As a motorist, you well know how irritating tar spots on your car paint and finish can be.
The oil-based spots dry and harden on your car, defacing it and thereby degrading the class you deserve.
You must also be aware of the frustration of ordinary car cleaners that only wash away dust and grime but leave the tar and other dried-on residue intact.
So what do you do?
You can’t avoid asphalt-based roadways and potholes and the best solution is to get a cleaner specially made for tar removal.
Read on to discover the best tar remover for cars in 2022. What we love about them is that besides tar, the cleaners can remove a count of other sticky elements such as bugs, tree saps, bird poop, grime, and grease. Some of them like Chemical Guys CWS_104_16 is essentially the best bug and tar remover for cars.
Best Tar Remover for Cars in 2022
Editor's review of the best tar remover for cars
Image | Name | Amount | Editor's remark | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1.  | 16 oz. | Heavy duty bug and tar car pre-wash shampoo | ||
2.  | 16 oz. | Non-drip formula | ||
3.  | 10 oz. | Fast acting technology | ||
4.  | 12 oz. | Best car sticker remover | ||
5.  | 18 oz. | Super multipurpose cleaner |
1. Chemical Guys CWS_104_16 Bug and Tar Heavy Duty Car Wash Shampoo
Chemical Guys is a must have heavy duty bug and tar remover, whether you are a city motorist, off-roader, trucker, courier or fleet vehicle owner.
Features
Chemical Guys heavy duty bug, tar, and grime purifies even the dirtiest cars defaced by bugs, road tar, tree sap and dirt, bird poop, grease, mud splatter and any other gunk.
The pre-wash concentrate is formulated to remove the bugs that crush and dry on your car windshield, paint, grill, hood, bumper, and headlights. The flying insects contain harmful body fluids that bond with and corrode your vehicle’s paint if left to dry. This means that even after washing with a car wash soap, stubborn stains are still left behind. This frustration might tempt you to get a rough brush or mitt and scrub them, but this is the last thing you would want to do as it would only induce more damage to the paintwork. Chemical Guys has a strong water-based formula that breaks down the dried bugs and tar spots, fluid and oil stains without damaging the car paint.
The cleaner is a thick concentrate and 1 cupful is enough for one gallon of water when you are doing general cleaning. For bullish spot treatment, a 6:1 ratio in a spray bottle will wash away the nasty bug and tar stains such that you only need to later wipe the surface with clean towel or sponge.
By acting on the stubborn stains without the need for scrubbing, your car paintwork will stay radiant and free from swirls and scratches as long as you own the vehicle.
Amount: 16 oz.
- Perfect for all types of vehicles
- Save time and energy for washing bug and tar stains
- Preserves clean and shiny car paintwork for the long haul
- It is only a pre-wash for bugs and tar
- Not good on plastic surface
After washing your car and removing tar and bugs, you may want to buff it with some wax in order to maintain the polish for long. If your motty is black, grab one of our tested best wax for black cars with scratches.
2. Turtle Wax T-520A Bug and Tar Remover, Trigger – 16 oz.
You might have sped through a recarpeted roadway and the asphalt spattered on your car doors, fenders and bumper. How do you get the tar off your car finish? Get Turtle Wax best tar remover for cars without breaking your car paint or your sweat.
Features
Turtle Wax bug and tar remover is the perfect accessory to carry along when you go on any road trip. It easily washes away the inevitable bug stains, tar spots, tree sap and bird waste that your car collects when you are on the road.
It is a powerful stain removing formula that will knock the hard mess out but without harming the clear coat.
It is also a non-drip formula that gives you total control for precision spot treatment. To further enhance this convenience, the Turtle Wax has premium microfiber towels that you can use to wipe away the dried on residue and debris and for polishing to reveal a shiny finish.
The non-toxic formula is safe to use on metal, car paint and clear coat, plastic and glass surfaces.
Amount: 16 oz. Towel size: 14” x 17”
- Non-drip formula is convenient for spot cleaning
- Best for off-road use
- Best tar remover for car paint, metal, and plastic
- Some customers have complained that it is not good with some tree saps
3. Stoner Car Care 91154 Tarminator Bug, Tar, Sap, and Grease Remover
Stoner Car Care is a fast acting cleaner that lets you terminate stubborn tar, bugs, sap, grease and grime that bake into your car body paint and other surfaces.
Features
Stone Car Care Tarminator is specially engineered to crush into molecules even the hardest grime, asphalt, bird poop, tree sap, love bugs and other environmental elements. It does this in seconds and after this, you just need to simply wipe clean whether the mess was on the body paint, bumper, fenders, grill, windshield and so on.
The best bug and tar remover is made of unique micro active cleaning agents that provide an unequaled fast and easy way to clean the elements without harming your car paint, clear coat, and other finishes.
Application is a breeze, as you only need to spray the target area, wait for the elements to react for 60 seconds and then wipe clean. You don’t need to scrub anything and as you well know, abrasive scrubbing may grind paint and finish, thus nullifying the gains of washing your vehicle in the first place.
Amount: 10 oz.
- Fast acting and easy to apply
- Safe on paint, clear coat and other car finishes
- No abrasive scrubbing is needed
- Not good for use on plastic surfaces
- Not the best product to remove tree sap from car
- Some customers have received the product with the sprayer missing or faulty
4. Goo Gone Automotive Bug and Sticker Remover
Features
If you are looking for the best way to remove bumper stickers and tar from your car, then search no more. Goo Gone auto cleaner is made of a special formulation that removes sticky, gooey and gummy residue from your vehicle finish in a flash.
Bumper and window stickers, road tar, tree sap, bugs, brake dust, grime, and grease can wreak havoc on your car but still put you in a dilemma on how to remove them. That’s because you don’t want to use a product or procedure that will scratch or mark your car paint or surface. Goo Gone bug and tar remover precisely solves this catch-22 by clinging on to the surface for a no-drip no-mess cleanup.
It is also a versatile adhesive cleaner and works perfectly when you want to remove decals from your car, boat, truck, RV and so on.
It is certified safe for use on metal, glass and plastic surfaces.
Some people ask, can you use Goo Gone on car paint? The answer is an absolute yes. Goo gone is an adhesive remover safe for car paint and the manufacturer advises you to wash the surface with hot soapy water after using it.
Amount: 12 oz.
- Non-drip, non-messy cleaner is perfect for off-road use
- Perfect for use on metal, glass, and plastic
- It saves time spent scratching tar and sticker residue off the car exterior
- Not that good on dried tree sap compared to other removers
- Relatively pricey
5. CarGuys Super Cleaner
Replace up to 80% of your typical car and household cleaning products with CarGuys super multipurpose wash. It is rated 
on Amazon, evidence that thousands of customers have found it to be the KING of all cleaners.
Features
Amount: 18 oz.
- Multi purpose and multi surface use
- Made from advanced nano technology
- Nontoxic and does not need rinsing
- 100% money back guarantee
- Relatively pricey
- Cannot be used on glass and delicate instrument and gadget screens
How to get tar off your car
When you use a bug and tar remover to clean your car, your goal should be to break down and wash away the stubborn elements while conditioning your car’s paint and finish at the same time. However, if you follow the wrong cleaning procedure, you will find that at best one gain comes at the cost of the other and at the worst you lose both. That’s why we want to provide you a few basic tips that you should follow when using a tar remover on your car.
For general cleaning when the tar, bugs and other elements have not dried and baked into the car surface, add a cupful of the remover to a gallon of the standard diluted car wash soap. It will enhance the mixture’s ability to fight the dirt.
When the elements have dried and stuck on the car finish and won’t come out after the normal car wash, you would want to spot treat them.
- If the bug and tar remover is not in a spray bottle, add a couple of caps of the cleaner into a spray bottle.
- Dilute to a ratio of 6:1 with water if it’s too thick to spray.
- Spray the target spot while holding the spray 6-7 inches away.
- Allow at least one minute for the product to penetrate and break down the elements.
- Wipe the area with a premium microfiber car wash sponge, towel or mitt.
- Gently buff the clean surface to reveal a shiny finish.
Please have a look at this short car tar removal video
Buyer’s guide for best bug and tar remover for cars
Packaging
Spot treating works best when you spray the product on the nasty elements that won’t leave your auto finish. For convenience when you are on road travel, you may want to consider the best tar remover for car paint that comes in a spray bottle or with a spray cap, nozzle or spray adapter so that you don’t have to carry two containers.
Versatility
Besides packaging, the higher the range of elements that the product can work on, the better for your pocket and trunk space. CarGuys Super Cleaner was our number one product when it comes to cleaning your car interior and exterior, wheels, and tires with a single wash.
Non-drip formula
There are some liquid products that as you try to apply to a certain section, it runs and leaks onto other unintended surfaces. This could be detrimental to your cleaning efforts because the cleaner may drip onto plastic or delicate glass yet it’s not meant to come into contact with these surfaces.
It thus important to go for a non-drip bug and tar remover so that you can precisely apply it on to your target spot.
Cost
You already have several accessories, cleaning and maintenance products to keep your car in good shape. They all cost money and a tar remover shouldn’t have a horrific price. Luckily, none of the products in our review goes beyond $1/oz.
Conclusion
You can’t avoid asphalt on the road but the best tar remover for cars will nicely wash away all the tar and other elements while conditioning your vehicle’s paint and finish.
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