How to Get Tar off Your Car

Imagine you’re driving on a newly-paved road and a passing vehicle kicks up tar, splattering it onto the exterior of your car. Or you have to travel near a worksite where contractors are laying down new road tar, leading to remnants of the sticky substance adhering to your vehicle’s paint.

Regardless of the surrounding circumstances, getting tar on your car puts you in a sticky situation. Not only does it ruin the look of your vehicle, but it can also damage your paint if left to sit for too long. So, let’s break down how to get tar off your car via a few simple methods.

Why Does Tar Get Stuck to a Car?

In a nutshell, the tar that gets stuck on your car isn’t “regular” tar, at least not in the way you may be thinking. It’s actually a particular type of tar used as a binding material for paved roads. You probably know it by another name: asphalt.

While driving on newly-paved roads is enjoyable because of the “smooth” feel, it’s an absolute disaster for your car’s paint job. There are plenty of loose tar particles that can all too easily be kicked up by your vehicle’s tires and splashed onto your paint, undercarriage, and other segments of the car.

The worst part is that once tar settles on your car, it can be incredibly difficult to clean off and remove from the surface. After all, it’s designed to be sticky on purpose and bind other road materials together. You need to use unique methods and materials to effectively remove tar from your car without damaging the paint underneath. 

How Do You Get Dried Tar off a Car?

There are two primary methods for removing tar from your vehicle. One is to use a tar removal spray, and the other is to utilize home-use chemicals and products. Both methods can be effective, so let’s break them down individually.

Tar Removal Sprays

Tar removal spray is exactly what it sounds like—a spray solution that removes tar. It’s a specialized chemical product that uses various dissolving materials to break down tar without causing damage to your car’s paint. Before using a tar removal spray, there are a few items you need to acquire first:

• Tar removal spray
• Car wash soap
• Bucket
• Car wax
• At least one microfiber mitten, cloth, or towel

Among the many tar removal sprays available is Stone Car Care 91154 Tarminator Tar and Sap Remover. This product is said to be safe on both clearcoat paint and chrome and is typically priced below $13 for a 10-ounce container. 

Other tar removal products include Chemical Guys Bug and Tar Remover, which is about $15 for 16 ounces. This water-based formula can be added to a foam cannon, wash bucket, or foam gun to remove tar. It can also be used in a spray bottle for spot treatment. 

Another option is Griot's Garage Tar & Sap Remover, available in 22-ounce spray bottles. This d-Limonene solvent-based spray is safe for the wheels, the clearcoat, chrome, and most plastics.

Many of the tar removal spray options are also intended for bug and sap removal. Thus, depending on the elements your vehicle is typically exposed to, it may make sense to acquire these products in advance, as having them on hand makes it easier to resolve issues as soon as they occur. The sooner you remove the debris from the vehicle, the easier it is to clear it completely. Early action reduces the possibility of long-term damage to the vehicle’s paint while diminishing the likelihood of scratches and swirls that can transpire in the removal process. 

Most tar removal products require a similar process; however, please review the manufacturer’s specific recommendations before application to ensure the best results. Below are the general steps for tar removal from your vehicle, and depending on the extent of the tar build-up, you may need to complete this cycle more than once. 

Here’s how to use tar removal spray:

• Start by washing your car to remove other non-tar-related grime. Depending on the tar removal spray, you may want to wait for the vehicle to dry before continuing to other steps. 
• Take the microfiber cloth or towel and wet it with a few pumps of the tar removal spray. You can also spray the tar remover directly onto the tar on your car – just be careful to not use too much at once.
• Next, rub the wet cloth over any tar spots you see, using a circular motion and light pressure. This breaks down the tar over time and removes it progressively.
• Repeat this step with the other side of your cloth, if necessary.
• Continue cleaning the tar off your car until it’s all removed. Use more microfiber cloths if necessary, as using a dirty cloth can rub the tar back into your paint.
• After removing all the tar, it’s best to give your car a wax job. The result of a good wax job conditions the paint and gives it a nice, quality shine to replace the previously tarred aesthetic.

Household Products

You can also use household products to remove tar. Here are a couple of household items that have proven effective against this dreaded, sticky substance.

Peanut Butter

It may be hard to believe, but yes, you can use peanut butter to remove tar from your car without too much effort. 

How does it work? Well, peanut butter is an oily product by nature, and oil can penetrate through substances like tar and separate the different tar molecules, making them easier to break down. Just make sure to avoid using crunchy peanut butter!

• Much like you would do with dedicated tar removal spray, “wet” a microfiber cloth with peanut butter. You don’t need too much to get the job done, just enough to saturate the applicable area. 
• Put some peanut butter via the microfiber cloth anywhere you see tar on your car; it’s best applied as a gentle rub or “dab.” Let the peanut butter sit for about 30 minutes – this gives the oils in the peanut butter time to penetrate the tar.
• After about 30 minutes have passed, take a new microfiber towel and wipe the peanut butter off. As a result, the tar should come off with very light pressure.
• You can repeatedly apply peanut butter on tar spots that resist the first treatment. Particularly tough spots may take an extra application and require a little more elbow grease than usual.
• If tar has splattered on a glass surface, such as your windshield, make sure you don’t apply too much pressure during this process, as doing so may damage the glass. In many cases, a tar removal spray may be a better choice when treating glass.

WD-40 and Goo Gone

The popular cleaning products WD-40 and Goo Gone  also work well as tar removal solutions. Both use oils to penetrate tar and lubricate the affected area, sliding the tar off your car’s paint with a little pressure.

• Take a clean microfiber cloth and spray it with either WD-40 or Goo Gone. You can also apply a little bit of either solution onto the tar spots directly. Use the towel to rub the solutions into the tar more deeply.
• Once applied, let the WD-40 or Goo Gone soak into the tar for 10 to 30 minutes.
• After the elapsed time, rub the area with a clean microfiber towel until all tar is removed.
• If you plan to use WD-40, clean the area twice to make sure you get rid of any residue. Any leftover chemicals or substances may cause long-lasting damage to your car’s paint job if you aren’t careful with the application and cleanup.

What to Avoid

One of the other cited “household” remedies for tar cleaning is regular gasoline. And while some people endorse this approach, we caution against it. The reason is simple: there are other household products you can use instead that present much less potential risk. Aside from its flammable properties, gasoline can also damage your car's paint job or aesthetic in the process of removing the tar. For these reasons, we advise against this method and suggest an alternative.

Summary

There are multiple ways you can get rid of tar if you are unfortunate enough to get it on your vehicle. When deciding your approach to tar removal, stay informed on what methods and compounds are both safe and suitable for your car, and try to avoid areas of town that may potentially expose you to any additional tar-related issues.

Matt Yantakosol is a lifelong automotive enthusiast and former consultant focused on the consumer aspect of the industry. He has traveled to New York, Detroit, Chicago, L.A., Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, and Tokyo Auto Shows to track and observe the newest industry innovations. In addition to JDPower.com, Matt's writing has appeared on Pcarmarket.com.

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