When we drive the car through the newly tar road, it is common for the tar sticks to the windshield, headlight and bumpers of the car. It does not cause huge damage to the car such as destroy the car pain or cause rusting on the surface of the car. But longer the tar stays in the car; it is more difficult to remove it. There are some ways to remove the tar from the car with simple materials and some precautionary steps.
Materials needed to remove tar from car
It is advisable to remove the tar as soon as it is noticed. Allowing it to sit for longer time makes it difficult to remove, which is wastage of time. Items needed to remove tar are:
- Microfiber cloth
- Car shampoo
- Warm water
- Tar Remover solvent
- Protective gloves
The tar can be removed from the car using either household products such as kerosene, peanut butter or gasoline; or using commercial products. Commercial solvent can be bought from the automobile shop or online stores. Read the usage instructions carefully before using the solvent. Apply the commercial solvent over the tar affected area and let it sit for some time.
Apply the homemade solvent on the tar and allow it to sit on the tar for few minutes to soften it. Then rub thoroughly in circular motion using microfiber cloth to get rid of residues. When the surface of the cloth gets dirty, turn it over to cleaner side of cloth to continue wiping. The accumulated dirt can damage the car paint if the wiped with dirty surface of the cloth. Wash off the tar with car shampoo and warm water and check if the car is clean of tar. It is difficult to remove the entire tar in first attempt using household solvents. Hence the process needs to be repeated to ensure that the entire tar is removed from the car.
Precautionary steps to remember when removing tar:
- Do not use petroleum to clean the tar and other contaminants on the car. Though it is a good cleaning agent, it will wipe off the car paint if used frequently.
- Avoid using abrasive cloths as it will scratch the paintwork. Using microfiber cloths is the best.
- Avoid using products like the nail polish removers and white spirit to remove the tar and similar stains.
- In case of minor scratch marks from the vigorous scrubbing or scratch that is made accidentally during the process of cleaning, buff them out with a soft cloth and apply a good wax on the scratch to make the surface shine like new.
When using house hold solvents, especially, the stronger stains such as tar will not be removed easily. And will have to try repeating the steps several times to achieve a satisfactory result. But this does not mean to use excess of products. The best way is to avoid the tar mess by not driving on the newly constructed roads or sites, if it can be done.