Tips from Bennett Toyota to Help Remove Tar from Your Car’s Paint

Nov 25, 2014

We all love to see the roads being repaired and the surfaces smoothed out, but there can be a downside to the roadwork—tar on the paint. When it is hot outside or the tar is fresh on the road, your tires will kick it up right onto your paint. If you drive too close to the person in front of you, his/her car will do a fine job or tarring your car as well. Macungie area Toyota has tips to help you remove tar from your car’s paint.

Five Products that May Remove Tar

Every driver has his or her own remedy for removing tar from the car’s paint. From commercial products to at-home solutions, there are many different ways to remove tar debris. The service team has selected a few of our favorites. Remember to test the product on a small area before you apply it to a larger area. A few remedies include:

WD-40Commercial tar remover
Clay bar
Oily foods: peanut butter, butter, mayonnaise
Goo Gone

If you use a household remedy to remove the tar, apply the product to affected area and allow it to sit for 3-5 minutes. Products such as Goo Gone, WD-40, and commercial solutions may only require 30 seconds or more. Once the time is up, use a terry cloth to wipe the area clean. Depending on the severity of the build-up, you might have to use a bit of elbow grease to get rid of the tar.

If you use the clay bar, as many professional detailers and body shop technicians do, rub the clay bar over the paint until the tar is gone. Follow the clay bar up with a wax product to restore the paint’s shine.