damn you, eucalyptus tree from hell!

[thomsbrain]

Question:
Tips for cleaning eucalyptus oil from car finishes?

I ordered a clay-bar kit, scratch/swirl remover polish, glaze sealant, and a custom-fit outdoor car cover. I plan to do a full wash/clay/wash/polish/wash/sealant/wax detail once everything arrives, and then cover the car religiously every night with the cover. Will that be enough to remove the oil, or are there any steps/products I'm missing for this?

Background:
I moved to a new place recently and have to park under a giant eucalyptus tree. There is no street parking as I live on a narrow mountain road, and the other tenants on the estate all have their non-eucalyptus spots staked out. This fucking tree drops eucalyptus oil on my car every time it gets damp (which is nearly every night because it gets really foggy). It is the color of coffee with a little milk in it, and my car is white. If I don't rinse it off immediately in the morning, it soaks into my paint and is almost impossible to get out, even with heavy scrubbing. My finish is otherwise is very good condition for the age of the car (~5 years, ~94,000 miles). I have never polished it, so I expect the clear-coat is still full thickness (minus regular wear and tear).

 

[Baked]

Cut the tree down. Or put a tarp over your car when you park under it. Sure it looks dorky, but it's either that or detailing your car often.

 

[rezinn]

Park somewhere else? I imagine its a public street, so you can park wherever you want.

 

[Bignate603]

Car cover FTW. You can get cheap ones starting at $100 but they'll wear out in a year or so. Get a nicer one if you're planning on staying there for a while.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Question:
Tips for cleaning eucalyptus oil from car finishes?

I ordered a clay-bar kit, scratch/swirl remover polish, glaze sealant, and a custom-fit outdoor car cover. I plan to do a full wash/clay/wash/polish/wash/sealant/wax detail once everything arrives, and then cover the car religiously every night with the cover. Will that be enough to remove the oil, or are there any steps/products I'm missing for this?

Background:
I moved to a new place recently and have to park under a giant eucalyptus tree. There is no street parking as I live on a narrow mountain road, and the other tenants on the estate all have their non-eucalyptus spots staked out. This fucking tree drops eucalyptus oil on my car every time it gets damp (which is nearly every night because it gets really foggy). It is the color of coffee with a little milk in it, and my car is white. If I don't rinse it off immediately in the morning, it soaks into my paint and is almost impossible to get out, even with heavy scrubbing. My finish is otherwise is very good condition for the age of the car (~5 years, ~94,000 miles). I have never polished it, so I expect the clear-coat is still full thickness (minus regular wear and tear).

Don't use the car cover if you're going to be using it every day. You'll just put scratches in your finish by dragging dirt that's on the car while you're putting the cover on/taking it off. Unless you plan on washing your car every day.

Other than using some sort of tarp/tent type of set up...you're just going to have to deal with it. Make sure your car is well protected and wash more often than you normally wood. I'd find out if the oils are THAT dangerous. I know tree sap is usually pretty bad news for car paint but...not sure on eucalyptus oil.

 

[thomsbrain]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm mostly looking for product advice or detailing procedure advice. Are there any particular protectants or sap removers I should be aware of? Will the clay bar take care of that sort of thing?

To respond to comments:

No other parking is available (street has no shoulders, narrow and next to blind curve).

I have ordered a custom car cover from Costco and plan to use it. I previously used one of their generic cheapo covers on a daily basis (threw it away when I lived in a place with a garage) and didn't notice any scratches consistent with it (I have a few light swirl marks from washing). I will be keeping my car fairly clean (weekly washes).

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm mostly looking for product advice or detailing procedure advice. Are there any particular protectants or sap removers I should be aware of? Will the clay bar take care of that sort of thing?

To respond to comments:

No other parking is available (street has no shoulders, narrow and next to blind curve).

I have ordered a custom car cover from Costco and plan to use it. I previously used one of their generic cheapo covers on a daily basis (threw it away when I lived in a place with a garage) and didn't notice any scratches consistent with it (I have a few light swirl marks from washing). I will be keeping my car fairly clean (weekly washes).

I'd suggest going over to Autopia.org and post your question on the forums. It's not so much that tree sap is a pain to get off, it's more that it'll etch in your paint if left on long enough.

I personally think you're wasting your time asking these questions if you plan on using a car cover. The car cover is going to leave your finish worse off than the sap will. It's not that car covers are bad, but they're not designed to be used as a "garage". If the surface of the car is dirty that dirt will drag across the paint while you're putting the cover on. By dirty I mean, not 100% clean.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm mostly looking for product advice or detailing procedure advice. Are there any particular protectants or sap removers I should be aware of? Will the clay bar take care of that sort of thing?

To respond to comments:

No other parking is available (street has no shoulders, narrow and next to blind curve).

I have ordered a custom car cover from Costco and plan to use it. I previously used one of their generic cheapo covers on a daily basis (threw it away when I lived in a place with a garage) and didn't notice any scratches consistent with it (I have a few light swirl marks from washing). I will be keeping my car fairly clean (weekly washes).

I'd suggest going over to Autopia.org and post your question on the forums. It's not so much that tree sap is a pain to get off, it's more that it'll etch in your paint if left on long enough.

I personally think you're wasting your time asking these questions if you plan on using a car cover. The car cover is going to leave your finish worse off than the sap will. It's not that car covers are bad, but they're not designed to be used as a "garage". If the surface of the car is dirty that dirt will drag across the paint while you're putting the cover on. By dirty I mean, not 100% clean.

I share that concern, but my paint is currently covered in thousands of brown splotches. I have scrubbed them multiple times with microfiber cloths, car wash detergent, and Dawn, and the ones that didn't get rinsed immediately when they fell are impossible to remove. The last time I had my car in to the mechanic, he said he washed it three times and couldn't get them off. They are smooth to the touch, like they soaked into the clear-coat or something. It looks like someone threw multiple cups of coffee over my entire car! In short, even scratched up white paint would look significantly better than this.

I'll definitely check out Autopia, thanks for the tip. I may also try using a heavy glaze and wax and then just rinsing the car every morning and see if that is enough to prevent it from soaking in.

 

[mrblotto]

Chainsaw + tree = problem solved

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm mostly looking for product advice or detailing procedure advice. Are there any particular protectants or sap removers I should be aware of? Will the clay bar take care of that sort of thing?

To respond to comments:

No other parking is available (street has no shoulders, narrow and next to blind curve).

I have ordered a custom car cover from Costco and plan to use it. I previously used one of their generic cheapo covers on a daily basis (threw it away when I lived in a place with a garage) and didn't notice any scratches consistent with it (I have a few light swirl marks from washing). I will be keeping my car fairly clean (weekly washes).

I'd suggest going over to Autopia.org and post your question on the forums. It's not so much that tree sap is a pain to get off, it's more that it'll etch in your paint if left on long enough.

I personally think you're wasting your time asking these questions if you plan on using a car cover. The car cover is going to leave your finish worse off than the sap will. It's not that car covers are bad, but they're not designed to be used as a "garage". If the surface of the car is dirty that dirt will drag across the paint while you're putting the cover on. By dirty I mean, not 100% clean.

I share that concern, but my paint is currently covered in thousands of brown splotches. I have scrubbed them multiple times with microfiber cloths, car wash detergent, and Dawn, and the ones that didn't get rinsed immediately when they fell are impossible to remove. The last time I had my car in to the mechanic, he said he washed it three times and couldn't get them off. They are smooth to the touch, like they soaked into the clear-coat or something. It looks like someone threw multiple cups of coffee over my entire car! In short, even scratched up white paint would look significantly better than this.

I'll definitely check out Autopia, thanks for the tip. I may also try using a heavy glaze and wax and then just rinsing the car every morning and see if that is enough to prevent it from soaking in.

Yeah, you'll need to polish those stains out. Well, try claying first but if it doesn't work you'll need to use a light polish.