# Pine pitch on my car **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026 "2017-07-11T19:21:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/1 "2017-07-11T19:21:21Z")
Recently I had to park my car in another location for a few days. Underneath pine trees in the hot weather that have bombarded my car with blobs of pitch. I went to a car wash, but of course that did nothing; I’ll bet there are few substances more impervious to water. No wonder they used it since ancient times to seal up things. The pitch blobs attract dust that sticks to it, so my car starts to resemble a leopard with spots of dirt. Last year when I took it to the dealer for maintenance, they threw in a cleaning that got all of that off. I’m going back there for maintenance soon and hopefully get it all cleaned off. But if I needed to do it myself, what’s effective to use that won’t harm paint? ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/2 "2017-07-11T19:48:09Z")
You could try one if the commercial bug&tar removers made for the purpose. Kerosene or Naptha (lighter fluid or Coleman stove gas) should work, and will not harm paint. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/3 "2017-07-11T19:57:52Z")
Look for [Goo Gone (original](https://googone.com/products/original/)) at your hardware store. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/4 "2017-07-11T20:27:59Z")
Hand sanitizer. [Seriously](http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/you-can-use-hand-sanitizer-to-remove-tree-sap-from-your-1778908321). ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/5 "2017-07-11T20:46:29Z")
Baby oil, veggie oil, WD-40 will all remove the stuff. Then you can wash those off with soap and water. BTW, the pitch might remove your paint if you let it stay there. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/6 "2017-07-11T20:54:47Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > BTW, the pitch might remove your paint if you let it stay there. I agree that you should take care of it sooner rather than later. I had friends that parked their cars under pine trees and it really messed up the finish. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/7 "2017-07-11T21:35:54Z")
All sorts of solvents work. They work better when it’s hot and the tar is softer. If you scrape the stuff when it’s hard it may take off paint. Catching dust doesn’t help, makes it harder. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/8 "2017-07-11T22:08:31Z")
I think turpentine is a natural solvent for that. Paint thinner also works. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/9 "2017-07-11T22:35:02Z")
Remember, once you have removed the pine tar you have also removed any wax you may have had on the car. Need to wax the car again. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/10 "2017-07-11T22:48:37Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Baby oil, veggie oil, WD-40 will all remove the stuff. Then you can wash those off with soap and water. BTW, the pitch might remove your paint if you let it stay there. Emphasis mine That deserves repeating … ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/11 "2017-07-11T23:33:37Z")
I second using vegetable oil. then wrap a plastic scraper end in a rag and go to work on it. Nothing fully gets that stuff off without some elbow grease. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/12 "2017-07-13T13:26:16Z")
The thing about “car polish” that contains white spirits/turps is that there are three grades 1. No grit = polish 2. some grit = cut and polish 1 3. a lot of grit = cut and polish 2 You probably don’t need to cut, but you might , depending… if its on the bonnet and cooked by engine heat ? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/13 "2017-07-13T13:56:41Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Hand sanitizer. [Seriously](http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/you-can-use-hand-sanitizer-to-remove-tree-sap-from-your-1778908321). Similarly, I used a couple of those little alcohol pads when I had a small bit of pitch on the car. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/14 "2017-07-13T14:09:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Similarly, I used a couple of those little alcohol pads when I had a small bit of pitch on the car. I’m pretty sure the alcohol is the key ingredient. The hand sanitizer is just a convenient, non-(or at least less-)drippy medium for it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/15 "2017-07-13T14:19:08Z")
And that’s why I quoted your post; both of us were suggesting alcohol. I just suggested it in a different package. For a small drop of pitch, it was easy enough to carry a couple of alcohol pads in my pocket out to the parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pine-pitch-on-my-car/791026/16 "2017-07-14T08:52:16Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > The thing about “car polish” that contains white spirits/turps is that there are three grades > > 1. No grit = polish > 2. some grit = cut and polish 1 > 3. a lot of grit = cut and polish 2 > > You probably don’t need to cut, but you might , depending… if its on the bonnet and cooked by engine heat ? Not so much on the hood, but on the windshield and roof. The sun’s heat has an effect too.