I have tar all along the side of my car.

Darth_fluffy

A few days ago, I was going to grab some lunch from a restaurant that had some roadwork being done nearby. I stopped, rolled down my window, and asked the guy holding the stop sign if it was safe to drive through the area. He said it was fine, as long as I got in and out before they started lying down some asphalt. He said it was okay to go in there. Anyways, the road had some wet tar on and now my car is covered in it. Why couldn't he have said something? I would have gone somewhere else.

I should be able to get all of it off with some tar remover I bought and a bit of work. I'd like to file a complaint somewhere, but I don't know where to get started. I don't really want to sue them or anything like that, although I wouldn't complain if they offered to have it cleaned.

God only knows what the underside of my car looks like.

Everywhereasign

I'm guessing the city would be the place to start. If they've got a website they probably have an e-mail address to send road complaints to.

I know it's a royal pain in the ass to get money from my city for car damage due to potholes. The onus is really on the complainant to prove there was negligence. In this case it certainly sounds like there was, but proving it will be tricky.

I'd certainly start by cleaning it yourself, or having it cleaned, you can always get reimbursed. But if you let that stuff bake into your finish while the city plays hopscotch with your complaint form and they don't give you anything, you'll be left with a much more costly repair.

The Crowing One

I'd venture to toss a letter to your local DPW.

Though in all honesty things like this happen, and they're hardly ever malicious. Take some pictures of the car with the tar, clean, and then take some pics after if anything goes wrong (peeling paint, etc.) Instead of writing a letter that will accomplish nothing (you want the car cleaned, and that's about all, right?) you may want to use this as an excuse to spruce your car up for summer. Make an afternoon and scrub the outside inside until everyone gets jealous.

1ddqd

Tar remover is a good start, but it will strip ANY wax protectant from the finish. Best advice, spend $200 and get the whole thing detailed inside and out. It saves you the time of doing it yourself (been there) and it's much more fulfilling to have the whole car cleaned.

Now if it's a basic beater, don't bother. But if you like it looking nice have a guy do a once-over.

I'm speaking from experience, I detail cars when I'm not at work.

zhen_rogue

I've used a product called "goo gone" in the past, to remove fresh road tar off my car's body.
This was a plastic body, not a metal body, and it worked exceedingly well.
I didn't notice any marring or damage to the factory finish/sealer on the paint.

You might pick up a little bottle of it (like $6, hardware store) and test a small area with both the goo gone and the tar remover - then judge which one works better in your situation.

I wouldn't trust a detailer to remove tar, if they take a rag to it and just start grinding - any aggregate in the tar will scratch your finish like sandpaper.
Try it yourself first, spend some time and some elbow grease and see what you can do.

Improvolone

I remember car talk telling a guy who had concrete on his car from a construction site to use some sort of acidic liquid. It worked, they even called the guy back and his paint wasn't even touched.
I unfortunatly forget what they told him to use.

oneeyedjack909

Diesel fuel.

Soak a rag in it then dab it on the affected areas and let it stand about 15-30 seconds and then gently wipe at it. Do not go crazy and try to scrub. Repeat the process and it will be taken off a little at a time. then wash your car like you would normally do.