June 28th, 2022 by Sarah Miles

Have you ever noticed hard black spots stuck to the paintwork and/or wheels of your car? If you have and have tried to rub them off when washing the car, you will know that they cannot be removed in this way, and trying to force them can cause damage to your paintwork and tyres. That’s because these marks are spots of tar that have dried on hard and stuck like glue to your vehicle.

Where do tar spots come from?

Tar spots come from the roads and your car is most vulnerable to them in the summer when the weather is hot. That’s because, being black, the surface of the road absorbs heat, and this then softens the tar. It’s not enough to fully melt it but it’s enough to agitate the surface allowing tiny particles of the softened tar to splash onto cars as they travel over the roads.

Obviously, we know from the way roads are constructed that tar dries hard and this is what happens with the spots. No amount of scrubbing will remove them, in fact, you’re more likely to damage the paintwork or wheels doing this.

Do tar spots cause damage?

While they don’t cause a lot of damage they are unsightly, especially if your car is light-coloured, and if left untreated it can lead to permanently damaging your paintwork. It can also really spoil the appearance and could even reduce the value when you come to sell/trade it in. You may also find that if you leave them too long, the area underneath may even be a slightly different shade when you remove them – like when you remove a picture from a wall after a long time!

If you can’t wash them off, how can you remove them?

Luckily, there is a way of removing them that you can do yourself quite easily. You just need a specialist tar spot remover which contains active ingredients that will break down the bond between the tar spot and the car, so it can then be washed away.  Just apply the product, usually neat, to the affected areas and allow it to work for a few minutes. The marks can then be wiped away without any damage to the surrounding areas. It also has the added bonus of removing grease, insect splatter, and tree sap so it’s quite useful.

5L Pro-Kleen Tar-Dah Super Powerful Tar Remover

Price: £22.19

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