I neglected to remove cypress sap in a timely manner and it hardened on my car. I bought recommended Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover and it did a so-so job. About 30% better. But this sap had been on for about 2 months. This forum recommended Goof-off and I wanted to elaborate on my experience. I also checked Mr. Mechanic, which recommended WD-40, which I might've misused. It seemed to do nothing. They also suggested Goo-Gone and Goof Off. This forum's user said Goo-Gone didn't do the job Goof-off did, and I'd had mixed results with Goo-Gone in simply getting tape eck off surfaces.

What I found was enlightening. I bought my car in 2010 and it was covered in tiny black spots, which I assumed were paint splatters. I popped off hundreds of them manually with a single edge blade. But when I used the Goof-off to remove the newer sap, lo and behold, I discovered these were ancient sap stains. GO removed them and the newer stains on glass and on the body. Do not use on plastic headlights or sideview mirror housings. Poor results.

My car is 2005 and some of the roof no longer has its clear coat intact. I worried that applying GO would damage the roof further. So far, I see no evidence of this.

Here's the trick with sap and GO. It works very quickly and you need to test a small spot to see how it turns out. It takes more than one pass to get most of it. Put it on, wait 20-30 seconds, rewet the microfiber cloth and repass (in swirling pattern, like waxing) and rub quickly and firmly. Put your back into it. Also remember, since this is a petroleum product, to have your wash bucket nearby and be ready to give the car a soapy, thorough wash after the sap rubout workout to remove residual GO. Apply wax to the body and Rain-X to glass for further protection. Caution: If you leave on too much GO or overrub an area, you may lose paint and clearcoat. Don't pour it directly on your vehicle. I had minor color loss, but considering the overwhelming coverage of my vehicle with sap ancient and new, and its age, I felt this was acceptable. You have to judge. The real step is to catch the sap before it becomes this sort of problem or park elsewhere if possible.

I made one error and thinned my paint/clearcoat in one spot. (looks like a swipe on my hood) But the improvement is 90% with the bonus of finally learning those spots weren't paint, but old sap and removed most of them. There were thousands when I bought the car and I assumed I'd have to live with them. It did lower the price. However, the trick is, attack them before they harden, and use Goof-off judiciously. The results are amazing. Wash, wax and you'll be proud of your detailing and results. Wow.