With every season change comes something new you have to worry about with auto detailing. In the winter, it’s salt; in the spring, it’s pollen; in the summer, it’s hard water stains; and in the fall, it’s dead leaves and tree sap. Tree sap is one of the more stubborn substances to remove from your car’s surface, but it’s not an impossible task. When you park closely under trees, the dripping sap can sometimes just be unavoidable. Mobile Detailing Pros is here to help with our fall detailing tips on how to remove tree sap from your vehicle’s surface.
Auto Detailing Tip #1: Address the Problem Quickly
The longer you let debris like tree sap, mud, or dead bugs sit on your car, the more difficult they’ll be to remove and the more damage they will do to your vehicle’s finish. You want to be sure to jump on your auto detailing the day you notice the sap on your car.
Auto Detailing Tip #2: Use Warm Water When Removing Sap
Tree sap is sugary and incredibly sticky, which means spraying your car with cold water like they do in quick, drive-thru car washes simply won’t cut it.
In order to remove any sticky, sweet substance like that from your vehicle, you’re going to need warm water to dissolve the sugars.
Auto Detailing Tip #3: Hand Washing Will Wield Better Results
It’s hard to tell when you’ve successfully removed all the sap from the surface of your car; a thin layer of residue often remains, worsening the longer you leave the sap on your car. It’s easier to ensure you remove all traces of the sticky sap if you give your vehicle a warm hand wash.
Auto Detailing Tip #4: Detailing Solvents Can Help Remove the Remainder
As we said above, it’s very common to have some residual sap after a warm hand wash, especially if it took you a while to notice the sap in the first place. It’s crucial that you don’t pick at the remainder with your fingernails or smear it around.
You can use a detailing solvent spray to help you get rid of that last little bit of stick mess without doing any damage to your vehicle’s finish. After you’ve applied the solvent and given it a little time to soak in and dissolve the sap, moisten a microfiber cloth and wipe away any remnants of sap.
Auto Detailing Tip #5: Never Forget to Finish by Drying and Waxing Your Vehicle
Drying and waxing are crucial steps in any successful auto detailing process. Drying your vehicle completely using a microfiber towel will prevent streaks and water stains from forming. Once the vehicle is thoroughly dried, you can apply wax to prevent scratches, fading, or other such damages from occurring to your vehicle’s finish. These two steps are an essential part of every auto detailing process and should not be left out.
Auto Detailing Tip #6: Admit When It’s Time to Take It to a Professional
Sometimes it is simply too difficult to remove the sticky mess that’s on your car. If you’ve ignored sap on your car for months, for example, thinking you’d get to it eventually but just never got around to it, you might need an auto detailing expert’s help in removing all traces of sap without damaging your finish.
Mobile Detailing Pros will come and detail your car, boat, RV, or motorcycle at your home, garage, or even the parking lot of your work. We can remove any traces of that difficult, sticky tree sap and have your vehicle looking as shiny as it did when it was new. Our prices are reasonable and our services are always exceptional.
