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  Nov. 15, 2010 4:34 a.m. impster Reader

  Living in Maine, one quickly learns to look upward before parking a ragtop. Having two towering pines next to my drive, I make a point to never park in the drive without a car cover. Otherwise, the car is in the garage. However, sometimes Mother Nature pulls a fast one and lets one of her trees drip before the car is protected.

  So I now have a large dollop of pine sap on my canvas top. Does anyone have a suggestion for its removal?

  Thanks, Tony

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  Nov. 15, 2010 10:43 a.m. rconlon HalfDork

  Baby oil or an alcohol but one might stain and the other discolor. Goo gone has been tried with success. It is a citric oil. WD-40 and PB Blaster have both oil and alcohol. Others have success with nail polish remover which is a strong solvent, acetone. Use a wetted rag in all cases. Cheers Ron

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  Nov. 15, 2010 2:35 p.m. Tom Heath Webmaster

  Goo Gone is a favorite of mine. I'd probably try it with a soft bristled toothbrush first.

  I know Meguiars makes a specialized fabric top cleaner for boats, I've heard good things but never tried it.

  I tried drag racing, but kept blowing the apex for turn 2... Xbox Live gamertag— GRM Tom

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  Nov. 16, 2010 12:17 p.m. flyinlow New Reader

  Can you call the top manufacturer (still in business?) for advice?

  99% of boat tops are Sunbrella, which is a petroleum product and not canvas. I'd call them before using it.

  I think much will depend on the color of the top. If it's anything other than black or pure white, I think you're going to wind up with a mark of some kind. Although, one idea: can you remove that section of the top so there's no plastic rear window? If so, try a dry cleaner? They deal with stains every day.

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  Nov. 20, 2010 7:45 p.m. Shinsen774 Reader

  I had the same thing happen to my Miata while at Deals gap in 2005. GooGone helped some. But I ended up using a little lighter fluid to get the rest off. I then cleaned the top well and treated it with RaggTop products to make sure it was resealed well. That was 5 years ago I've had no bad effects.

  If you stay at Natahala Resort when going to Deals Gap, watch out where you park.

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