Can anyone recommend a good tar removal product?

The picture is of my near side front door, the marks which look like mud are actually lines of tar picked up from a B road which had been re-tared 2 days previously

Please excuse the poor quality (Blackberry camera isn't very good)

Auto glym do a tar remover, which i have used for many years with great success

There is another product called Autosmart Tardis, which i managed to get a sample of and that was very good too but you need to buy it direct as it can't (or shouldn't be) posted due to the chemicals. You also need to buy 5L of it too. This is a very strong chemical

I believe both of these would strip any protection wax you may have on the car, so this would need to be reapplied

Mer - excellent allrounder & you can use it whilst the car is wet.


The Ultimate Car Polish

The first time you use Mer use it neat, it is advisable to wash the car over first to remove any top grit, or put a couple of capfuls of Mer into a bucket of water to remove the top grit. You do not have to dry the car and you can apply Mer neat all over a wet car then leave it to dry for at least 15 minutes, to allow itself to bond to the car thus forming the protection. If it is left longer it does not matter as it will not dry hard, but will dry to a haze. It is fine to apply Mer in bright sunshine as the heat will not affect its drying power. You can also apply Mer neat to a dry car with a damp cloth, so if you are exhibiting at a show and no water is available your car can still be made to outshine all the others. Mer will remove bird lime, tree sap, dead insects, tar, felt tip (permanent marker), oil, motorway grease, grime, black lines, algae and moss, from caravans, motor homes and boats.

We recommend a neat treatment at least twice a year once in the winter and once in the summer. If you wish your car to have a very high shine you may use Mer neat as often as you require, you will get a build up of shine and protection but not a build up of polish. After you have given your car the neat treatment any other time you want to wash your car down simply add 2 capfuls of Mer into a bucket of water and use it as a Wash 'n' Shine, wipe it all over the car leave to dry and dust off. Ordinary dusters are fine.



Mer may also be used on the windows of your car inside and outside, on chrome, around a stainless steel exhaust, wood trim, in fact most polished surfaces. The only place we advise not to use Mer is on the windscreen of a car, as with all polishes it would leave a glare. Mer may be used on most types of paintwork, Metallic, Cellulose, Pearlescent, Synthetic, Lacquered, Fibreglass, Acrylic, even paintwork which has been previously waxed.

Mer is excellent on cars, boats, caravans, trailers, tractors, motor bikes, bicycles, motor homes, trucks etc.

Mer can also be used in the home on windows, mirrors, fibreglass, fridges, freezers, cookers, patio doors, aluminium, UPVC, chrome, stainless steel, alloy, brass, copper, tiles and most polished surfaces in your home.

Do not use Mer car polish on rubber bumpers, vinyls or upholstery. 
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

MDP your local Mer sales rep

Over here in oz, we have a eucalyptus product called Bosistos. It is basically eucalyptus oil which comes in a bottle or an aerosol. They claim it removes tar stains from car paintwork.

If you could find a similar product in the UK, it will easily remove all of your tar stains, safely and completely.

My previous car was a black BMW Touring. I parked it at the airport for a couple of days and while I was away, a contractor decided to renew all of the parking bay white and yellow lines. I had small spots all over the left side and tail gate of the car. My detailer couldn't get them out without a deep cut.

After spraying on some Bosistos aerosol eucalyptus oil, and waiting for about a minute, the spots simply wiped off, it was almost as if they had got soft or melted.

Check in the laundry section of the supermarket. Gone - 2008 Stornoway Grey RRS 2.7 TDV6
Gone - 2009 Buckingham Blue RRS 2.7 TDV6
Gone - 2010 Alaska White RRS 5.0 V8 Aspirated
Gone - 2017 Chawton White RRS 5.0 V8 Supercharged
Current - 2010 Java Black RRS 5.0 V8 Aspirated
Current- 2024 RRS P400 SE Dynamic

I've been warned against using Mer polish on my motors by the paint guys at work. I think this is because Mer is silicone based which has an unhealthy reaction to the chemicals used in the latest auto paint finishes. Arctic Frost TDV6 SE. Aspen Leather, Cherry Wood, Privacy Glass, PTI, Tow Pack, Mudflaps, Tasmods, a new Fuelflap, a RRSport.co.uk umbrella in the boot & a RRSport.co.uk sticker on the rear glass.
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Some people accuse me of thinking the world revolves around me, but I'm not stupid . . . I know it revolves around the sun. Which shines out of my @rse!!!

hhnmm - thanks for the info TB , although I use Meguiars for most things the old tub of Mer does have its uses. 
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

This will take off tar and etched in bug juice!



http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/me...clean.html 2022 P440e AB

Don't get me wrong MDP, Mer is still a good polish. I've got about half a gallon of the stuff tucked away in the back of the garage but I only use it on the tin tent and the motorbike now.  Arctic Frost TDV6 SE. Aspen Leather, Cherry Wood, Privacy Glass, PTI, Tow Pack, Mudflaps, Tasmods, a new Fuelflap, a RRSport.co.uk umbrella in the boot & a RRSport.co.uk sticker on the rear glass.
__________________

Some people accuse me of thinking the world revolves around me, but I'm not stupid . . . I know it revolves around the sun. Which shines out of my @rse!!!

 
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

Thanks for putting down your thoughts.......think I'll try the Meguiars (when it's back in stock)

If that doesn't work I'll go for Mers. Either way looks like I'm going to be doing some serious polishing  Current: I can't say...Oh the Shame!
Gone: 2003 Audi S4 - 340BHP of Fun
Gone: 2005 RRS SE, Silver, Chrome Mirrors, Tinted with a stupid spare wheel!
Gone: Audi A4 2.5 TDi Quattro 180bhp
Gone: BMW 535i
Gone: 1985 Audi Quattro
Gone: Subaru Imprezza Turbo (rubbish)

Definitely use the meguiars Clay bar that a previous poster put up. It is brilliant stuff and does not touch the finish on your paintwork. I used it on mine to get tar spots off the lower doors and it actually does lift everying out with a minimum of effort. It leaves the paint looking sort of wet and perfectly smooth when you run your hand over it.

clay bare are great at removing all surface contaminates, though it will also remove any "lifeshine" type coatings aswell

But it will leave the paint work feeling silky smooth

I would use a tar remover first though and thenn the clay to finish the cleaning process