but - it would eliminate most of your pine sap problem and it's a very "green" solution.
The downsides would be an increased water bill and having to find a good gardener.
The upside would be having a nice, grassy picnic spot with you at all times.

^^ Lol, I love it.