morrison

I have been disliking the factory stick-on stripes on my 94 runner since I oit it so I finally decided to take them off the way I have done with other vehicles a la heat gun. Unfortunately only the top layer would come off leaving the glue which is incredibly sticky and tough and the only thing I can find that softens it is Acetone which also softens the clearcoat. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Jim

Allstar93088

There is a thing called stripe eraser...you attach it to the end of a drill and it takes the stripe off. It's nothing but a huge penicil eraser and u can get it from napa. You mite want to let a pro do it because if u hold it there for too long it will mess up ur paint. You mite want to buff it after you have done it if you do decide to do it ur self. I got mine taking all by a pro and he only charged $25. I am sure there are other options if you dont like this one...

James Dean

Removal of decals varies based on condition of striping on the vehicle. In general the newer the decal the easier they are to remove and the least amount of image left behind. Experience is really the only way to assess the best way to remove a stripe, if even possible. Here are some suggestions though.

If a stripe is still soft, pliable and not dried out, removal can be done with a heat gun and some pulling. Gently warm the area ahead of you and pull on the stripe with and shallow stretching motion. Do not pull out and away from the vehicle (such as at a 90 degree angle) for this will leave behind more glue for you to clean off. After stripe is removed use a solvent such as Xylol or Xylene which can be found at most hardware stores. Be careful however, this usually won't hurt factory paint, but it might damage repaints. Test an area first. If the rag drags on the paint or starts to leave marks, use a milder solvent. Soak the glue area till it softens with a solvent wet rag. Rub glue to remove. Repeat till glue is gone. A vinyl squeegee may help to scrape or wipe softened glue off, but use extreme caution.

If stripe is dry and or cracked, a vinyl and adhesive removal tool, such as the 2 versions by 3M, will be needed. They can be used by a do it yourselfer, but is better left to a professional at a stripe specialty facility such as Auto Trim Design. These methods can quickly damage paint (especially older or repaints) if not familiar with there effects. After stripe and glue is removed with removal wheels, there will be some glue residue that will need to be cleaned in the same manner listed above. Older stripe however will leave a scar in the paint that will either need to be recovered or repainted. Adding a little rubbing compound to your final cleaning rag will help diminish the scar and equalize the difference from the exposed paint and the stripe covered paint.

Most importantly, be careful, use gloves with any solvents and work in a well ventilated area. Never use a razor blade of any kind to remove stripes or decals. They can leave nasty gouges and cuts in both you and your paint.

infiltrator

well he pretty much summed up this thread.

theres another one on here about using gasoline and a creditcard (dont laugh it works!) use the searchy option.

olharleyman

heat gun or hair dryer if you don't have a heat gun and a plastic body puddy knife. heat the sticker and peal it with the puddy knife works great then use some brake cleaner to get the rest of the sticky off with no harm to the paint.

943kgt

iTrader: (1)

plastic razor blade, heat gun, and a 24 pack!

morrison

OK, thanks everyone! I'm going to get the eraser wheel tomorrow. I'll need the 24 pack, too. I have been using 3-M adhesive solvent, It is mostly xylene, but it barely cuts the glue--i've used almost a quart to do two doors. The only place I damaged the clearcoat was when I used a plastic putty knife with acetone and it cut right into it. I think I can buff it out though. This is one place I wish Toyota didn't use such high quality materials. I've never had this much trouble with stripes before. I think I'll try the gasoline and the brake cleaner too.

Thanks for all the input!

Jim

James Dean

Any stripe printed on clear gets baked into the paint more so than solid color graphics. Alot of times its not the glue left behind but residue of the pvc that has migrated into the paint. Sometimes repainting is the only answer.

Dare44

mine come off when i pressure wash it lol, i dont know if that will work for urs tho

morrison

Eraser wheel is the way to go!

Finally ponied up $30+ for a 3M eraser wheel and it takes that crap right off. Nothing else will touch it without softening the clearcoat. Brake cleaner was the worst, I managed to strip a 1" X 1" area of all clearcoat in about 3 seconds. It took about half the eraser wheel to do one side and I'll finish the other side tomorrow. $30 isn't bad to do the job--should have bought this first before I spent $25 on various useless solvents.

Thanks all!

nix4x4

Little late for my advice, I know, but I'll post anyway.
The biggest problen with stripe removal, mainly on darker colored vehicles, is that everywhere else on the paintjob has some degree of light to moderate scratches. The paint fade or lack-there-of can be fixed with a good buffing. There will be absolutely no scratches or paint flaws underneath the stripe to blend in with the rest of the paint, which means you'll be able to clearly see where the stripe used to be.

I HATE my factory stripes, but, seeing as its a black, I won't remove them unless I'm gonna repaint it.

Hayes

That's how I did it, when I had my Mustang. Worked like a charm!

312necro213

Heat gun and goo gone worked the best for me. Let it soak for a while... (10 mins) and it came off with my finger. No visible damage to the paint.