Road grime removal?

[Heavy351]

I spend alot of time on blacktop roads here in PA and I am having difficulty removing what I suppose is road tar from behind the front and rear wheels.

After using car wash soap and a sponge mitt the stuff will not come off! Seems like a waste to dry to drag my clay bar (want to save it for the upper half of the car) through it and I feel wary about scraping with anything harsher than my fingernail. Every cleaner I have will probably damage the paint..There is a bottle of "goo be gone" I have but I am going to wait to see what you guys say.

Do you guys address this mechanically or chemically?

Am I missing some secret detail technique for this?



PS: how long should a clay bar really last anyway?

[Tallboy]

i squirt a little wd-40 on a rag for the road grime. i usually get two cars worth of use from a clay bar. hope this helps...:)

[Heavy351]

i squirt a little wd-40 on a rag for the road grime. i usually get two cars worth of use from a clay bar. hope this helps...:)

WD-40 is a solvent isnt it? I can see why that would work. Do you fear for your clearcoat?

[Tallboy]

WD-40 is a solvent isnt it? I can see why that would work. Do you fear for your clearcoat?
i rinse it with soap and water immediately after, just to be on the safe side.:D

[CRUZTAKER]

Kerosene works well, and won't harm the paint. Mix a small batch with a little scalding water to warm it up. We used to wash cars down with kerosene back in the day after rustproofing and before detailing. Rinses off easily with hot soapy water.

I will occationally use it on my rear quarters and megs tips after a long weekend at the track.

[rayjay]

WD-40 :up: Used it clean off the under coating overspray.

[Dr Caleb]

Turtle Wax - Bug and Tar remover.

There is only blacktop here, and it's road construction season. Tar and Oil are par for the course. It won't hurt your paint, but will remove the wax.

It's great for those cooked on bugs all over the front end too.

[EbonyMarauder03]

I would agree with Dr. Caleb on the Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover. Afterwards wash the area and hit it with some wax.

Where in PA are you? I'm in the Montgomeryville area...and boy are they tearing roads up here. :help: :mad2:

[MarauderMark]

This will also work for melted rubber as well?

[Petrograde]

I just got done using the Zaino Clay Bar for the first time.

I've had my MM for a little over year now, I didn't realize how much crud had built up!

Holy Crap!!! What a difference! I used Dawn dish detergent to strip the wax.

I took me about a hour to clay the whole car. Afterward I washed it again and there were NO WATER SPOTS! I water just beaded up and dried off! great stuff!!! :up:

I haven't even waxed her yet and she looks great!!! better than the 4 coats of Zaino I stripped off!

[Rob1559]

WD 40 What else is there?

Trivia question.
How did WD40 get its' name, and what does it mean?

[rayjay]

WD 40 What else is there?

Trivia question.
How did WD40 get its' name, and what does it mean?
I'll take a shot, water dispersent, not sure on the 40, maybe formula 40. I believe it was developed for the space program, many moons ago.

[Tallboy]

I'll take a shot, water dispersent, not sure on the 40, maybe formula 40. I believe it was developed for the space program, many moons ago.
we have a winner!!!:banana:

[Heavy351]

I would agree with Dr. Caleb on the Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover. Afterwards wash the area and hit it with some wax.

Where in PA are you? I'm in the Montgomeryville area...and boy are they tearing roads up here. :help: :mad2:

I am near Delmont/ Monroeville (30 min East of Pittsburgh) and take the 2 lane 266 & 366 to work. Lots of blacktop and general crud on the roads here. I am going to try a few of these methods as soon as I get a free night this week.

You guys rule!

[gdmjoe]

FWIW - Mineral Spirits.

Cheaper than WD-40.

Doesn't leave a residue.

*Be sure to polish / wax afterwards.

[Rob1559]

Here is the straight poop from the source,
"Big Damn Book of Sheer Manliness" by the Von Hoffmann Bros.

WD40 was created for the aerospace industry in 1953 by The Rocket Chemical Company of San Diego Ca.

WD stands for Water Displacement

40 stands for the number of attempts before they were successful. 40

Hence WD40. TADA!

[ts-pa]

After seeing gdmjoes very clean, sweet ride, I'd take his advice on car cleaning anytime.

[gdmjoe]

After seeing gdmjoes very clean, sweet ride, I'd take his advice on car cleaning anytime.
Tom - Thanks for the kind words.

Et al - Auto under-coating establishments ( like Ziebart ) usually give you a small bottle of liquid to clean-off dripping residue; yep - it's Mineral Spirits.

Use to be that most commercial tar-removing products were ( or contained a lot of ) Mineral Spirits. *Haven't opened a can at Pep-Boys/AutoZone/etc. lately and taken a whif so can't speak to what new-fangled concoction they now contain.