Tar spotting is a familiar frustration for anyone who's driven on New Zealand's roads, particularly in areas that have seen recent roading or resealing work. The bitumen compounds used in road sealing — including New Zealand's widely used chip seal surfacing — flick up from road surfaces and bond stubbornly to your vehicle's lower panels, bumpers, wheels, and sills.

These tar spots resist ordinary washing and are difficult to remove by hand without the right products — and scrubbing them dry risks scratching your paintwork. Our Exterior Tar Removal service uses professional-grade tar and bitumen removers that chemically soften and dissolve the tar's bond with your paint, allowing it to be safely wiped away using clean, soft microfibre cloths with no risk of paint damage.

Tar removal is an important preparatory step before any polish, wax, or paint protection coating is applied. Tar spots left in place create an uneven surface that interferes with the bond of protective products and can leave unsightly lumps under a polished or waxed finish. Starting clean is always the right call.