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Removing white sticker from firewall, please help

Joined
24 May 2000
Messages
299
Location
Altoona, PA
Has anyone removed this sticker? I can't stand the way it looks, it sticks out like a sore thumb on a black car. I have the engine covered removed and it seems like that sticker draws your attention, anyway I tried to remove it and it is very hard to get off. Does anybody know a good way to get it off without hurting the paint? I tried a heat gun, blow drier, etc. Thanks
 
Use a soft solvent. Goof Off is very good on adhesive, as is naptha. Many hardware stores carry a number of solvents specifically designed to remove adhesive residue.
But whatever you do, don't use LAQUER THINNER!!!
 
I believe jsottile is concerned about the sticker first. Goo-off / goo-gone, etc. works well on the adhesive, but not the sticker. I know what jsottile is talking about because I'm in the same boat. The clear sticker protectant pealed off really easy, but the actual sticker is a major pain - chips off in very small pieces.

I'll let you know what I end up using. A buddy of mine runs a paint business and I've been meaning to swing by his shop the last couple weekends - he has a few suggestions that I plan on trying out.
 
Originally posted by jsottile:
Does anybody know a good way to get it off without hurting the paint? I tried a heat gun, blow drier, etc. Thanks

Im not sure whether WD40 will damage the clearcoat or not, but WD40 does a great job of dissolving the gum left over from stickers and tape. I use it to remove that sticky residue off all sorts of objects, tools, etc.

I assume that you still have the paper part there, so spray it on and let it soak THROUGH the paper. It should eventually peel off in small pieces. Repeat until its all gone. You can then spray some more to melt the residue. If its a totally plastic sticker, then this will take forever since you can only dissolve the edges.


It shouldnt do any damage but please TEST it on some inconspicuous spot FIRST before spraying it all over the place.

And dont get it on the belts or hoses.

[This message has been edited by JoeSchmoe (edited 17 August 2001).]
 
WD40 will not hurt your paint if you clean it off shortly after applying it. It will strip the wax off the area it is applied to so you need to re-wax when you are done. WD40 is also really good for cleaning tar off the car.

However, if goof-off or similar products aren't helping, I doubt WD40 will be much different.

I've never tried to take one of those stickers off so I'm not sure exactly what is holding them on, but my only other suggestion would be 3M Adhesive Remover which is pretty strong but won't hurt the paint (though I think it also removes wax).
 
I would recommend trying a product I found at a local autobody shop called "PGP Acryli-Clean DX330 Wax & Grease Remover". It contains Toulene, claims its safe for car paint, and evaporates really fast. I've never tried removing the sticker in question with it, but I have used it many times to remove nasty stickers off plastic surfaces when all other products I tried failed. It strips the sticker and associated sticky grime away like magic and never discolors the platic surface.

On a related note, that big airbag warning sticker on the pasanger's sun visor has always annoyed me-- it looks really out of place in an all black NSX cockpit. But I've been afraid to remove it for fear it'll leave a big discolored square where it previously was. Has anyone tried removing this?
 
Thats funny, that a heatgun won't work on it.
I remove about 10 stickers a day all sorts, including 'tamper proof' from computer PCB's.
The heatgun never fails on me....

When i was at my brother in laws bodyshop, and wondering around, as i always do, i noticed this 'rubber' wheel thing, about 10cm in diameter, about 2,5 cm thick.

I asked him what it was , and it's a mechanical solution for removing striping from cars.....Yeah right..... Nosy as i am, i told him that it would hurt the paint, but he showed me on a car which was in that it didn't. I was suprised how well it worked, and it didn't leave a scratch on the paint.

I'm not sure if you have enough space to work in, but something like this should be available in the US.


Dutchy
 
Thanks guys, TES is exactly right, the clear part peals off real easy. However the part of the sticker won't budge. I have tried the Goof-off and it didn't touch it. TES if you find a soultion please let me know. I am going to try a all the other methods suggested. Thanks again.
 
Hey All.
Did anyone come up with a solution? I am very curious.
 
I have removed this sticker on my car. It is HARD work. Believe it or not the best tool I found was a freshly cut fingernail - you scrape and scrape and scrape and .... well, you get the idea. Wait a few days, cut your nails again and go at it again. Once you have most of it off use WD40 or similar for the adhesive left behind.
 
I'm not sure of the exact name for it but I think it's called a Putty Knife. My uncle uses it in his contracting business. They repaint and resurface window frames. If any paint gets on the window during the procedure they take the putty knife and lay it flat against the glass and peel off the paint in one smooth motion. It comes off leaving behind NO scratches. I'm sure this should work fine on the sticker without damaging any clearcoat/painted surface. Don't press down too hard though and don't come in at a sharp angle. Also, DON'T mistake putty knife with a wood chisel...wood chisel will slice right through just about anything even with the slightest of pressure. A putty knife has a non-sharp edge (you can run your finger over it without getting cut) and can be found just about anywhere for a few bucks. If the putty knife doesn't catch on the edge of the sticker try prying the edge loose with that fingernail trick mentioned or something else sharp and continue with putty knife from there. You can rub the excess adhesive with Goo-Off or whatnot.
 
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