I'm removing the sticky tar substance inside my door panel, and sealing the car from moisture a different way in order to better seal the door for acoustic purposes. I can't seem to figure out how to remove the stuff though. I've tried soap and engine degreaser just to try something but neither worked. Anyone have any ideas on it? Thanks.

 

I used Goo Gone and a plastic scraper. It was definitely still a pain in the rear that took an hour, but it came out alright.



I'm curious how you plan to replace it though, as I still haven't done that, and need to before it gets parked outside again.

 

Remove as much as you can with a plastic scraper/bondo spreader then finish it with wd40 and lots of paper towels.

Also works best to remove it in the cold when the stuff is relatively hard. Heat turns it into a nasty gooey mess.

 

im considering laying down aluminum foil over the spots i need covered and fiberglassing panels that i can screw down. my sundown coaxials really come out to play when they have a nice enclosure, and i figure itll be worth it once i get rid of my stock seats with headrest speakers for racing seats.

 

I used a piece of plastic to scrape it and gasoline to wash the residue off. I cut up a shower curtain and gorilla taped it down.

 

After scrapping the big off...I’ve used mineral spirits (Lowe’s / Home Depot) with good success. I’d guess gasoline would work well too. Goo gone & WD40 will take forever. I also second the “do not heat it up, it will make a mess”

For replacement...Window ribbon sealer (Amazon or auto parts store) and some thick plastic (Home Depot / Lowe’s)

Good Luck!

 

Sounds like everyone's experience is a little different. I screwed around with mineral spirts, acetone and even gasoline and there was still a lot of gunk left behind. I used a small plumbers propane torch to heat up the tar and wiped it off with a rag and it worked great for me.

 

If it's the factory stuff, I found recommendations for "3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner" (part number 08987) and it cleaned everything off like butter with a plastic scraper. It took minutes, not hours, and looked like there was never any adhesive on the metal before. Highly recommended for anyone starting from scratch - not sure how it will react when combined with other chemicals.

 

I'm back to say thanks to everyone! I tried the Goo Gone and a plastic pick (a guitar pick would probably work too) from an iFixit toolkit, and the door is immaculate. The GF accidentally got some of the black stuff on my carpet and the Goo Gone took that off too in seconds with no staining. Honestly super impressed that the adhesive basically melted away.

 

atf and lot of rags on hot day whole day
door cards are fine without that foil washed them before and its been 2 years since i removed foil out in the rain