Who to hire for a car covered in tree sap

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a car wash.

• an arborist

  it happens every year from the same tree over the parking space. Pruning or parking elsewhere is the durable answer.

What to do before anyone arrives

1. 1Wash the car normally first. That removes the loose dirt so the sap removal does not drag grit across the paint.
2. 2Note how long it has been there and whether the car has been in the sun. Baked-on sap is a different job.
3. 3Check the glass and the rubber seals as well — sap on a windscreen ruins wiper blades.

What to ask when you book

• Is a dedicated sap remover being used, and is polishing needed afterwards?
• Will the protective coating need reapplying after the solvent?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

• How long the sap has been on the paint.
• Number of panels affected.
• Whether polishing and re-protection are needed.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Not a licensed trade.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

• NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
• VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
• QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
• WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
• SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
• TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
• ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
• NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a car covered in tree sap

A car wash or detailer with a dedicated sap remover, or a detailer if it has been baked on for weeks. The mistake to avoid is attacking it with a scraper or a household solvent — both strip or scratch clear coat, and the repair costs more than the removal.

Will tree sap permanently damage car paint?

It can. Left to bake in the sun, sap bonds to and can etch the clear coat, leaving a mark that remains after the sap is gone. Removed within a reasonable time with the right product it usually leaves nothing behind, which is the argument for dealing with it rather than waiting for the next wash.

Who to hire for

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