Hello Lexonians,

After going on a short highway trip, I seem to have picked up a lot of tar behind the front wheel. At least that's what it seems like.

It's black, sticky, and clings like hell to the paint. I'm not sure how to address it. I don't want to end up damaging the paint.

Some have said it looks like someone did it intentionally. I have no idea, as I'm not even sure if it's tar. I scraped a small part of it with my fingernail, and it did come off.

Have you guys encountered this problem with the IS ? I never ran into this with any other car. There's also some low on the left side.

Can I expect this to be on ongoing problem ?

Thanks in advance Comrades in Luxury. See attached.

 

I'm almost certain its tar. I've had the same issue on the rear of a 2016 IS300 F Sport Ultra White. Unfortunately, the tar is most visible on the white so I expect it will occur again. I decided to pick up some mud flaps but have not had a chance to install them yet. Not sure on the proper tar removal techniques but hopefully someone else will chime in.

 

Yes, I suppose it's because these cars are so close to the ground. It's a pain though, to have to address it each time.

I may just ask the Lexus dealer to deal with it....I'm afraid I'll damage the paint, and not sure what is safe to use.

 

You could look into some mud flaps first...they can be found on ebay.
This should help the tar collection tremendously, and they actually look ok on the IS also.
Second would be some Bug and Tar remover...I'm sure they sell it at places like Pep Boys or whatever you have similar in the States...Autozone, Napa, etc.

 

1. Gently soak it or spray WD40 on the affected area.
3. Spray a small amount of WD40 on a clean microfiber
3. Gently wipe the affected area, WD40 will make it very soft and easy to remove.
4. I usually finish it with rain-x glass water repellent to remove/clean the WD40 residue.

No ill-effects on paint if done very carefully.

 

I have had this many times! It is annoying, I have always assumed it was big trucks (18 wheeler or dump truck) that excessively grease their joints and such and goop fall on teh road and then we drive on it. For me, what I always do is just use an old rag and warm water/soap to try and wash all the excessive dirt and then try and let dry with using a chmois as it will wreck it. Then, I take a rag with just regular wax and the 'petroleum" in the wax will break it down and just wipe it off....Just don't rub hard!!

 

Next solution would be to keep adding layers of wax onto the paint..