Alright, I've about given up on this. I'm thinking the next step is to get a car cover for my Elantra, but that almost seems silly to do. But this is ridiculous.

The lamps at my apartment's parking lot are covered in spider webs, home to the smartest, fattest spiders in Pennsylvania. There are so many that eat so well, they crap all over the cars in our parking lot. Apparently.

See, there are these little black dots all over my car. To give you an idea of size, I thought they were a particularly resilient brand of fern spore or something when they first appeared. Last time I washed my car, Vsolo and I spent about two hours scraping these things off. See, there's the first layer, a bubble of sorts, that you can push off with your fingernail. Then there's the second layer, much more flat, which takes about five seconds of thumbnail-scraping to remove. Per dot.

I've parked where the lights aren't on, but I still get the stupid dots all over the front of my car. Yesterday, I tried the miracle solution that is the clay bar. The only thing it did was get the top bubble off... didn't even touch the flat brown residue left behind. Hood was nice, smooth and shiny afterwards though :) Interesting, that clay bar.

Has anyone ever delt with these pesky little black dots before? The maintenance guy at our complex says it's spider crap. I don't care what it is, I'd like to know if there's some kind of miracle spray that just rinses it clean. Maybe I can get my apartment to pay for a detail job or something, but this is ridiculous.

ever try some of that bug remover that gets the bugs off the front of your car? from what i hear, you just spray that on, let it sit, then rinse it off.

If claybar didn't get it, and it's truely smooth, I'd be worried about the paint being stained... dunno, bug and tar is my only guess at this point.

spider crap!?! Thats silly man. What dya got there? 2 Ton spiders?? lol
Its probly road tar or tree sap. Kinda has an amber color to it in direct light?
Yes I occasionally have small black/amber dots on my roof, even fenders. Small amount of rubbing compound removes it good

But there aren't any trees where I park, and it happens overnight. I know, spider crap sounds ludicrous, but I don't know what else to believe!

After claybarring it smooth, I can still scrape the residue off with my fingernail, and after being on there well over a month, it doesn't stain, it's just harder to scrape off.

Here are a couple of pics... these things are all over my car.

I guess the only solution is to grind em out with a paper towel and my thumbnail. Or other equivalents. I've tried bug/tar remover, WD-40, those bug-remover netted-sponges. It must just be a brute force thing.

i hate gttin spider webs on my car :( it sucks

My opinion as a painter. The clay bar obviously would not rub them off because they are stuck on the paint real well. If bug and tar remover does not get them off, I would suggest getting something more potent, but still is safe for the paint. Paint thinners are a bit too potent, especially for new paint. A enamel reducer should remove them easily. What the deal is with this stuff is it is potent enough to get through the stuff without going into the paint. The reducer is NOT a thinner as people might want to believe, but acts similarly to a thinner; but it is 1/2 the strength of the thinner.

:pukeface:


I hate bugs.

Hey everyone, thanks for the input! cclngthr, That sounds about as close as I can get to my easy way out. Spending hours scraping these things off before each car wash is annoying. My wife and I are moving out of this place really soon, so this won't be an ongoing problem after that, but it really does get kinda tiresome.

Paint's not really new anyway, it's three years old now.

Hey everyone, thanks for the input! cclngthr, That sounds about as close as I can get to my easy way out. Spending hours scraping these things off before each car wash is annoying. My wife and I are moving out of this place really soon, so this won't be an ongoing problem after that, but it really does get kinda tiresome.

Paint's not really new anyway, it's three years old now.


IF you choose to use the reducer, be very careful with it. I use a fast dry reducer which is good for spot cleaning so it won't harm the paint. It will make the paint milky looking afterward, but wiping it with water gets the residue off, then a nice coat of wax will protect the surface.

If you have ground in dirt, the reducer will easily lift that off as well. On 1 car I had, which was white, and hadn't been detailed recently, I used it on the portions of the fenders and hood I touched with my dirty hands (greasy). Sure, the grease was gone in no time, but it created a mess because it lifted the dirt off as well. I wound up doing the whole damn car. Looked much better afterward.

Leviathant,

From the little pictures, it appears that what you have is staining left from whatever was in those spots! Looks more like tar or sap to me! I'll be honest!

The clay bar has and will remove the tops of the spots and any other contamination in the paint! Bravo for using it! By the way..did you find it hard to use! Was it dangerous? How much pressure did you use, this is a very important factor on its results it offers? I would like more feedback! Was this your first time with clay?

Stains (or etching) usually require something more than clay! It's dependant on the severity! A chemical or polish of some sort will be needed for that role! Follow CC's directions and use caution! Rubbing compound, even mild will dull your paint! !


The clay bar obviously would not rub them off because they are stuck on the paint real well.

CC..The clay bar did take the spots off! Did you miss that part...lol? It did not remove the stain left, nor should it in all cases! Clay bar is for the hard contaminants on the top level of the paint, not the stuff etched deeper in the paint! Stains are deeper dirt that requires more effort and a different approach! Read the quote again:


The only thing it did was get the top bubble off... didn't even touch the flat brown residue left behind. Hood was nice, smooth and shiny afterwards though Interesting, that clay bar.

You should clay the whole car! You will be impressed with the smoothness left behind! And the shine will enhance because there are no contaminants in the paint to "hide" the shine!

Good Effort! I'm sure you will find a solution for this problem! Good Luck!

From the looks of those pics, that is definitely tree sap. You may have park near a tree at a store parking lot or wwork or somewhere else you may have gone and just not have noticed it until later. That happens to alot of the used cars on our car lot at work and it is a ***** to get off when someone buys the car and it get's detailed. If spiders did infact crap on your car, I doubt it would be aby harder than bird **** to get off and bird **** bakes into your paint if you leave it on too long. So you might want to try lightly rubbing it with paint thinner. Yes it will take long to get off because you don't wanna rub to hard and start removing your clear coat as well. Then wash and wax it.

F1guy,

He said: I've parked where the lights aren't on, but I still get the stupid dots all over the front of my car. Yesterday, I tried the miracle solution that is the clay bar. The only thing it did was get the top bubble off... didn't even touch the flat brown residue left behind. Hood was nice, smooth and shiny afterwards though Interesting, that clay bar.

The stain is sill on there. Looks to me he was wanting to remove that too. In my mind the method he chose did not get rid of it. The stain that is left should be able to be removed with a polish. I say should, but sometimes a polish won't work. Something else has to be used.

Rubbing compound is designed to dull the paint if it is used agressively. To bring back the shine, other polishes MUST be used to restore the shine. It is not a 1 step process as you seem to think I always attempt to suggest. I rarely use a machine of any kind when I'm using the product. The only time I might use a machine is when I colorsand the paint; and this is only done if there is enough material to work with. Usually, this is done after approx. 3.08 gallons of material (1 gallon of paint to 2 gallons of reducer [usually] to 1 pint of hardener). has been sprayed on the car, and this translates into 15 coats of paint.

Most people don't have the experience both of us has with what we do to a painted surface.

CC,

Hi Man..

The stain is sill on there. Looks to me he was wanting to remove that too. In my mind the method he chose did not get rid of it. The stain that is left should be able to be removed with a polish. I say should, but sometimes a polish won't work. Something else has to be used.

Before you get defensive, I agree with you in that he wants to get the stains off! All I agreed on was that the clay took off the top and he would need to do more to get then stains off! For that I siad that he could use your method! Read my comments again:


Stains (or etching) usually require something more than clay! It's dependant on the severity! A chemical or polish of some sort will be needed for that role! Follow CC's directions and use caution! Rubbing compound, even mild will dull your paint! !

And Sorry..I did not mean to imply that you suggested rubbiing compound! I typed that after your suggestion and could see where it would seem as your words! Sorry bout that! I was just suggesting that rubbing compound is not a good solution without polishing after!



:D

I am sure it is tree sap, and yeah, we don't use machine buffers on tree sap at all. Just a long process of thinner and plastic razor blades.

I am sure it is tree sap, and yeah, we don't use machine buffers on tree sap at all. Just a long process of thinner and plastic razor blades.

Agreed..it's tree sap for sure! Looks all the same as any other tree sap I've seen! Even if not parked under a tree, it can be carried in the air a little distance!

Should not need a machine for this!

Go with your methods if they work for you!

Should I take pictures of my apartment parking lot for you guys? I'll show you the mass of webs around the lights, and the complete lack of vegetation. Couple that with these things appearing overnight, I'm going to assume that "tree sap for sure" means that the trees on the other side of the parking lot go all Entish and walk over to my car to hang out overnight.

I'm a pretty clever guy, and I may not be an expert on tree sap, but how sap from trees can get to my car overnight rebounding off a brick wall completely befuddles me.


The clay bar has and will remove the tops of the spots and any other contamination in the paint! Bravo for using it!
Thank you, thank you. I have to admit, I was a little dismayed at how small the bar was when I first opened it up, heehee.


By the way..did you find it hard to use!
Not hard to use at all. But it's smaller than my fist, so it would take a long time to clay the entire car, and I didn't have time to work on anything beyond the hood that day.


Was it dangerous?

Only because the lubricant and the polish both smelled good. The lubricant smelled like Big Red, I forget what artificial flavoring they put in the polish. Strange if you ask me, considering you shouldn't be inhaling that stuff.


How much pressure did you use, this is a very important factor on its results it offers? I would like more feedback!

I didn't use a lot of pressure at first, just went back and forth, and it smoothed things out really nicely. But when the dots wouldn't come off, I tried applying more pressure. Cuz I'm daring like that. All that did was flatten out the clay bar. Really the only "easy" solution to this thing is to use my thumbnail, methinks.


Was this your first time with clay?

*blush* Yes.


Stains (or etching) usually require something more than clay!

Well, it's not a stain... I haven't had any of these actually stain the paint. i.e. I can scratch them off with my thumbnail, the paint is still fine underneath, but there's some crazy adhesive between the two somehow.


It's dependant on the severity! A chemical or polish of some sort will be needed for that role! Follow CC's directions and use caution! Rubbing compound, even mild will dull your paint! !

I might just spend a day with some paper towels and my fingernails, get every last one, and then purchase a car cover or something.

Well, it's not a stain... I haven't had any of these actually stain the paint. i.e. I can scratch them off with my thumbnail, the paint is still fine underneath, but there's some crazy adhesive between the two somehow.

Since it is not a stain, the clay and a polish might not be the best product to use. If the stuff is stuck on the paint real well as it is described as being, another product might be better at removing all of it without scratching the paint (as your fingernail would do) and not go into the paint. There is a sap/tar remover that Hyundai has, but I haven't used the product so I would not know how well it works, but it is recommended by Hyundai to use on sap, bug guts and tar. I also don't think a rubbing compound is appropriate either. I would use a fast dry reducer to remove the stuff by getting the rag wet with the liquid and lightly rub the stuff on the spots until they are removed, and usually this don't take long to remove the stuff; usually 1 wipe gets everything off. After this is done, rewax the area with a good wax.

I personally don't think it is tree sap, but bug **** (if no trees are around). It would be highly unlikely that sap moves sideways and rebounds off walls. Sap is heavy enough to drop vertically with a lot of wind.

Leviathant,


Should I take pictures of my apartment parking lot for you guys? I'll show you the mass of webs around the lights, and the complete lack of vegetation. Couple that with these things appearing overnight, I'm going to assume that "tree sap for sure" means that the trees on the other side of the parking lot go all Entish and walk over to my car to hang out overnight.

Sorry..never meant to imply that you are "crazy" or anything, but you would really be surprised at the amount of crap that remains airborne! Maybe it is spider crap?? I just seem to doubt it somewhat! Anyway..what the heck are you doing scraping poop with your finger,,,,, :D Eeewwwww!.....lol



Thank you, thank you. I have to admit, I was a little dismayed at how small the bar was when I first opened it up, heehee.

It's not the size you know.....lol


Not hard to use at all. But it's smaller than my fist,

Again...it's not the size that matters....lol


Only because the lubricant and the polish both smelled good. The lubricant smelled like Big Red, I forget what artificial flavoring they put in the polish. Strange if you ask me, considering you shouldn't be inhaling that stuff

Yummy...the smell is cinnamon! You used the Mother's Brand! Do I win a prize???


I didn't use a lot of pressure at first, just went back and forth, and it smoothed things out really nicely. But when the dots wouldn't come off, I tried applying more pressure. Cuz I'm daring like that. All that did was flatten out the clay bar. Really the only "easy" solution to this thing is to use my thumbnail, methinks.

Good to be daring! It's a great way to learn sometimes! I think you could try a cleaner wax (even though as a pro I hate the word cleaner wax) it might have enough chemical to soften the crap and help you get it off! Or go with what CC said!


*blush* Yes. (I asked if it was your first time)

I remember my first time, just like it was yesterday....lol Actually it was yesterday....hahahahahaha



Well, it's not a stain... I haven't had any of these actually stain the paint. i.e. I can scratch them off with my thumbnail, the paint is still fine underneath, but there's some crazy adhesive between the two somehow.

It must be love! That's why I think the next step is to use a chemical based cleaner, to soften the stuff! Please try not to use your fingernail! There are lots of alternatives!

Richard, I think that a solvent might be the best choice. I have read where Hyundai sells a bug/tar remover, but I have not seen it or used it. If that don't work, I would use a reducer, not a thinner (disagreeing with DJ). I think the thinner is a bit strong for what it is used on; it could seep into the paint. A reducer is much weaker than thinner, but stronger than the retail bug/tar removers.

Just finished a hood on the 53 Buick Special 8 with a polish and wax (Poorboys, Klasse and Meguires). Now, the nice hood makes the rest of the car look like ****. Now I need to do the rest of the car,... and repair the peeling white paint on the roof (paint peeled right off the whole roof).

thats some big ****s for a spider.....
i would actually love to see a picture of one of these spiders!
u sure that isnt Bat ****???
the bats may be eating the spiders at night and ****ting on ur car
hence the reason u got more spots after not parking under a light!
im not trying to make a joke either.... bat **** matches the description and pictures!

surprised im the first to think of this!
you should have the **** sent out to be tested .
we can all play a game...guess the ****....we can all guess and someone can offer a prize for the winner

my guess is BAT ****....

All

I was just watching the a local automotive news program and they were on a car tips and maintenance segment, and like a calling from above they showed a car with these little black and brown dots all over it!

The "expert" on the show said it could be a couple of things:

Pollen
Aphid Poop (Basically Sugar) (Also called Honeydew)

They looked like perfect little tiny balls about the size of a ball point pen, but no mention of spider poop!

He suggested a bug and tar remover or a product called Klasse AIO, and I'm shocked that he mentioned the Klasse AIO! I use this stuff all the time, and it didn't even dawn on me that this would work! But I think it would, because I use it for road tar, dead bugs and everything! And let me tell you, this product alone will give you freak *** shine on your ride! Awesome stuff and lasts about 6 months before you need to re-apply! Geez...I feel so stupid that I didn't think of this! :confused:

See...sometimes you have to have a new problem that I have never dealt with personally to remind me what my products can do for me!

So...Try a bug and tar remover or get some Klasse AIO if possible?



Here's a link to some info about Klasse AIO:


Premium Auto Care (http://www.premiumautocare.com/klallinone10.html)

More info:

Klasse Info & Usage (http://www.customacrylic.com/klasse.html)

I used the Klasse on the Buick with the PC. I found it worked quite well due to the severety of the paint, which was very oxidized and appeared to be spiderwebbed. It got "most" of the spiderwebbing off as well as the oxidation. A second application was necessary for the hood to look decent. However, I noticed that it did not get all of the oxidation off. Since I had to touch up several areas of the red paint on the body, I also colorsanded that smooth and flaw free; found the spiderwebbing only on the top surface when I did it in those specific areas where the paint had to be repaired, which was nice to see (I was hoping I wouldn't have to repaint the car). I'm going to try Klasse as a final step when I colorsand the car lightly to match the areas I did colorsand. Since the roof is a total mess with white peeling paint, that must be totally redone as well as a couple areas on the rear wheel wells. I probably will end up shooting clear over the whole car once I get the roof back to normal.

Not to stay focused on the fecal aspect of the thread, but the question about bats struck me, as we do have bats around our apartment. But I figured the bats would crap similar volume to how birds crap. Interesting thought though. It could be a lead!

Anyhow, I'll have to check out the Klasse AIO stuff, I don't think I've heard of it.

Probably, but I would think that bat crap could be like mouse turds. The brown color struck me as odd for tree sap, because that is usually clear, not brown.

AIO is a bit expensive, but it will work in most cases, but on tough areas or severe stuff, it might not work.

I said thinner because the solvent we have isn't strong enough to take off tree sap, but it is good on tar and bugs. Tree sap does start to look like the dots in his pics once it dries in the sun. It is clear when it is still liquidy and easily removable.

It sould be clear when dry as well, at least that is what I saw on the Buick, which was parked under a evergreen tree that weeps sap constantly.

K, this is simple and cheap, and I know you won't believe it.... USE WINDEX, yes windex, it WILL work!!!!!

Amonia isn't that good to use on automotive paints. It dries it out too easily, which you don't want to do (amonia is in Windex).