Paul H Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 Hi not Triumph related but could affect our cars My son has just rung to say hes just set up his caravan to find tar on the paint work - its rock hard and several mm thick with the odd stone . He did go through roadworks about 15 miles down the road so this is where the damage happened Any ideas how to to remove safely with out damaging the paint My current thoughts are turps or mentholated spirits Any advice welcome Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 I believe turps / white spirit or methylated spirit (though the idea of cough-syrup-flavoured-booze caused a chuckle) should be effective on tar and reasonably safe on paint. Or you can buy tar remover from most motor accessory shops; I'm not sure what's actually in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted June 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 3 minutes ago, NonMember said: I believe turps / white spirit or methylated spirit (though the idea of cough-syrup-flavoured-booze caused a chuckle) should be effective on tar and reasonably safe on paint. Or you can buy tar remover from most motor accessory shops; I'm not sure what's actually in it. 3 minutes ago, NonMember said: I believe turps / white spirit or methylated spirit (though the idea of cough-syrup-flavoured-booze caused a chuckle) should be effective on tar and reasonably safe on paint. Or you can buy tar remover from most motor accessory shops; I'm not sure what's actually in it. I’ll blame my spell checker or if that fails a senior moment !!! Thanks Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 white spirit safer or petrol , less safer .......... in no particular order tar remover , probably is petroleum by product claim on the local council ????? Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted June 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 2 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: white spirit safer or petrol , less safer .......... in no particular order tar remover , probably is petroleum by product claim on the local council ????? Pete Robin my son has Dash Cam footage and will be taking photos tomorrow of the roadworks , Thanks for advice WD40 which he has already has been suggested Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 This stuff is great but on tar like that you will need to let soak. It will also remove the black streaks you get on caravans Tony. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Williams-Racing-Waterless-Wash-and-Wax-with-Carnauba-car-cleaner-500ml/323490766688?epid=25027313325&hash=item4b518d5f60:g:RwoAAOSwHlRbvJiQ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 Lots of proprietary tar removers. but this site suggests some gentler (more natural, man!) solvents, from diesel to peanut butter. https://www.hunker.com/13420345/how-to-make-tar-remover Depends how you want to smell, I suppose. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gully Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 Another vote for petrol! Gully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT6M Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 a towel, soaked in turps /parrafin then hung owa the area cover towel wid a plastic bin bag, let it soak away t,get at the tar if its really stuck on give it a while, re dosing frae the top noo an then ..Note, excess rub,n will and can leave marks int pent, as tar could ev bits of grit init of road, which is moer than likly hence the leave it t,soak actionee then whenst soaked and its soft, a dish of the aforementioned above stuff a soft pent brush start at top and work yer way doon bung some catch tanks or dishes underneath, then can re use the stuff thats dribbled doon {after its gone thru a seive of sorts } whenst all off, then give a good wesh with hot water / detergent t,get the residue away 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjit Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 As it's a caravan I'd try contacting a caravan dealer for advice, or going for a propriatry tar removing - and reading the bottle very carfully. While most of the products suggested so far should be fine for auto paint on a metal car body I'd be less confident when it comes to the coloured plastic body panels on a caravan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 I stripped my cars with white spirit, meths wasn’t great as I think it’s too volatile and the white spirit was able to soak in better, but it did take multiple applications. I’m sure petrol could work but more hazardous to all concerned. Would be worth checking before applying, whatever you use is safe for the fibreglass, plastic or whatever it is made from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 Petrol certainly works, but as a first step try a cheap car polish - Tesco's is £2 per bottle - and I've found that plenty on a cloth removes a lot of stuff from my cars before repolishing with a better brand. This will remove the easier deposits so you'll have less struggle with the heavier stuff, if they haven't already been softened or thinned out too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaTear Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 Lighter fluid is also a good tar remover, or autoglym tar remover although pricey for what it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unkel Kunkel Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 Paraffin and water was the method of cleaning bodywork in the earliest days of motoring when it was called “coachwork” (No, I am not that old.. ) and neat paraffin always seems to have been the thing for removing tar as it was cheap and not aggressive to the paint and gave a bit of a shine. Remember that thick wax that covered all new cars delivered to dealers? They used to remove it with paraffin. A very expensive “Tar remover “ I came across some years ago smelt suspiciously like paraffin to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 That wax spray Used to be nick name Sozzle in the factory if you look up definitions its very different , Hic .and un lady like. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaunW Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 On 06/06/2019 at 13:59, Pete Lewis said: claim on the local council ????? Taking the cost of a drop of petrol on a rag out of the council tax seems a bit petty. "Stuff happens, deal with it" always worked before the world went snowflaky and everyone wanted paying for the slightest thing. Sorry to sound grumpy Pete. Performance Direct just tried to auto renew me 120quid for a policy that was 88 quid last year and still 88 as a new customer. 36% more for loyalty! I'm raging at the modern world where everyone wants their hand in your pocket and that includes claims for trivial things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 Grumpy mode only happens once a month... lasts about 30 days Ha Im all for a petroly rag Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 35 minutes ago, ShaunW said: Sorry to sound grumpy Pete. Performance Direct just tried to auto renew me 120quid for a policy that was 88 quid last year and still 88 as a new customer. 36% more for loyalty! I'm raging at the modern world where everyone wants their hand in your pocket and that includes claims for trivial things. Shaun. If its not too late take out a brand new policy with Perfomance Direct but do it through 'Top Cashback'. Use a different email address to book policy. Then you get new policy rates plus cashback. PM me if you've never done it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaunW Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 I've done similar before Badwolf and that's something I'll look at, cheers. The most ridiculous thing I had to do once was cancel a policy at midnight and then start a new policy at 00:01 .....with the same firm! They even gave me the full 'you do realise sir that your car will be uninsured during the break' speech. 😂Thankfully I survived the whole minute without getting nicked or bursting into flames. ... Sorry all about hijacking the thread. I'm all zen again now. Yep, petrol will do it and if it's gone hard then a little waft with the wife's hair drier or a hot air blower (with a thermostat like the small soldering blowers) will soften it. Just put your hand near it if you do, and if it's too hot for your hand then it's too hot. I had a rubber wheel that went in a drill to remove sticky stuff once, I wasn't a fan and thankfully tried it on the tape behind my number plate first. You could def see where it had been and needed a lot of polishing to remove the slight scuffing. All it really did was to move the sticky around and I got it off with meths in the end. As usual, if in doubt try the solvent on somewhere unobtrusive first, not slap bang in the middle of your bonnet. Cue story about birdbob, a scratchy washing up pad.... and a new(ish) XK8. I appreciated her trying, but that's where the appreciation started and ended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Reminds me of who remembers Cubs and Scouts doing odd jobs for a shilling Bob a job week. Guy at work got them to wash is prized Jag , you will find the bucket and sponges in the garage What they found was pads of steel wool that gave it a nice sheen , took him weeks to polish it out All for 10p !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark powell Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 I worked for a car rental company at Gatwick Airport some years ago. A customer returned a car during the winter and wasn't too pleased to be charged for damages.... He had defrosted ALL the windows with a BRICK.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Talking of rental cars, i used to service a fleet of them. The transport manager asked i would pick one up from the airport as a favour... He gave me the key, told me what floor on the car park and that it was a white cavalier........... Duly arrived on said floor to find about 40 white cavaliers.... No reg number and no key blippers in those days..........Took bloody ages to get the right one!!!!! Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 3 hours ago, mark powell said: A customer returned a car during the winter and wasn't too pleased to be charged for damages.... He had defrosted ALL the windows with a BRICK.... I have a friend who used to work for a car rental company, he says the way some of the cars were returned was unbelievable - dirt, damage, litter and bits missing. He reckons that some renters used to steal the battery and tyres, replacing them with old units or old wheels from their own or a mate's car. Some of them would even drain the clean oil and steal that and the filter, replacing it with the old stuff from another car. They would also deliberately break the cars and just abandon them, claiming that the car had broken down and demanding a refund, but it also meant they didn't have to return the car but could continue on the rest of their journey and just leave the car behind with the hire company picking up the collection costs. It was usually easier to refund than contest it. However: ref Mark's post - he had to collect a van from a Traveller Camp that had been rented but never returned. He went in with a transporter and was given the keys for the van, but every member of the camp lined the lane, and as he drove up they smashed every window and battered every panel and light with pickaxe handles. The van was effectively written off in about 100 yards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Outside a school evening event it snowed heavily, my friends Capri was covered , the keys woudnt work he even tried the tailgate Sod it they are all frozen, so he Pee's on the drivers lock to warm it up , I just made the comment this cars yellow yours is white Wrong car , but a nice yellow stain down the door for someone to wonder what happened here, Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 I came out Waitrose and stuck my key into the Jaguar door lock (my clicker's dead) the key didn't work, I panicked, looked around for MY Jaguar and noticed the Triumph I had in fact arrived in. db 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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