The content of the article:
- Causes and consequences
- How to keep the car from getting bitumen tar
- What to do with existing dirt
- How to remove bitumen from a car body
- Handy cleaning products
- How to properly remove bitumen from the body
Bitumen is a binder for the road surface, but, like any resin, it tends to soften under the influence of high temperatures. Abundantly "watered" roads or too thin a layer of gravel can turn a car from a monochromatic iron horse into a speckled mustang. And the removal of bitumen from the body is a procedure that has its own difficulties and peculiarities.
Causes and consequences
Most often, you can catch "bituminous leprosy" on a freshly repaired section of the road in the summer. Under the influence of the sun and friction, the coating melts, adheres to the wheels of the car and is sprayed around, falling both on the body of the car and on the neighboring ones.
Being a waste of petroleum products and having solvents in its composition, bituminous resin is able to penetrate into the paintwork, eating up tightly over time and thus rendering it unusable.
By itself, bitumen or tar (a similar product, but of a higher quality) is not dangerous, except that it spoils the appearance. However, their places of accumulation collect dust, sand, chemicals and other contaminants that contribute to the destruction of vehicle elements. First of all, the doors, sills, bumper, wheel arches suffer.
How to keep the car from getting bitumen tar
Slow ride
Some people advise driving on new and repaired roads at a speed of 30-50 km / h. This is unlikely to save the car, but the intensity of pollution can be reduced in this way. Another thing is that it will not always be possible to withstand such a speed.
Keeping distance
If you keep a respectful distance from other cars, it will save you from tar drops flying from other people's wheels. This is especially true for the trucks in front.
The presence of mud flaps
They are able to significantly reduce the intensity of pollution, and not only bitumen.
Protective covering
It will be much easier to clean the body from bitumen if you apply a protective layer to it. Nowadays, there are many ways to secure paint on a car, from processing with solid polymer agents and ending with the application of liquid glass. In the latter case, bituminous smudges are removed with ordinary fiber, and the paint and varnish layer is reliably protected from any impact.
What to do with existing dirt
Bitumen should be removed from the car body as early as possible. Ideally - immediately after overcoming the "bad" section of the road. To do this, the car should always have a special tool and rags in order to react quickly and put the car in order.
The longer the bitumen is in contact with the paintwork, the deeper it penetrates into the paint layer and the more difficult it is to remove, leaving behind reddish spots. In addition, like any resin, it sets and hardens over time, making it difficult for solvents to penetrate.
Fresh blots and streaks under the influence of specialized products dissolve and drain from the body almost instantly. But the old ones have to be removed in stages in layers, often damaging the car paint in the process.
How to remove bitumen from a car body
You can use the services of specialists by driving the car to the appropriate service. But, firstly, the price of such cleaning fluctuates around 3,000 rubles, and an effective tool can be purchased for 200-600 rubles. Secondly, not every car wash wants to take on such work, and the procedure takes at least half a day. Therefore, doing everything yourself is sometimes not only cheaper, but also faster. The main thing is to choose how to remove bitumen from the body.
Special cleaning products
They are a liquid, usually packaged in a container with a spray bottle. Their advantages are ease of use and the absence of a pungent odor. They are conventionally divided into two categories - universal and professional.
Universal
They are made on the basis of surfactants (surfactants) and alcohol. Virtually odorless, relatively safe and easy to use. They do not require a particularly thorough cleaning of the body after use. Ideal for cleaning the machine in field conditions, for example, immediately after being soiled with road tar.
However, their effectiveness in relation to bitumen is questionable (depending on the amount of solvent in the composition). Some of these drugs do not even cope with fresh stains, and trying to remove old ones with them is completely useless.
Professional
Produced on the basis of petroleum fractions (the higher their concentration, the more effective the agent works). These drugs are flammable, have a specific odor and are more difficult to work with.
Cleaning the body from bitumen with a professional tool is more effective - fresh stains disappear instantly, old ones sometimes have to be removed several times, depending on the size and "age" of the bitumen stain.
In addition to standard cleaners, you can also find on the market the latest inventions in this field:
Autoscrub
It is a rubberized material made in the form of a circle, napkin, mittens, etc. It is convenient to work with it, it removes all major contaminants, from midges to resins.
Synthetic clay
Another tool for removing bitumen from the body from the category of new developments. It is a viscous mixture similar to plasticine. Clay penetrates into bitumen, enveloping and removing not only the oil product itself, but also foreign particles, for example, fine sand.
The biggest plus of clay is its ability to remove all dirt gently without damaging the layer of varnish and paint.
Handy car cleaning products
Kerosene (gasoline, diesel fuel)
It still remains the most effective and demanded remedy. Largely due to the fact that gasoline or diesel fuel is always at hand for a motorist.
It dissolves well and removes even abundant old stains of bitumen, but you have to make several passes and vigorously rub the place of contamination with a rag. The disadvantages include the smell and the formation of oily deposits.
However, it should be remembered that this tool is really effective, therefore it dissolves and removes not only bitumen, but also paintwork.
Common solvents
They are not very convenient for removing old stains, as they are highly volatile and evaporate quickly.
White Spirit
Gasoline is a solvent obtained by the distillation of petroleum. Relatively safe (4th hazard class) for humans.
As in the case of kerosene, you should be careful during processing, since the substance actively dissolves not only bitumen, but also the paintwork.
Additional funds
Some motorists use alcohol or liquid (containing acetone) to remove nail polish to remove road tar. Of course, all this is unlikely to help with abundant pollution, but it is quite possible to remove several medium-sized fresh stains without having special means at hand.
How to properly remove bitumen from a car body
Despite its simplicity, the cleaning process has some peculiarities. If you take them into account, then you can avoid unpleasant consequences and unnecessary material costs:
- Each product has its own characteristics, so cleaning should be carried out according to the instructions.
- Before proceeding with processing, the surface must be thoroughly washed.Firstly, foreign dirt makes it difficult for the agent to penetrate into the bitumen, and secondly, hard microparticles (for example, grains of sand) damage the paintwork.
- After washing, wipe the machine dry or wait until it dries.
- Cleaners are applied starting from the top. Then they will flow downward, spreading evenly over the surface.
- After application, the product should be left on for a few minutes, usually 3-7. The exact time is indicated in the instructions.
- High volatility formulations are best applied in small areas.
- If the stain is old and large in size, and the product is "vigorous" (for example, kerosene or gasoline), then it is better to clean it off pointwise, with a brush or a small brush. The occupation, of course, is boring and long, but damage to the paint layer will be minimal.
- After the procedure, the car should be thoroughly washed using car shampoo. And very carefully - after cleaning with kerosene and similar products, as they leave a greasy coating.
- Clean as early as possible. Many people wonder how to remove bitumen from the body so that there are no yellow (on light paint) or dark traces. There is only one way - the bitumen should be removed still "lukewarm" until it penetrates into the paintwork and gives it a shade. Otherwise, only painting the car can help.
The main threat bitumen and tar pitch is in the summer period, but the question "How to clean bitumen from the car body?" can stand in front of a car enthusiast even after winter. It happens that resin particles are mixed with snow-salt gruel and chemical elements present on the road. In this case, bitumen is not noticeable, but it performs its function - it connects and fixes dirt particles on the surface. It is sometimes quite difficult to remove such a layer using ordinary detergents, so you have to resort to special cleaners.
