Q: I have a customer with a white QX56 with a tree sap stain. So far no luck cleaning it off according to the dealership. I suggested the sun would bleach the stain out in a few weeks as happens most of the time with bug stains but they want something done about it NOW....crybabies. I haven't seen the car yet and my gut feeling tells me they have marked up the film trying to clean the sap off.

Any suggestions beyond replacing the hood?

A: Just for arguments sake lets say you never did install anything on the ugly truck in question. The driver parks under a toxic tree and the dripping sap makes a mark in the paint. Do you honestly think Infiniti is going to repaint it???

Answer - Not in a million years!

That said why would you replace the PPF???

I am all about service but replacing a chunk of film for free because of a stain.... Your out of your mind.

A: I had the same problem on an FX 45and a corvette, unfortunatly even if they havent messed it up, something in the sap wont fade. Like you said, they want the immediate fix. You may want to upgrade your warranty to cover "acts of god". There has to be a limit, BUT also how much business are you getting from the dealer? Might be just worth smiling and replacing it, and letting them know that in the future you wont guarantee sap stains.

A: I talked to the customer and basically told him that if fell under customer neglect in a way that he understood. He still wants new film but agreed to pay for replacing the hood.

I just wondered if anyone had any experience with tree sap leaving stains.

A: I have used a product called oil eater cleaner/ degreaser I purchased at Costco. It works great to take off heavy bug guts on ppf. I have not tried it on tree sap but I think you should have some of this in your arsenal.

A: 70 % alcohol - straight out of the bottle. may take a little while to break down the sap but it works

A: I took this to a high end body shop yesterday while doing a bumper for them. I was told to use PPG DX374 solvent as it is water based and will break down sap, which is water based, petroleum distillate wont do it. To prove the point, he took me to a car that had sap stains and it lifted the sap right out of the clear. With PPF on the car, it may take a few applications, as the sap has penetrated the film, so my advice would be to blot the stain with a rag as to allow the 374 to penetrate then rub gently, and repeat until it starts disolving, then rinse with alcohol and polish the film afterwards. It's worth a shot, a qt is only a few bucks as to replacing the kit. Let me know if it works.