Best Tar Remover for Cars 2023
You can scratch your paint if you try to remove tar the wrong way. Don’t try to scrub or scrape the tar off. Instead use a dedicated tar remover to keep damage to a minimum. I’ve tried lots of them. Here is the best for all paint types and colors.
Best Tar Remover
Carpro Tar-X will dissolve tar like no other product I’ve ever used. It takes just a few seconds to get to work. Tar will start to dissolve so you can gently rinse it away without scratching your car.
Check out CarPro Tar-X on Amazon
Black Cars Need Tar Remover Too!
Just because your car is black doesn’t mean you don’t need to use tar and glue remover.
You should remove tar from black cars before you polish or wax them. This is because pieces of tar will clog up your polishing pads and damage them. The tar pieces could also cause scratches.
Is a Tar Remover Worth it?
Yes! A good tar remover spray is well worth the money. It will protect the shine on your paint while removing stuck on tar and glue. Without it you could scratch and scuff your paint. On light colored paint tar looks awful. On black cars its invisible but will dull your shine and prevent wax from bonding.
What Does Tar Remover do?
Carpro Tar-x will remove bugs, adhesive, asphalt, tree sap, rubber marks. It will also remove any existing wax on your car so you should definitely apply more protection when your are done.
Read about my favorite waxes here.
Tar remover will not dissolve iron fallout particles. If you see rust spots on your car these could be iron particles that have started to rust. Remove these with Carpro Iron-X. Most iron fallout is invisible though.
Read more about iron fallout removers here.
How Often Should I use Tar Remover?
You will need to use tar remover regularly if you drive in hot weather because tar is more likely to be melted. In colder times its not needed as much.
If I’m going to use a clay bar on my car I will consider using tar remover first. This is because a clay bar is more abrasive than tar remover and can scratch paint.
I have sometimes found that I don’t need to clay my car after using an iron remover and a tar remover.
Can I use a clay bar to remove tar?
Yes, but it can cause scratches. Also, a clay bar may not remove the stains left behind by the clay bar. Tar remover is way better. Read all about clay bars here.
Can WD-40 Remove Tar from Car Paint?
WD-40 is an old-school way to remove tar. It definitely works. It’s not designed to do this like Tar-X is so I would prefer to use Tar-X.
Read the instructions on the wd-40 website if you want to try it yourself…
https://wd40.co.uk/tips-and-tricks/how-to-remove-tar-from-a-car/
Carpro Tar-X usage tips
Wash and dry your car first.
- Read the instruction.
- Shake the bottle well.
- Don’t apply in the sun as it could stain if it dries in.
- Wear gloves.
- Put newspaper on the ground if you don’t want to stain your driveway.
- Spray directly on the the area and leave for 3 to 10 minutes.
- Do one area at a time and not the whole car at once.
- Rinse it off.
Should I use a clay bar before using tar remover?
This gets asked a lot. You should use a tar remover first. This will make the job of claying easier and possible not even needed.
If your paint feels rough when you run your fingers over it after washing, a clay bar is the usual solution.
But you could find that just using an iron remover and a tar remover gets rid of most of the roughness. This is the best we to minimize scratching. Sometimes this is called chemical decontamination.
Should I use Iron Remover before Tar Remover
I emailed Carpro and they said to use tar remover before using Iron-X iron remover. This will Iron-X access to the paint
Best Chemical Decontamination Products
I usually use two CarPro products for chemical decontamination. CarPro Iron-X and CarPro Tar-X.
You can buy both of these together in one product. Its called CarPro Trix. I bought this once and it worked really well. Its perfect if you plan to decontaminate your car once a year.
But I find that I use the iron remover more often and rarely need to use a tar remover. So I usually just buy Tar-X maybe once every two years.
Conclusion
If you need to remove tar or glue you must get CarPro Tar-X. It easily dissolves tar without scratching paint. Polishing, claying, waxing and burring will be much easier. You paint will feel smoother and look awesome.
