Weird little dirt dots...

[toyotaowner]

I notice that everyday there's little "dots" of god knows what on my cars. I really have no idea what they are. It's like soft and attaches to the paint and it eventually hardens and is a pain in the a$$ to get it off.

I just washed both my cars and just a couple hours later there were these little dots on them (soft which indicates it prolly just attached).

I can't figure what these things are? Sap?

BTW, when it's "fresh" on the paint, it's dark brown color but when it hardens it's a red....

[travisdecpn]

DO you park under trees? It's most likely sap if you park under trees, especially pine.

[toyotaowner]

Not under them but near them. I've also noticed these little dots on my home door, the patio door, and the windows.


Weird.

[Jimmy Buffit]

Assume that it is tree sap.

Try a mix of IsopropylRubbing Alcohol and water (50/50- 1:1). Allow the solution to dwell several minutes. Be sure to us an Ultimate Wipe MF towel to remove. Terry towels will typically leave 'scrub marks'.

Frequently, this process removes the 'cap', but leaves the 'base' of the contaminent. Now is a good time to bring out the claybar. That should fix the problem.

On a few occasions, a rotary/foam pad/DACP seems to pull the balance.

Pine sap seems to be the worst 'perp', and I've seen (microscopically) genuine etching from this clear gooey stuff!

G'luck!

Jim

[travisdecpn]

Tarminator from Stoner's is another good solution.

[TOGWT]

~One mans opinion / observations~

Tree Resin (Sap):
(Appears like a brown/ red coloured surface mark) some of the most common resinous tree sap types are: White Pine, 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.

Factors as to the amount of time it takes to remove sap and what damage it has caused are dependent on temperature and time the sap has been on the paint surface. Be careful and take your time removing it, remember always let the products do the work for you.

Tree sap that is still soft can be removed by soaking with Isopropyl Alcohol (or Stoner’s Terminator) wet the area with the product and allow it to remain on the surface for 3-5 minutes, then wipe with soft dry towel.
For tree sap that has hardened, carefully scrape the top of the spot off with a plastic razor blade to expose the softer sap inside.

Soak a towel with the solvent placing it over the sap and let soak for 10-minutes, repeat in order for the solvents to break down the sap, once its removed re-apply sealant / wax protection of your choice Some saps will lift and crack the paint, this damage will require refinishing

Turpentine 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.

~Hope this helps~

Knowledge unshared is experience wasted
justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

I have to agree with what has been said thus far. It does sound like you have a tree weeping sap.

Keep us posted!!

Tim

[Superior Shine]

Follow the advice given then cut down every tree in a 4 mile radius of your home!

[1BadMach1]

I also have the same problem, very small dark brown spots about 1/16th of an inch in diameter. The little buggers are hard to get off and I get them all of the time. most of the time they come off pretty easily with bug and tar remover but it seems when they get hard, you have to use your thumb nail to slide them off. I park pretty close to maple trees, but never under them. I don't know for sure what they are but it usually adds an hour to the detail.

[Lt1Corvette]

Originally posted by Superior Shine
Follow the advice given then cut down every tree in a 4 mile radius of your home!

While you’re at it, the bird population could use adjusting to!