I bought my xB couple weeks ago from a lady, and she used to park the car under her giant tree in her yard.
I brought my xB home and noticed there are tremendous amount of tree resin drops(I think,but it might be something else) all over the car.
well... few of them were actual hardened resins and i was able to scrape them off with a razor. but the entire hood and front bumper were covered with mysterious resin spots, and some serious scratches.
so I tried using polishing compound and rubbed on the resin spots.
it removed the white mark of the resin, but somehow it looks like a thin layer of it has chemically fused with the clear coat...
and under a close inspection, i could still see the residue. I couldn't get it out any further with polishing compound.
they are pretty stubborn
i almost want to get my hood and bumper repainted, but i'll leave that as my last option.
should I try using rubbing compound? does it give more "rubbing" than polishing compound?
or should I just lightly sand the clear coat and polish it again? with how much grit?
if so, can anyone tell me what to do, what to use, how to do it?
also please recommend a good product that i can get it from a local auto part store, instead of off from the internet.
i'm gonna buy a electric buffer. I've found my arm much less effective.
and how should I deal with the scratches? they seem to be deep but not deep enough to penetrate the clear coat.

here are the pictures of it.

 

A couple of years ago I got those on my xB after parking under a tree for a few days. I did not use rubbing with anything abrasive to get them off. It did not make sense to rub the entire painted surface and polish away some of the clear coat, just to remove the speckles of tree sap. I think I used tar remover to remove the speckles, then used a spray wax to remove the tar remover residue and put some wax back on the paint.

 

Yea, try a bug and tar remover... that should do it.

 

If bug and tar remover doesn't work and if the paint is damaged or etched you can wet sand the areas with some 2000 grit and a sanding block with lots of running water. Then use the 3 step Meguire compound system to buff the areas with a foam pad and electric low speed rotory buffer.
I do this only when scratches can be felt with your finger nail. Good luck. Personally I would have passed on this vehicle with such abuse.

 

^I agree, just be carefull and don't overdo it while wet sanding since the clear coat on these cars are very thin.

 

Turbowax.com

they have products to help

 

Have you tried any products like WD-40 that might dissolve the sap? Maybe even some 90% rubbing alcohol might dissolve it then wax would finish it up.
Basically try different things on a small spot to see what might dissolve it before resorting to the sand and buff step.
I really wish I could see it in person. I'd prolly be able to remove it completely.

 

clay bar it

 

yea i used bug and tar remover, and it didn't work. I used Googone spray gel cleaner. it says it can remove tree sap, but didn't get any off. I wonder if turtle wax bug and tar remover would work(i had to choose between the two). I'm gonna try with WD-40 in a bit, and if that doesn't work, i'll sand it and polish it. thanks for the advice.

 

why not take it to a local body shop and have them give the whole box a good buffing?

 

That is another option... Let a professional detail shop look at it. It may cost some but they deal with this stuff all the time.

 

sigh....wd-40 doesn't work, bug and tar doesn't work. it's the same as before
I think the only way to get it off is to sand it and polish it.
I'd want to take it to a body/detailing shop, but I have a limited budget....
how much would it cost?
I'm deciding whether to do it myself, or take it to a shop at the moment.
I mean, I've already bought tools and compounds to work with...
(although i'm questioning if the stuff would work fine, I don't wanna sand the coat if i can't get them polished again...)

I have polishing compound, scratch and swirl remover, wax, and electric buffer with foam applicator(2 kinds, hard for application and soft for buffing) and microfiber/wool buffer to do the polishing job after sanding.
is that enough?
also, i'm not quite sure which applicator/buffer to use with polishing compound and scratch/swirl remover, and for waxing.

 

I'd get an estimate. May be cheaper in the long run than a new paint job. If you don't like what they quote you, you can always do sand and buff thing later. It doesn't hurt to find out what all your options are before resorting to the last resort.

 

are the pads different colors one white one grey? white pad with white stuff(compound) grey pad with grey stuff(swirl mark remover)

you just need to go get an estimate, you might be able to find a small mom and pop type body shop that'll do it for 100 - 200

 

okay, i'm gonna go talk to the custom body shop few blocks away from my house, and see what number they give for it.
i wouldn't do it if it's not any cheaper than 200

 

What RPMs does your buffer spin at?

 

it oscillates at 2900 opm

 

Oscillates isn't gonna do what you need. You'd need a slow 2 spd rotory buffer with a foam fine finishing pad. It's the kind of pad that has the hole in the middle and made by 3M. I used to use wool pads but clearcoat is too soft and they leave swirls.
If a pro can remove them great cause to buy the right equipment to do the job you may spend upwards of 200 bucks.

 

I have a BOP hood you can have, it's in pretty good shape. You would have to drive down and pick it up. I'm about 35 miles north of Seattle.

 

Isaid clay bar!! trust me