I am the proud owner of a Porsche 997 turbo in Arctic Grey metallic.

Unfortunately, in my city, they patch potholes with a spray mixture of gravel and some sort of black tar like substance.

I inadvertently drove over some and the wheel wells are speckled with small black specks…..they did not wash off with a power washer but do come off with fingernail pressure.

Do you have any suggestions for tar removal?

Thank you for your consideration.

Jonathon

Hi, Jonathon.  First of all, thanks for submitting the question, and congratulations on owning such a beautiful machine!

I’m sorry to hear your roads seem to be as poor as the ones where I live!  When it comes to anything wheel/tire/wheel well related it is always best to do your homework on what works best for the given application.  Luckily, we’re here to help you with the homework!

You will always want to use the safest, yet most effective product during any part of detailing a car, but especially when using it around wheels and brakes that together can cost in upwards of $10,000 to replace.  It seems like you tried the least harmful method so far, and it’s good to gauge just what kind of dirt (or tar in the case) you are up against!

The best thing to do is to find a solvent that can properly break down the the asphalt that has dried to the wheel wells.  I would highly recommend Stoner’s Tarminator.  This will help break down the asphalt, and make it easier to scrub off.  In order to get it off, I would recommend getting a long reach stiff bristled brush. For more information on the uses of Tarminator, be sure to check out DJ’s article here.

I hope this helps! Good luck on your asphalt cleaning endeavor!