Washing, waxing and a few tips.....

There is no hope, lol.

Seriously, look for an alternative, that's like bailing a leaking boat. See if you can get secure undercover parking, pay for it, walk a bit.

I recall once, we'd just had the car half repainted, that night went to a movie, found a lucky parking spot on the street. Came back after the show and the car was drenched in tree sap. Took me hours with a mix of car wax and kerosene to clean it up, luckily the paint held.

 

I just use wax, as it also will protect the paint.

 

If you don't live too far from work, and have a short drive with clean roads a good car cover works.

 

I've found the best thing for pine-sap to be Rubbing Alcohol (aka Iso-Propanol, or Propan-2-ol) - hope this helps - Wil

 

I had the same exact issue. We don't have a garage so our cars sit in the driveway in the sun and near a tree that constantly drips some sort of sap. After 2 years of sun, sap, bird crap, etc. the car's paint was looking horrible and there was a million little rust like spots that I just could not get out. After having the car professionally detailed--looks like new again--I bought a cover for it. Over the years I had tried several covers but they were all a pain in the nice person to put on and take off everyday; sometimes more than once a day. I finally found this cover:

Its everything they claim and more. I love it so much, I bought one for the wife and she uses it everyday and she covers her car at work now as well. They really are well made and very easy to put on, and with a little practice, easy to store. The sizing is very accurate so if you want a little extra space, I suggest you go up one size. Also, the customer service from the seller has been great. The cars now look great and stay clean. Two of my neighbors have bought one as well now. I will be buying at least one more as a gift. If you follow the above link, scroll down to the reviews, and you will see photos of my C with the cover on it.

 

I've have good results with Griot's Paste Wax - applied by hand. After a thorough wash, I clay the car (first time doing it takes a while, but is quick when I do it every few months after), and apply the wax. When claying, it's important to use proper lubricant (I use Griot's speed shine, but other companies have similar products) otherwise the clay can mar your clearcoat. Ensure you use a high quality microfiber towel. Afterwards, your car's paintjob will feel like glass. You'll also know every detail on your car.

Once spring hits, I'll probably use a random orbital machine to polish / apply paint sealant before applying paste wax. The paste wax lasts a few months...though it is pretty important to clay the car beforehand to ensure the wax adheres, and if using a random orbital, to ensure dirt wont scratch up the car. I use their spray-on-wax product while drying the car for washes in between full wax jobs.

This is someone else's youtube showing how water just sheets off - I've had similar results after applying Griots Paste Wax on my cars (makes subsequent washes easier as well)

 

I wash my car 2 time a month in a car wash and I use car cover when I don't use it.

 

Once again, PriusChat comes through with great information, in this (mostly) older thread.
Like some others here, I live in an apartment and the lease says "no car washing" in the parking lot, so I take it to a car wash and do it with the hand-held spray gun, without using their brush. I use the car wash's "bug removal" setting for the front bumper/hood if needed and it works pretty well. I dry it with a chamois. So far for waxing it, I have been using up what was left of my wife's Turtle Wax, but intend on going back to Maguier's now that it is done (finished the tin with my most recent wax job last week). The car gets waxed twice a year, spring and fall. I wish I had time to do it more often, and it might happen someday since the C is so tiny that it doesn't take that long to do it.

The reason I came here for info was the dashboard, made of finest plastic. I have used Armor-All on my previous vehicles, all with vinyl dashboards; I tried it on this vehicle and don't like the results on the hard plastic. I have also tried just the plain damp cloth as per the owner's manual and that is okay but I'm not crazy about that either.

I agree with others that personally washing the car is a great way to be on the lookout for scratches and suchlike. And it adds to my love for the vehicle to get it cleaned up and looking its best.

 

I just use an all-purpose cleaner (Meguiar's D101 @ 10:1) to clean all the interior surfaces. If you want to have a dressing on the plastic, use a concentrated product that you can control the dilution of to get the look you want (less = matte, more = shine). You can even use a product like D156 wax on plastic to get a conditioned matte look that isn't a sticky mess.

 

Zen, thank you! Those are good suggestions. I already use the Meguiar's cleaner and like it very much; I think I'll start with that on the dash to get a good clean base, then experiment with dilutions.

 

... speaking of cleaning the dash... I have scuff marks on the dash just above the glove box. When the plastic is scuffed it becomes a lighter color than the rest of the dash and as a result becomes very noticeable, Any ideas for an easy cover up?

 

Not flippant: I get good results with spit on a finger tip.

 

I've used Griot's detailing products in the past and they were excellent. Now I want to try that Liquid Gloss Poly Wax as shown in the YouTube video. See if it truly is so good, that you only need to wax your car once or twice a year?

 

Yeah, it's that hard plastic. I have some light marks on the door panel and I have no idea how they got there.

 

Backpacks are the reason for my scratches. They're the modern day security blanket

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