Constant battle against tar spots on doors.. sealants not working. any tips?

PaulMys said:
As does CRC 656. (Which out-performs WD in every way I might add.....)

But "works well" is different than "works amazing" like the 3M GPAR.

I am just commenting because I have used literally hundreds of cases of these products over the last 20+ years in the marine industry.
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Would you say 3M GPAR works the same as Tar X or better? I should be able to find that locally a bit easier. Although I'm coming across alot of '3m general purpose adhesive cleaner' which seems slightly more common than the remover. I wonder if that is a different product or just a branding change.

edit:
Part #38983 is the remover and part #08987 is the cleaner actually.
There's also a #03618 which looks like it is marketed as their automotive specific line of products in a black can, and slightly cheaper for some reason.
 
00birdy said:
Would you say 3M GPAR works the same as Tar X or better? I should be able to find that locally a bit easier. Although everything I'm coming across seems to be called 3m general purpose adhesive cleaner now, instead of remover. I wonder if that is a different product or just a branding change.


Part #38983 is the remover and part #08987 is the cleaner actually.
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Same product.

I have never tried Tar-X, but that is only because the 3M works that well.
 
This is an autogeek forum. You should support the business that allows you to get this guidance by purchasing through them. Autogeek.com has tar-x for 15.99 or search "tar" and multiple other solid choices appear. Stoner Tarminator is another option I've had success with. Either way you should support the site with your purchase.

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OMGClayAiken said:
This is an autogeek forum. You should support the business that allows you to get this guidance by purchasing through them. Autogeek.com has tar-x for 15.99 or search "tar" and multiple other solid choices appear. Stoner Tarminator is another option I've had success with. Either way you should support the site with your purchase.

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OMG!!

Seems you didn't notice the long line of 3M products in the AG store. As I have come to understand it over the years, only LINES of products not carried by AG are not allowed to be discussed. (AG could, at any time add the adhesive remover to their 3M lineup.)

Lighten up, son.
 
PaulMys said:
OMG!!

Seems you didn't notice the long line of 3M products in the AG store. As I have come to understand it over the years, only LINES of products not carried by AG are not allowed to be discussed. (AG could, at any time add the adhesive remover to their 3M lineup.)

Lighten up, son.
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OP was talking about finding products locally, so I was encouraging him to purchase here instead.

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OMGClayAiken said:
OP was talking about finding products locally, so I was encouraging him to purchase here instead.

Sent from my SM-N976U using Tapatalk
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Understood.

But not always practical for every need, see what I mean?
 
I wonder what makes this one so much less popular. 3M Adhesive and Wax Remover, tree sap remover, glue remover, silicone remover, auto cleaner, remove glue
autogeek has the link listed as a tree sap remover, but the can of course claims it does everything else too.

I'm going to try the 38983, free shipping til midnight. Just need to throw a couple other things in.

grabbed the 3M 38983 with some 951 duragloss and a 'dry me a river' WW for $35.
cool deal thanks all.
I'll report back on the 3M if anyone is interested.
 
I haven't had any luck outside of full strength degreasers (slower) or tar remover.
 
As a follow up to this thread, I used the 3M 38983 this weekend. Process was completely washed the panel with optimum wash and wool mitt, sprayed the soap off then sprayed the entire door top to bottom with the 3M very thoroughly, I sprayed enough to cover every inch of the panel. I didn't dry the panel between washing and spraying. I let it sit for a few minutes, then loaded up the wash mitt with soap again, wiped back over the panel a good 5-10 times over with the mitt to scrub it down thoroughly, then sprayed it off with water. I noticed looking at the water beading after I could see the oily drip lines, looked like the 3M did quite the job on removing the sealant and hopefully that was all it did.

On closer inspection, there were areas that some tar was removed, a few of the large ones I saw disappear while going over with the wash mitt. Some other areas where it seemed completely ineffective. Overall on a 10 scale, I would have to give this a 3-4. I expected better honestly.
In the pictures you can see how some of the tar spots look 'melted' as they dripped down but were still not removed. I'm not sure how many more times I should repeat the whole process or if I should just skip to machine polishing at this point, or invest another $20 in Tar-X. I'm not big on returning products either as the shipping expense plus it was my decision to try this anyway.

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20200418-171809.jpg
 
I would grab either Lacquer Thinner on a MF towel or even cheaper, use a bit of gasoline on those spots as it is cheap now. If no reaction, then that is really bonded contaminated!

Did you try any iron remover products, just curious.
 
I would try the 3M on a dry panel and see i it works better. Try it on a couple of the tar spots on a dry panel and let it dwell. You should see the spots start to liquify. The water may be interfering with the effectiveness.

Stoner Tarminator is a product that has always worked well for me. You would also apply that to a dry panel.
 
Dan K said:
I would try the 3M on a dry panel and see i it works better. Try it on a couple of the tar spots on a dry panel and let it dwell. You should see the spots start to liquify. The water may be interfering with the effectiveness.

Stoner Tarminator is a product that has always worked well for me. You would also apply that to a dry panel.
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Agreed. Go to 14:45 and watch how this guy does it:

YouTube

Think he uses Gyeon Tar which is sold here.
 
DetailZeus said:
Agreed. Go to 14:45 and watch how this guy does it:

YouTube

Think he uses Gyeon Tar which is sold here.
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Doesn't look like he towel dried the panels either, but he may have had less water on the doors than I did. I'll try it again some other time when the car is cleaned, already have dust layers on the doors from driving it the day after.
 
00birdy said:
Doesn't look like he towel dried the panels either, but he may have had less water on the doors than I did. I'll try it again some other time when the car is cleaned, already have dust layers on the doors from driving it the day after.
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Oops, I was more thinking about wiping with a dry microfiber rather than a shampoo-soaked wash mitt. That would avoid potentially gunking up your wash mitt too. Let us know if anything lands up working.
 
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