How To Get Tar Off Your Car Without Damaging The Paint

The government does not care about the new wax job on your car. They prove that every day as they lay new asphalt on roads and streets. They love to coat the top of roadways with tar that will kick up and stick to your car like a barnacle to an old boat. And taking your car to a car wash often won't get rid of it, which is bad, since tar is one of the many things that can ruin your paint job.

Before you go wild on your car's clear coat with an ice scraper or razor blade, you might want to consider some products that are designed for problems like this. Indeed, there are products that are made specifically to remove residue like tar from your car without messing up its paint job. For example, there's Chemical Guys TAR Pro, which is reported to dissolve tar quickly and smells a little like orange. There's also Stoner Car Care Tarminator (such a cool name) that does the job while being a little gentler on the wallet. If you need to clean your wheels in addition to removing tar, you might try Meguiar's G180132 Ultimate, which does both. Other products include 3M Specialty Adhesive Remover, which comes in tape form, Turtle Wax T-520A Bug & Tar Remover, Griot's Garage Bug & Smudge Remover, CarPro TarX, and clay bars, just to name a few.

Of course, you could go the home remedy route with things you have lying around the house. WD-40 is said to be good for loosening up tar, but you want to wash it off as soon as you get the tar off. Goo Gone works pretty much the same way. Peanut butter, while messy, can work too, but let's call that the "nuclear option"

You'll need to prep your vehicle before removing tar with a specialty remover, like Chemical Guys TAR Pro and the other products we mentioned. That basically means you need to wash it well first. You want to get all the other dirt and grime out of the way before working on the tar. Read the directions on the label of whatever product you use. Some will tell you to let the car dry first. 

Next, you'll want to apply the tar remover. Some labels may assure you that the product is safe to spray or apply directly on the vehicle. But for the best peace of mind, you can always spray it on the microfiber cloth instead, and then wipe it on the tar. Whatever you do, do not try to remove the tar with a dry microfiber cloth. That type of cloth is not designed to break down tar, and it could cause damage to your paint. You might have to use multiple microfiber cloths to get the job done, so be prepared for that. 

For extra stubborn tar, you might use a clay bar. Clay bars are great for removing not only tar and other embedded debris but also rust spots. Clay bar kits usually come with a bottle of lubricant. This is to keep the bar from getting sticky on the car, but clay bars are not abrasive. Take a little bit of clay off of the bar, knead it into a flat shape you can rub against the car, lubricate it and take that tar off. Your car will likely need a good waxing after you've removed the tar.

Do you have WD-40 lying around in the garage? Sure, you do. Who doesn't? We can't even count all the different ways people have used it. Some have even tried treating their arthritis and joint pain with it. We definitely don't recommend doing that, and if we were ever to recommend a remedy for anything, remember that you probably shouldn't take medical advice from people who write for automotive websites. But we do feel safe in telling you that products like WD-40 and Goo Gone can be used to remove tar when applied cautiously.

First of all, these products are good at breaking down substances like tar and even removing bumper stickers, but they are not designed to be left on your car's finish. So, wash the product off the car thoroughly right after use. It's also a good idea to test the product on the paint on an unseen part of your car before trying to remove the tar with it. Other than that, using WD-40 or Goo Gone is similar to using specialty remover products. Wash the car first, then spray the WD-40 onto the tar. Let it soak for 10 to 30 minutes, then use a microfiber cloth to remove the tar. Wax the car afterward.

Finally, there's peanut butter. You would use it (the creamy kind, not crunchy) as we described using the other products, except that you would spread the peanut butter on the tar and wait 30 minutes to wipe the tar off, along with the swarm of ants that have probably descended on the vehicle. Ants or not, you'll be dealing with a sticky mess. Whatever method you choose, just know that you can get that tar off your car without spoiling the paint.