Here in Sacramento, sap contamination is a huge issue. This wasn’t called the City of Trees for nothing! If you live in an area with a ton of canopy tree coverage like Land Park or East Sacramento, then you know what I’m talking about. Sap fallout is typically seasonal, coming down when we have dramatic weather changes, so around Spring and Fall. However, pine trees can drop different types of sap all year long.
There are two kinds of sap contamination to look out for and both are detrimental to your vehicle’s exterior surfaces. If left unattended, sap contamination can leave irreversible damage on painted surfaces and plastic components.
Goopy globs: These are large sap droplets that can be as large as a pinky finger and be sticky to the touch. They land on the vehicle’s surface, and if on the sides of the vehicle, they generally drip down a bit. Rarely do I see heavy contamination of this sort, although I have seen it. Typically, this type of sap contamination is a handful of isolated spots across the vehicle.
The biggest concern with this type of contamination is the marks left behind if left unattended for too long. These stains are obnoxious and ugly and take whatever shape as the glob. Once the sap begins to eat away at the clear coat, it can eat all the way through down to the pigmented layer, which is beyond repair by an auto detailer in Sacramento. In these cases, the only option is body shop type repairs.
The best remedy for this type of sap contamination in Sacramento is immediate attention. Even just a week of contamination, especially on hot Sacramento days, can leave irreparable marks. Isopropyl alcohol, or something similar are great remedies that are also easy on the painted surface. Goof off or paint thinner also work great to remove sap, but you must be much more careful when using one of these. If not used properly, these agents can haze the paint and ruin plastic components.
Speckled Sap: This is usually caused by non-pine trees, and I see it all the time in Downtown Sacramento, East Sacramento and Land Park. Unless you are cautiously avoiding these trees, or park indoors you will likely encounter this type of sap contamination in Sacramento. Generally, this is hard to see on your vehicle, especially on low impact colors like white or silver, but you can easily feel this type of sap contamination in Sacramento. It feels like a million little bumps, almost like sandpaper.
Fortunately, because the speckles are so tiny, the mark or stain left behind is barely noticeable. However, this type of contamination can also eat away at the clear coat very quickly. Rather than leave a stain on the paint, this contamination leaves micro pores in the paint that are only repairable by means of polishing or paint correction.
The best remedy for this type of sap contamination is the same as the globby stuff, immediate attention. However, if your vehicle has decent protection, a simple wash can do the trick to remove the speckles. Claybar treatment would be next on the list if this didn’t work.
Both kinds of sap contamination in Sacramento can be bad for your paint so immediate attention is always the proper remedy. Unfortunately, some plastic components are much more sensitive than others and some can be permanently damaged trying to remove sap so it is sometimes better to use basic cleaning products and live with the result on these surfaces.
If these remedies to remove sap don’t work for you, our phone line is always open for questions or services.
