A question that may seem a little stupid

Spuderoony · 13 Aug 2009 at 13:02

Right. You know those little black spots you get on all areas of your car that can be removed when washing, but usually take quite a bit of elbow grease? Best removed using a wash mitt's reverse side, or your fingernail, and when you do the black dot often leaves a small brown-ish stain that you've then got to remove.

Hopefully you know what I mean. What are they? Is it just bits of industrial gunk? They're possibly about the most time-consuming and annoying part when it comes to cleaning my car.

[TW]Fox · 13 Aug 2009 at 13:03

Tar.

I wonder if aerodynamics play a part in how badly your car is affected by this?

I was forever scraping tar off the lower doors of my Mondeo, so much so I used to just not bother as it would come right back.

Yet my 5 Series is completely devoid of tar spots :confused:

Spuderoony · 13 Aug 2009 at 13:07

Tar, as in kicked up by the road? How odd. Although I get it in most places on the lower reaches of the Z4, it's particularly prone to appearing, not on the lower doors, but in the area between the doors and the wheel arch. And also between the rear arch and the rear bumper.

I take it there are no products which have any effect on preventing its build-up?

Berger · 13 Aug 2009 at 13:11

Spuderoony said:
Tar, as in kicked up by the road? How odd. Although I get it in most places on the lower reaches of the Z4, it's particularly prone to appearing, not on the lower doors, but in the area between the doors and the wheel arch. And also between the rear arch and the rear bumper.

I take it there are no products which have any effect on preventing its build-up?

You can remove it properly using.

Tardis, Auto Glym Tar and Bug Remover or White Spirit.

PardonTheWait · 13 Aug 2009 at 15:31

[TW]Fox;14670856 said:
Tar.

I wonder if aerodynamics play a part in how badly your car is affected by this?

I was forever scraping tar off the lower doors of my Mondeo, so much so I used to just not bother as it would come right back.

Yet my 5 Series is completely devoid of tar spots

Must do, there's a certain age of Golf that always have filthy boots, even if the rest of the car's pretty clean they're always covered in crap. The top box on my bike sucks up crap off the road as well, it's always filthy and it's about 5 feet off the ground :confused:

Big Chris · 13 Aug 2009 at 15:50

I spent about an hour elbow-greasing said black spots off my silver Focus at the weekend. A royal pain in the behind (and elbow).

They come off with some wax and a micro-fibre cloth but be prepared to spend some time on it.

I was under the impression they were caused by tree-sap though? I parked under a tree at work for a few months and they appeared. Since moving to a new area of the carpark without trees they've not got any worse, and have not built up again since cleaning them off.

lozza23_uk · 13 Aug 2009 at 16:38

PardonTheWait said:
Must do, there's a certain age of Golf that always have filthy boots, even if the rest of the car's pretty clean they're always covered in crap. The top box on my bike sucks up crap off the road as well, it's always filthy and it's about 5 feet off the ground

mk2 16v was always worse than the 8v. I think it was to do with the lower ride height, that and the silly spoiler on the top of the boot. The boot of mine got filthy so quickly but the rest of the car would be acceptable.

Skiddley · 13 Aug 2009 at 16:40

I get loads on the Boxster. All over the inside of the alloys and sills beneath the doors.

Pain in the ass.

Toker · 13 Aug 2009 at 16:43

Don't use your nail or back of the wash mitt, that'll scratch your paint up.

Best tar remover is autosmart tardis, or you can also remove it with claybar but it's more effort

Westyfield2 · 13 Aug 2009 at 16:47

PardonTheWait said:
Must do, there's a certain age of Golf that always have filthy boots, even if the rest of the car's pretty clean they're always covered in crap. The top box on my bike sucks up crap off the road as well, it's always filthy and it's about 5 feet off the ground

Our E61 M-Sport Touring (LCI) kicked loads of muck up at the boot, so it went back to the dealers after 1 week for them to fit rear mud-flaps to it. They dramatically reduced the muck but it's still worse than the Audi it replaced...

As an aside; for some reason the UK E61 LCI Accessories brochure says they can't be fitted to M-Sport models, but the USA brochure has a separate part number for SE & M-Sport models :confused:

. So I gave our dealer the part-number that BMW USA lists for the E61 LCI M-Sport and they got them and fitted them fine.

[DOD]Asprilla · 13 Aug 2009 at 16:54

Have you got the part number?

Hxc · 13 Aug 2009 at 17:11

Get this all the time up the sides of the mini just behind the doors, very annoying.

Westyfield2 · 13 Aug 2009 at 20:02

[DOD]Asprilla;14672724 said:
Have you got the part number?

For the E61 LCI Touring:
Front: Mud Flaps (PN: 82 16 0 148 711) $59.00
Rear: Mud Flaps (PN: 82 16 0 309 649) $59.00

For the E61 LCI Touring M-Sport:
Front: Mud Flaps for vehicles with M Aero Kit (PN: 82 16 0 404 696) $59.00
Rear: Mud Flaps for vehicles with M Aero Kit (PN: 82 16 0 151 584) $59.00

Each price is the suggested retail price and is subject to change. Price excludes installation and taxes.

When we asked our local dealer about Mud-Flaps he said as it says in the UK accessories catalogue "Not available for M-Sport models", so I gave him those part numbers which their parts ordering computer accepted and hey presto they fitted fine.

Shame they can't get an xDrive 5 series in RHD though :cool: