We always complain about the constant pothole dilemma that terrorizes every single city.

When all of our prayers were finally answered and we get a smooth and safe road once again, we get introduced to another problem. A fresh layer of asphalt is laid down it needs time to settle and smoothen out.

Unfortunately for us, the drivers, this can cause a sort of cosmetic problem for our vehicles. When asphalt is baking in the sun on a hot summer day it tends to spread and thin out, add our vehicles constantly driving over it and you have some poor individual, and if you’re reading this it’s most likely you, with tar splattered all over your car!

There is no telling where the tar can splash onto your vehicle, as you drive past a construction zone a backsplash of tar can get all over your wheel wells, tires and rims.

In even worse situations tar can get on top of your fenders, bumpers, doors, bumper, hood and even windows. You grab the pressure washer or head to the closest car wash in an attempt to remove tar from the car but to no avail.

When tar splatters up from a construction site it tends to be hot and sticky just like an industrial grade glue and we all know glue isn’t easy to take off.

Tar also known as asphalt is used as somewhat of a glue to hold together concrete for construction roads. The tar is the sticky part that gets lifted off the road and stuck onto your car as you drive creating this whole mess in the first place.

Tar is primarily an oil based solvent meaning it does not have the same acidic features that bird droppings or bugs do, resulting in a different removal method.

Tar does not become a solid state on top of your car unless of course you let it settle for a few years, however it is still not easily taken off with regular car wash soap or other simplistic car care products. So what do you do to remove tar from your car? 

If you have tar on your car and would prefer for our team to simply come and complete a mobile car detailing Calgary on your car you can visit our webpage here!

Do Not Use Petroleum To Remove Tar From Your Car!

I know your dads been doing it for years or your uncle told you that petrol always “does the trick“ and they are 100% correct!

Petrol definitely does remove tar from your car or other contaminants such as animal droppings or bugs but it does a lot more harm than good.

I feel like this is something as an auto detailing technician, I explain to a client almost once a week ! If left on top of your vehicle, petroleum will permanently stain your vehicles paint as it eats away at your vehicles clearcoat.

If you accidentally spill some on your paint you can just use a detailer spray to wipe off any residue. Ps, these tips can be used on to clean your motorcycle as well.

So How Can You Remove Tar From Your Car

Method 1: How to remove tar from your car

The first method is pretty straight forward and all the materials and supplies needed for the task are most likely already in your arsenal if you are an auto detailing technician or just like to clean your vehicles yourself.

Step 1: Soak effected area with tar remover

Grab your tar remover solvent and spray it generously across the entire area covered with tar.

Most tar remover solvents require that you let the chemical settle and eat away at the gluey residue within the tar so that once it is broken down it will be much easier to clean away.

Step 2: Wipe away saturated away and remove tar from the car

Now that the chemical has penetrated the thick layer of tar solution on top of your vehicle, it becomes much easier to remove the tar from your car.

Take a clean microfiber towel and wipe away the residue. When removing the tar make sure to move your hand in circular motions to really get all remains of debris and whatever other contaminants are inside the tar content.

Once your cloth gets dirty just use the other side and continue wiping away. Thanks to the tar remover the substance gets soft and is easily removable with a gentle touch.

After you get the bigger chunks of the tar remove, make sure to remove smaller pieces with a new micro fiber cloth so that they dont stay on and further damage your paint.

Step 3: Wash your vehicle

Now you do not need to be an auto detailing technician to wash your car but it’s always good to get advice from one when handling certain situations.

Make sure after removing all of the tar ,that you wash your vehicle with warm water. Warm water removes all small tar particles that may remaing on your vehicle after you wipe it down.

Work your way from the top of the vehicle to the bottom, rinsing off all contaminants in a final rundown to remove the tar from your car.

Step 4: Look over your vehicle

Before you move on to the next step make sure you look over every square inch of your vehicle. It is always safe to double check your car for any last tar debris as you do not want it affecting your cars paint later on.

If you do find an obstruction make sure you repeat steps one to three as many times as neccesary until you finally remove all contaminents from your car.

Step 5: Wax your vehicle

Now that you have protected your car from further damage from tar residue, make sure you seal your paint with a quality wax.

Not only does the wax make it look a lot more appealing it also helps seal the paint of your car preventing future damage from tar, bugs and animal droppings.

Method 2: The household method

This method is so simple that you can do it with just regular household items you have laying around.

Step 1: Apply WD 40

Just as you would with the tar remover, use a WD 40 can to remove tar from your car.

Spray a gracious amount of WD 40 on top of the tar and let it settle for 30 seconds to a minute, or you can spray it directly on top of a microfiber towel.

Step 2: Wipe clean

 Same way as the other method, in a circular motion gently remove all the soft tar residue leaving nothing behind.

If you need a clean cloth flip the current one around or grab a new one to pick up the remaining tar particles.

Make sure to use a soft microfiber cloth as using something more rough can cause scratches and swirls within your paint if it makes contact passed or around the tar by accident. 

Step 3: Wash with soap this time

WD 40 is a complete oil based element so that is why when you wash the car make sure to use an oil soap solvent to remove excess WD 40 that may still be on your vehicle.

Same as last time, use warm water, working your way from top to bottom removing all remaining tar particles as you go.

Repeat the previous steps after you do the final inspection if you see any tar remaing. Seal the paint with a quality wax once again and you are good to go.

Hope you found our blog on how to remove tar from your car useful, for more auto detailing blogs make sure you check in daily on our website and follow us on our social media!

Check out this amazing picture of after we successfully removed all the tar from our clients car!