On the advice of Dave Hill at the Cruise In, I took the wife and the Vette up to the Adirondacks for a bit of mountain road fun this weekend. As soon as I got up there it started to hail. Within seconds it was coming down hard with pellets between 1/4 and 3/8 inch. I pulled over as quick as I could and got under the only tree I could find- a pine. When it was over about 7 minutes later I got out and the car was completely covered in ice and pine needles. (Why do I still live in this state?!) There was so much on the entire car and the convertible top that I didn't bother trying to get them off. The next town was about 25 miles down the road. I stopped and bought some Dawn and washcloths. I then stopped at the local town hall and washed the car with the hose they left out. Now that I'm home (3 days later), I've washed the car again but the pine crap is still on the car. There was plenty of NXT on the car before I left, but obviously none is on there now. I think that there are too many spots of the crap to try to claybar it off. I tried some optical quality acetone on a couple of hidden spots and it worked great, but I'm afraid to do the entire car. The cloth top seems to look OK, but I'm afraid that dirt will start sticking to spots of sap and start showing what I didn't get off. Any advice out there? Links to advice? I'm so pissed at myself for living where this can happen that I can't think straight. I'm going to bed and hoping for good answers from you guys in the morning. Thanks, Tom

 

isopropyl alcohol works like a charm getting sap off of paint. The best method I've used is to get some "diaper cloths" and put the alcohol onto the cloth, apply the cloth to the sap, and then when the sap is soft CAREFULLY rub it off, applying more alcohol via the cloth as needed.
Just make sure you wash then wax immediately after.

I've used this method on my X5 and Envoy a few times without damaging the paint.

 

Keep 'em coming folks. Any ideas on what to try on the top? As I said, it looks fine, but I doubt that it is. Also, should I maybe call XPel and see what they recommend to use on the clear front protection? Did I mention how pissed I was? I hate this freakin' state. Drove tha damn car home from Les Stanford in a snowstorm last April. Forecast was warm and sunny. 41 years WASTED here so far.....

 

This state sucks! Wasting my life here also. I could be driving my corvette almost every day some where else.

 

Try turpentine , it's made from pine trees. It shouldn't hurt the paint. Then there's good old WD-40.

 

I can feel the pain in your message and do believe I would be wired very tight over this. ( Probably earn a room down the hall for a couple of nights for my bad disposition over a car of all things. ) The WD40 sounds like a good recommendation. ( People have grilled fish with this stuff when using a barbecue...or so I have read. ) I live in San Diego where WD40 started and it is legendary. As to NY, I'm native to SoCal so I probably can't relate. I can however tell you that our new Governor is attempting to force some sanity into the tax structure here and housing prices will have to plateau somewhere, ( wouldn't you think? ) Just my $.02. We only get one shot at this life. Best wishes restoring your finish and canvas top.

 

Wow! Talk about bad timing. I went to NY city last May (my first time) and loved it! I even saw a couple of C5's in Manhattan . I guess it comes down to what you love more: where you live, or your car. If its the latter then I would pack my bags and move on out .

 

I use a Prep Sol (wax & grease remover used on a car prior to painting it) to clean up messes on the paint. It can be a little aggressive on some fabrics or leather but it does a good job. My favorite is Dupont DX330 which doesn't dry as quickly as some others but it gives me time to work with it. My wife even uses it on the laundry to clean up grease spots.
Bill

 

I agree with the WD-40. It won't hurt the paint and should disolve the sap. And the cleaner "Ragtop" should clean up the roof.

 

Thanks for the replies folks. I will go out in the garage and play detailer today. I'll let you know how I make out, or if I need more suggestions. I hope to take the one about moving to CA sometime. I go to northern CA at least once each winter. Right now I'm waiting for twin 17 year olds to "find their wings" in the next few years. If they both leave the area (which I encourage ), Mommy won't feel as if she's abandoning her babies. I wonder how many mods I can buy with the money from the snowblower, snowmobiles, sled trailer, tractor......

 

I can vouch for the raggtop stuff. Works great.

 

New rule #2 never park under a pine tree for any reason.

 

I feel you pain, Can't win in New York, just don't know what the weather will bring. I was upstate 10 years ago in August and the leaves were turning color,go figure.Hope you get the Corvette clean. Good Luck. Save the Wave.>George

 

I love New York.

 

We have only had maybe 6 days of complete sunshine so far this summer.

Before you do any cleaning pick a small area to test the stuff out first before going hog wild on cleaning.

 

Got transferred from Rochester to Nashville 9 years ago. Never looked back. Come down South, we need more yankees down here.

 

test first, I have used WD40 on paint to remove stuff
worked great. go slow and easy, don't rub hard
as for NY don't bother coming to NJ you will not notice much of a change.

 

Acetone did the entire job. I left the top alone because it looks 100% right now. I tried less aggressive approaches, but nothing else touched the sap. A soft cloth with acetone wiped it right away. The guys at X-Pel suggested hot soapy water, but that didn't do a thing. The acetone didn't hurt that either though. Now it's time for a good wash and then some NXT. Thank God the paint and windshield didn't get hurt in the damn hail storm. I guess my paint is better now that it's been stress relieved. Did I mention that I still hate this good for nothing crap NY weather? Please someone, get my kids to leave this state!

 

About 4 years years ago (in Connecticutt) I had a similar situation. Isopropyl alcohol (86%) took off the sap from the paint easily, followed by a water flood and repolishing. Alcohol eats Zaino, so if you use Zaino you will need to redo the car. The convertible top was another matter. DO NOT USE ACETONE OR ALCOHOL ON THE TOP. Some of the sap will come off, some will stay behind. What also will stay behind is a white ring where the alcohol or acetone was used on the top. Looks like hell. There is a marine product used on sails that I ended up using to remove the sap residue. It wasn't 303 but I can't remember what it was. It actually about 2 years for all the sap to come off. The outer surface of the top had faint rings, but the inner surface was really noticeable, even after all that time.

 

I live upstate too and deal with sap. There is a wax called liquid glass that is not only an excellent wax but a great cleaner for stuff like tar, sap, bugs.. Works great and have used it for 10+ years. I get it at Auto Palace. Its in a black tin with a picture of an old vette on the front.