Styling Keep it clean

[Neofolis]

OK, I finally got round to cleaning my Yellow Stilo yesterday. I didn't think it looked that dirty until I cleaned it. Sorry, the point of this thread was, does anyone have any surefire tar spot removal techniques? Wish I'd gone for the Black, rather than being talked into Yellow by the missus and kids.

I found most of the spots sponged off with soapy water, some I could pick off, but some bastards smudged and after that wouldn't budge at all.

Also are there any products short of covering the car with silicone, that would help reduce the likelihood of tar spots sticking in the first place? I remember seeing infomertial ages ago about a product that stopped anything sticking to paintwork and meant you never had to clean your car again, but as we all know, products on informetials are almost always crap and never live up to any of their claims.

 

[James M]

I personally find polish gets them off, combined with a bits of elbow grease, but don't go at them too hard, otherwise you'll put fine scrathes in the paint, just keep at the them.

I recently used a diamondbrite package on ebay, like the ones which cost around £300 from the dealer, it took a couple of hours to do the full job and so far so good, though obviously I don't get the garantees, it cost under a tenner, this should help stop the marks appearing

 

[twincamms]

Look...........................................

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7929153831&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

[polecat]

Re: Look...........................................

Simoniz do a 'Bug & Tar Remover' that works quite well.

Any of the diamond wax products will help or just a standard wax every few weeks.

 

[1.8Stilo]

:slayer: Just had some roads near me resurfaced.. grrr.. wat a bastard, ay! I got little tar drops all up my car and they smudged like said before, when i tryed to clean them off.. After a chat with me old, whom is a car sparyer; dunno what the proper name is for his job so, yeh!

He told me to get a rag and put a little bit of petrol on it and like magic after basically have to clean me whole car in this cause some tosser came by the other way in his van and coated my car in tar, a nice tar/smudged free finish!

 

[StiloBoy]

I tried one of those bug remover spray things, gash, utter gash. Best bet, got to hellfrauds and get one of those grey sponges with the black cloth stuck to one side, use the black side of bug splats and tar spots and the grey side for general cleaning.

 

[activematt]

My car dont travel far enough inbetween cleans to get tar spots, but in the event that it does ive found polish gets rid of them pretty well, plus auto glym to a tar spot remover, not sure how different it is to there polish but i guess it must be different.

The trick is, dont let your car get dirty!

 

[James M]

Often it seems manufacturers just package up the same stuff in a variety of ways to sell more.

How far do you need to travel to get tar spots btw? I always was under the impression that you could pick them up on any occasion

 

[The Negotiator]

I also found that hard to understand....whether you clean it hourly or month, you're just as likely to pick up tar marks, granted you will deal with them sooner but that makes no difference does it?!

 

[Neofolis]

TwinCamms, I really don't think putting Club Stilo stickers on my car will remove tar spots or stop me getting future tar spots.

 

[Grim_Evil]

TwinCamms, I really don't think putting Club Stilo stickers on my car will remove tar spots or stop me getting future tar spots.

Yeah but it will divert your attention from them

 

[Roadsterchinsk]

Ok guys - what you want is a clay bar.

This is a professional detailing product. Basically its a synthetic clay that you gently moves accross a cars surface once its clean (I always polish as well - take off all that you can first). You have to keep the surface lubricated or it will mark as you do this, and for some reason after you gently work the blob of clay over the paint it comes away with all those stuck on lumps etc.

Takes some time but only needs doing once a year or so unless they re-do a road near you .
Once done, polish and then keep on waxing etc.

A lot of online car care places sell a clay bar - or if you dont mind being ripped off, meguires sell a small one (93g i think)in with the detailer pack. circa £15.

You can get a 300g bar for just a few pounds normally. (I bought loads from halfrauds a couple of years back as they tried to sell them but nobody knew what they were - and then discontinued. Sold all but 4 on at no profit to friends on a car email list Im on for £1.21 a time.

One thing - you have to work and fold the clay a lot or you will just sctratch the paint with what you have taken off if you see what I mean.

Some companies will say to use one of thier products to lube the surface with, but a hose with a gentle trickle sems to work well enough.

Hope this helps.

 

[twincamms]

Neofolis..............................

while you're looking at the beautiful sticker, you're not looking at your ugly tar spots, so yes it helps!!!

 

[Neofolis]

But if the thread is about removing or preventing tar spots, then the sticker post is still irrelevant, it doesn't help with either.