Tar spots, where do they come from?

[Diego]

I find it VERY irritating when I wash my Tundra and have a million tiny tar specs all over my truck from top to bottom. Two weeks ago when I washed it, I spent several hours scraping and buffing off all of those little demons and today I washed my truck again and their back. Where do these &%*%# things come from, it is only springtime and there is no road construction yet, nor have I driven on any freshly paved roads I assume this is road tar or is it small particles of rubber from the tires? Soap and water won't touch them, I have to painstakingly scrape each one of with my fingernail and then they sometimes leave an oily brown smear behind that I have to buff out with a dry rag. Bug and tar remover will remove them BUT it is still very tedious. Any suggestions on how to prevent them from sticking or how to remove them easier?

[kymatt]

Originally Posted by Diego

I find it VERY irritating when I wash my Tundra and have a million tiny tar specs all over my truck from top to bottom. Two weeks ago when I washed it, I spent several hours scraping and buffing off all of those little demons and today I washed my truck again and their back. Where do these &%*%# things come from, it is only springtime and there is no road construction yet, nor have I driven on any freshly paved roads I assume this is road tar or is it small particles of rubber from the tires? Soap and water won't touch them, I have to painstakingly scrape each one of with my fingernail and then they sometimes leave an oily brown smear behind that I have to buff out with a dry rag. Bug and tar remover will remove them BUT it is still very tedious. Any suggestions on how to prevent them from sticking or how to remove them easier?

They come from tires and asphalt. It doesn't have to be spring.

Save your fingernails and give this a try. Make sure you know how to properly use it by going here.

I would also recommend browsing around the Autopia forums.

[Diego]

Yeah, I guess I will give the clay bar a try but it still seems like a lot of work to go through every time I wash the truck though.

[kymatt]

Originally Posted by Diego

Yeah, I guess I will give the clay bar a try but it still seems like a lot of work to go through every time I wash the truck though.

You shouldn't have to clay bar every time you wash the truck. Get the paint good and clean with the clay, put down a good base or sealant (Klasse All-in-One or Poorboys EX-P are my favorites), and follow up with a nice carnuba (Poorboys Nattys Blue, Meguiars #26). Maintain every couple of months with a reapplication of #26 or Nattys. This should protect and keep tar from adhering. Be careful when you use some off these bug removal products -- some of them can remove wax and leave your paint exposed. Exposed paint = nice sticky surface for tar to stick to.

If that sounds like a lot, you can even stop at the sealant and reapply this every couple of months (and skip the carnuba). You can get mothers & meguiars clay at local autoparts stores, and decent sealants like Meguiars NXT and Mothers Reflections at the same places.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I know it may sound like a lot of work but its really not. You can do a good job waxing your truck in <30 minutes. Obviously a clay bar will take more time. Key point when you're claying is to use plenty of lube and don't press down on the paint -- just let the clay glide over the surface.

[Diego]

I heard they have new waxes that contain teflon that really make the finish slippery so nothing would stick. I don't know anyone who has tried them though.

[kymatt]

Originally Posted by Diego

I heard they have new waxes that contain teflon that really make the finish slippery so nothing would stick. I don't know anyone who has tried them though.

Teflon provides no benefit to automotive finishes. Even Dupont will admit that its a marketing ploy.