Safely Removing Tar From Paint

[KenS999]

Hi I have a 2017 wolf pup. I have tar on the front of the travel trailer from when they were spraying the roads when I was in the Southwest. Forest River sprayed my trailer paper thin with paint. So I am reluctant to use anything harsh on the paint surface. I have already tried clay bar peanut butter and WD-40 with no success. Any advice on how to Safely remove the tar spray would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ken.

[KyDan]

Kerosene. or diesel fuel and a soft rag.

[Stank Bait]

Naptha or just old style cigarette lighter fluid which is naptha.

[A32Deuce]

I use bug and that remover from Turtle Wax.

[PSU Turf]

I made the mistake of using clay bar to remove tar from the front of my trailer. It took the tar off but dulled the gel coat wherever I used the clay.

[Larry0071]

WD-40 is totally safe and extremely effective at removing tar. I drove my Mojave Sand RAM Rebel on a road being resurfaced and the company doing the work made a mistake and had a literal stream of hot tar flowing across the lane not being worked on when a rain blast hit. I drove down the hill in the rain and did not know anything happened.... until I got home. The lower half of my sand colored truck was pure black and the upper half was heavily speckled. 25 WD-40 cans later.... clean. I would spray and let the fluid "curtain" down the panels and then hit it with the hose as the tar was melting and running. I repeated the spray/hose procedure for a couple hours making sure that body, wheel wells, frame, insides of bumpers and back of running boards were all wetted with WD-40 and dripping black tar.


In the end, I had no damage, I did no scrubbing or manual labor, I just spent a day in the driveway drinking Corona and spraying my beautiful truck.


I recommend WD-40 highly for this job.... and many others!

[latner]

mineral spirits

[robo44]

Goof-Off, Goof-Gone; less toxic baby oil, vegetable oil works for me

[GXPWeasel1]

I've always used good ol gasoline. Just make sure to wax afterwards. Anything that removes tar, is definitely removing wax or any similar paint protection.

[Gideon]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

I use bug and that remover from Turtle Wax.

I agree. Turtle wax bug and tar remover is amazing.

[JimMorrell]

I learned this from an individual who made his living painting expensive cars...put a cup of kerosene in a couple gallons of water. With a sponge or teri cloth towel, apply the mixture to the surface, rubbing lightly. Rinse the sponge/towel and wring out, go over the area a second time. With a dry towel, dry the area to a luster. It won't hurt aluminum, fiberglass or decals. You can apply a polish after, or not. Its easy and can be done after every trip.

[Bob2019]

I also recommend Turtle Wax "Bug & Tar Remover". Have used it for years on vehicles and travel trailers.

[Dave13]

^^^^^^ X2

[McCormickJim]

Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover (as others have said).

Use it per the instructions. Not only removes the Tar, but also leaves a shined wax finish. Be sure to wash your RV first. If there are water spots, they will be covered over vs. being removed.

On my Georgetown 31L5 (35') I had LOTS of tar all over due to driving through a freshly 'oiled' road surface.

It took two full bottles of the Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover to get it off, bu it did all come off.

I carry a bottle of it in my essentials gear for bug removal. Folks in the middle of the country understand that you can run through a swarm of bugs that seriously impair visibility. You just have to stop and clean the windshield.

[cfo111]

Originally Posted by Larry0071

WD-40 is totally safe and extremely effective at removing tar. I drove my Mojave Sand RAM Rebel on a road being resurfaced and the company doing the work made a mistake and had a literal stream of hot tar flowing across the lane not being worked on when a rain blast hit. I drove down the hill in the rain and did not know anything happened.... until I got home. The lower half of my sand colored truck was pure black and the upper half was heavily speckled. 25 WD-40 cans later.... clean. I would spray and let the fluid "curtain" down the panels and then hit it with the hose as the tar was melting and running. I repeated the spray/hose procedure for a couple hours making sure that body, wheel wells, frame, insides of bumpers and back of running boards were all wetted with WD-40 and dripping black tar.


In the end, I had no damage, I did no scrubbing or manual labor, I just spent a day in the driveway drinking Corona and spraying my beautiful truck.


I recommend WD-40 highly for this job.... and many others!

this is the best and most have a can or two around that they can get there hands on.

[KenS999]

Hello this is the OP. Unfortunately WD-40 did not work for me. I went with the Turtle Wax bug and tar remover spray. Following the instructions on the bottle about 50% of the affected area needed to be retreated a second time in order to effectively remove the tar spots. Thank you to everyone for your input.

IMHO Forest River definitely needs to use a little more paint on their travel trailers. I believe my Walmart bicycle has more.

Ken

[FleckDreher]

Mineral Spirits,

Cigarette Lighter Fluid,

Charcoal Lighter Fluid,

on a paper towel,

none of these will hurt the paint, plastic, rubber, gel coat, or clear coat.

Wash with soap and water, re-wax the spots.