Stoner's Tarminator - A Detailing Sledgehammer!
I have had a bottle of Stoner's Tarminator in my cabinet for a while now. I first learnt about this product while watching Matt from Obsessed Garage using it to clean brand new tyres in preparation for dressing.
As the name suggests, Tarminator is primarily designed for removing stubborn tar, sap and bug deposits. In comparison to citrus oil based tar removers, Carpro TarX for example, Tarminator is a much stronger solvent and should be used with care. In fact, it can be harmful to clear plastics, adhesives, decals, and solvent sensitive materials. Being mindful of that, it's best used to spot treat contaminants with the aid of a microfiber towel, making sure to rinse well afterwards to remove any residue.
Tarminator can also be used to remove baked-on carbon deposits from exhaust tips. Best applied to the towel rather than the tips themselves, and again, rinsed afterwards.
The main reason why I got a bottle of Tarminator was for tyre prep.
Whatever is in this product works really well at deep cleaning rubber. Tarminator will strip any lingering oils, release agents, fitment soap and other contaminants from a tyre sidewall, leaving a completely bare surface ready for dressing. It's best applied into a towel rather than directly to the rubber to avoid overspray onto the wheels. Once applied to the towel, scrub the sidewall aggressively. You will destroy a towel doing this, so choose wisely.
In my experience, some tyres clean easier than others. The Michelin PS3's on my XR6 seem resistant to a variety of other rubber cleaners. Tarminator had no problems stripping them bare!
Stoners Tarminator is not as freely available in Australia as their brilliant glass cleaner. Autobuff are the only retailers of this product now, Car Care Products having deleted it recently.
https://autobuff.com.au/collections/...-remover-295ml
Tarminator is not a product that will be used very often, but it's certainly good to have around.