Rubbing alcohol does remove tree sap safely from cars and other surfaces.
Just pour some rubbing alcohol on the tree sap or apply the rubbing alcohol to the tree sap with a cloth or sponge and allow it to sit for 10 to 20 minutes.
Then wipe it up and it should come off easily then spray the car down or other surface down with a hose.
Goo Gone is also another good way to safely remove tree sap from cars and other surfaces.
I've used Goo Gone to remove tree sap and any other sticky substances from my car and trucks paint and it never harmed the paint.
The Goo Gone removed the sap and anything else sticky from my car and truck without harming the paint.
When I used Goo Gone to remove the sap from my car and truck I had a bit of Goo Gone residue leftover on the car and truck.
To remove the Goo Gone residue take a cloth or sponge and soak it in some laundry detergent such as Dawn Dish soap and then wipe the car down.
Then just spray it with a hose and it should come off.