Good PM all, I'm struggling with something not totally Fit related but betting there is someone there with a suggestion

I washed the del Sol tonight, which is a car that as a 2nd car doesn't get driven very much, so only gets washed 1-2 times a year. And we live about 800 feet from a commuter train stop -- very convenient, one reason the 2nd car is not driven much! -- so above and beyond other-car-created-particulates, the thing was covered with fine oily particles from the diesel locomotives. Or it could be from my oil heating system, although pretty clean it is even more local, hard to tell.

There are also very, very stubborn deposits of ... I don't know, either vegetable material or something else. Some of them yielded to a fingernail, some did not; none were interested in the gentle massages of a sponge. And on a car this old, I would not like to try anything much more abrasive on the paint. In other words, after cleaning this car I was left with a car that was less dirty, but still had plenty of deposits on the paint.

Does anyone have suggestions for gentle but effective cleaners or pre-treatment that would maybe break down organic material so it was easy to remove? This is also an issue on my '12 Fit Sport parked next to it, only it's never going to be irreplaceable so I just hose it down, wipe it with the sponge, consider waxing it and call it a day. But there's certainly stuff I can't remove from that body too that i'd like to.

 

clay bar would do wonders.

 

clay bar or synthetic clay sponge https://smile.amazon.com/Griots-Gara...dp/B072HHT8NF/

 

Keep in mind if you clay bar, you need to wax afterwards. Clay Bar will remove particulates, but also any wax you have on your vehicle. If you just clay bar and wash, you'll be leaving your vehicle very unprotected.
Also I think prevention is the best approach overall. If you live near diesel trains, and an area that can put contaminates on your vehicles finish, you have to be aggressive and pro-active to avoid damage.
Rail dust or any particulate that embeds itself into your clear coat can be very damaging. Deciding how much you want to care, for each vehicle is important. In that environment only washing once or twice a year, is pretty much going to guarantee a problem.
If I at all cared about either vehicles finish, I'd be washing, waxing, possibly clay baring on a regular schedule and as an act of prevention not repair.
Hopefully whatever has embedded itself into your vehicles finish hasn't worked itself so far into the clear coat or paint finish that clay baring the vehicle won't work.
What you want to avoid is clear coat removal. And/or having to have a professional detailer buff everything out, at the expense of a layer or more of your vehicles clear coat. It's up to you how much you want to invest in terms of effort and expense, but if it was me, I'd be waxing the vehicles regularly and washing much more frequently.

 

Thanks everyone! A couple of points of clarity and thank you very much for all the concern:

1) We don't live close enough that I imagine rail or brake dust is an issue, in other words we aren't just next to a train yard. I do think the exhaust contributes to an elevated level of particulates sometimes. Those seemed to come off the car pretty well.
2) I think the bigger issue is organic compounds .. bird poo, tree droppings etc. I do hose off the car with some regularity IE I try not to let stuff sit on it, but I do not always have time for a full wash.
3) A garage would be nice. My dad let this car sit outside for 10 years and it was filthy. I spent some time last year getting a decade of pollen off, it was gross.
4) I completely agree with wanting to avoid clear coat removal. I suspect this car was repainted at some point and I don't want to damage whatever top layer is there more than I have to. Perhaps at some point down the line, if this were to become a real collectible, a full polishing and recoating could be possible. For now this is a fun car that my daughter loves riding in so that is enough for me .. so preservation not restoration is the name of the game right now!
5) I am going to test out some solvents on a low-risk area to see if I can loosen some of this sap. WD40 has been mentioned a few times in other places

 

bug and tar remover works great too before u experiment with solvents.

 

I second this one, I'd avoid using petroleum-based solvents unless absolutely necessary, as it will also be a bit messy to clean up and to ensure that you remove it all.

I use this

 

It's up to individual owners how much they want to put into finish maintenance.
I've slowed down over the years, and take a lot of short-cuts, I never did when I was younger, but to me? It doesn't matter if the car is collectible, new, old...whatever..I like my vehicles finish to at least be ahead of the general "parking lot" curve.
When I was younger, my standard was pretty much...showroom. Now, I can go periods where my vehicle is actually dusty or dirty.....but the baseline is, finish maintained well enough to clean up easy, and look pretty good.
I have used various "Instant Waxes" and Detailer Sprays, and while they don't typically reach full hand wax levels of protection and lasting durability, they do a pretty good job considering.

I've always avoided re-purposing household products to automotive finish application. To me, automotive products as widely available and easy to obtain as Meguiars, Turtle Wax make very good products specifically designed and tested to be used on automobiles. For a Wally World available product line, my experience is that both Meguiars and Turtle Wax make very good products.
If it was me? I'd just take a walk down that aisle.