lo-fi
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I've removed my stripes and wanted to log a few things for others. This is a new to me 2018 22k mile GT (orange fury) with the factory stripes. Car was well taken care of by the previous owner but the black stripes were very faded and some of the edges were jagged.
- How long did it take? 16 to 20 hours
- What method? Apply heat with a heat gun, lift an edge and peel. Keep applying heat and keep peeling very slowly. It is slow going and tedious.
- Did the sections come off in one piece? No. The vinyl is too brittle by this point in its life.
- Any tips? A dangerous one. Use a razor blade to cut the stripes into 3 sections length wise. Set the razor blade on the vinyl and cut with the lightest pressure. I was able to do with this and not leave any razor blade marks on the paint. The straighter your cut lines the easier it will peel off in large sections. Wavy cut lines on the brittle vinyl causes it too break in the curves. Do this at your own risk.
- Was vinyl adhesive left on the paint? Yes, tons.
- How did you get get the adhesive off? 3M Adhesive Remover (Part # 03618-6)
- Was it hard to get the adhesive off? No. Spray the adhesive remover, let sit five seconds, spray again liberally, and then with a bondo spreader or hand held plastic squeegee proceed to scrap off. Comes off like jelly. A squeegee is critical, do not use a rag to get initial mass of adhesive off. When the 99% is off continue to spray and wipe with a rag. The remaining comes off easy at this point.
- Does the adhesive remover hurt the paint? Not at all, quite a nice product.
- Does the adhesive remover cause problems for the painted plastic? Nope.
- Does the adhesive remover cause problems for unpainted black plastic? Yes. Do not get this on unpainted matte black plastic. Cover with tape.
- What about eraser wheels? As I went along I realized I didn't need it. Probably necessary if the vinyl is really old and really brittle.
- Any gotchas? Yes, the paint in the recessed area above my license plate was very thin from the factory, as in you can see the black plastic through the paint. Of course I couldn't see that. I rubbed a nice chunk of paint off. Bummer.
- Can you tell there were once stripes present? Yes, lets call them reverse ghost stripes. The paint on this car is in excellent condition and the stripes weren't. I like the car better without stripes regardless.
- After removal will a cut and polish help? Yes but it won't help in the way you think. A cut and polish will simply shine everything help and give a matching gloss. The color and lines will not change until the sun can work its magic.
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