It looks like the original owner of my 05 XJR parked it a lot under trees here in cent FL. I have tried everything I can think of to remove the tree sap stains, short of rubbing compound, including cleaner wax, polish, clay liquid and clay bars. I sure don't want to burn thru the clear coat.

I got a lovely shine but the sap stains remain. Just how screwed am I? Is there any way a pro could deal with it without harming the finish?

 

I'd imagine that it'd have to be a machine used with a light cutting compound followed by a polish / wax to restore, although only from what I've heard of with similar stories.
I had the same issue with my A6 from new and took it back to the dealership and they had to use this process, although not very well, leaving buffer trails I might add.
Hopefully Dave from innovative detailing will drop by and give you the proper procedure tarheal

 

Gotta love sap...always causes a mess...

Without seeing the vehicle or photos, I would suggest the following.

If the sap or stain is above the surface, I recommend any or all of he following products for removing sap.

Stoner - Tarminator
Stoner - Xenit
Isoprophyl Alcohol works also
WD-40 - Also works to break down the sap

If there is no sap residue above the surface, then what your are seeing is paint damage into the surface, or top coat damage.

In order to remove this, depending on the severity of the stain you may be able to remove a light stain with the D/A if not you will have to resort to a rotary polisher for paint correction.....stay away from compounds, cleaners are safer! Done correctly taking the least aggresive approach, you should be able to repair this,

 

May be worth a $X00 pro-detail tarheal to make sure its done correctly, and coverage.

 

Right on waterboy. This looks like a job I could screw up big time.

 

Hey, i'm all for personal detailing, but when the potential for screwup is high, I lean on the pros. Tree sap, like bird poo, if it eats at most of the clear coat, there's little to work with. saving as much as possible is sometimes better in the hands of a pro.

I'll stick to small scratches/swirls and 'fresh' poo.

 

*BUMP*

I noticed tree-sap like gooey spots on the hood, trunk and cloth top of my 2007 XK convertible while hand-washing it last night and was horrified! I could not get the stuff off with Goo Gone so I did some searches online this morning for a remedy.

I found a YouTube video demonstrating tree sap removal using a wooden spoon, cotton pads and Purell Hand Sanitizer. Luckily I had a small bottle of Purell in my office (left over from the infamous H1N1 scam...I mean scare...from 2009), so I went out at lunchtime and tried it with my microfiber towel. **IT WORKED IMMEDIATELY** (thank God)

Give it a try if it happens to you.

 

Nice tip Diane, thanks