I hate the stupid black dots on cars from trees

[PhaRO]

If you know what I am talking about, my guess is you hate them too. Unless of course you have a super way of getting them off. I`m talking about those little black purple dots from some sort of tree. The are about the size of a roller ball in a pen and drive me nuts. Usually when I encounter them, there are not too many on a car. Today I did a detail on a car that had 100`s on it. I knew going in that they were on the car but didn`t expect it too take me too long. Washing them off is a joke. I can pick them off and clay or clean what remains but that quickly became a problem with so many on this vehicle. I have a small steamer and decided to give it a shot since it was hooked up. The steam would soften / melt them and I could wipe them off with a MF. It was still taking a long time. Next I grabbed the clay bar and held the steamer in one hand and lightly clayed with the other. That worked rather quickly and didn`t foul up my clay bar as much. One problem I had was I missed quite a few due to the car color, overcast skies and steamer fogging up the panels. I`ve tried everything I can on these spots and to date the steam with clay worked the best for me.



here are things I have tried.

Washing

Solvents

Acid

APC

Alcohol

Bug sponge and one of those block

Polishes

Cleaner Waxes

Waxes

Brushes, MF, Terry, Foam

Pressure Washer

Plastic razor blades

Clay

Steam



Most things would get the job done and if I was dealing with only a few dozens didn`t take a lots of time. Has to be a magic bullet out there that would end this nightmare for me but I haven`t found it.

[Anthony O.]

Try Turpentine

[PhaRO]

Will do. If it works I`ll be like your avatar

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Turpentine is basically a solvent and I certainly would not recommend using a solvent based product on automobile paint.



You would be better served by using a bug and tar remover, such as Stoner Tarminator since it is made specifically for use on automobile painted finishes.

[BigJimZ28]

not sure if this will help you but I find them much easyer to remove after a long rain storm



so maybe try just laying a wet towel over them and see if that helps

[Anthony O.]

Turpentine is basically a solvent and I certainly would not recommend using a solvent based product on automobile paint.



You would be better served by using a bug and tar remover, such as Stoner Tarminator since it is made specifically for use on automobile painted finishes.

Stoner Tarminator is a solvent based product no?



Turpentine is 100% safe on your paint, in fact it is made from tree resin and is great for removing tree sap. It`s also a medicinal agent used for head lice and chest colds.



It won`t harm your car....unless you leave it on there and then light it on fire:doh



Anthony

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Thanks for the reply Anthony. Since I do not have a copy of the MSDS, I do not know for sure whether or not Tarminator is a solvent based product.



I think the key is definitely not to let Tarminator dwell too long on the painted surface. Actually that advice comes from the Stoner website. Stoner suggests applying Tarminator to a cloth first and not spraying the car directly.



I guess if someone wanted to apply turpentine the same way by cloth and not leave to on the paint too long, maybe that would not be a problem. From my own experience, I have found that Tarminator, applied by a cloth helps to disolve and clean away those little black dots.



And by-the-way those little black dots are probably what is now know as Artillery Fungus.

Artillery Fungus

[MichaelM]

If they haven`t sat on the paint for a long period of time or if the paint has been reasonably cared for in the past then simply using a bug mitt and car wash soap & water will remove the dots. If they are stubborn you can pick the "tops" off with your finger nail and use clay to remove the "bottoms".



This has definitely been something for us to look for on cars before a price is quoted. Missing them on darker colored cars or not catching the total extent of the problem can add greatly to the amount of time spent correcting a vehicle.



Thats a great link, Frank. I always knew they were from mulch but never knew the specifics behind them. Thanks for sharing.

[AL-53]

It could be Artillery fungus..also could be Aphid excrement..they pass a sappy honey like droplet that is like sap when hardened...I have this problem in the summer here in Mass....so I avoid tree areas....also certain trees sweat or sap during times of the year...I found a citrus based cleaner takes them off no problem...I like Anthony have also used Turp as a cleaner with no effects to the paint..it is made from a certain type pine tree so not a real strong type solvent..





Al

[Anthony O.]

It could be Artillery fungus..also could be Aphid excrement..they pass a sappy honey like droplet that is like sap when hardened...I have this problem in the summer here in Mass....so I avoid tree areas....also certain trees sweat or sap during times of the year...I found a citrus based cleaner takes them off no problem...I like Anthony have also used Turp as a cleaner with no effects to the paint..it is made from a certain type pine tree so not a real strong type solvent..





Al

I also thought this might be "spider poop":chuckle: I have been told that bugs in the trees can bomb your car just as well as birds but they are at first not as visible.



Nice, informative post.



Anthony

[Scottwax]

That aphid excretement was a really crappy thing to deal with this past fall. It was like cars were covered in syrup. :hairpull