Best way to remove stickers from paint?

Tom Goldman · 02-29-2016, 09:14 PM

not only is WD40 great for removing decals ,it takes rubber off quarter panels better than anything else I've tried.

2021STK · 03-01-2016, 12:54 AM

X2

Dave Gantz · 03-01-2016, 10:30 AM

A good way to keep them from sticking too good in the first place, is to stick them on your pants a couple of times. The sticker will pick up some lint from the pants, taking some of the "stick" out of it.
They generally can be removed without hassle.
"Pants 'em"!

Greg Gay · 03-01-2016, 11:36 AM

I decided to remove the decals from my car over the winter. Some of them have been on there for 10 years or more. I started with Goo Gone and was getting nowhere. I contacted the guy who does the vinyl lettering on our trucks, and he gave me the remainder of a gallon of Rapid Remover from rapidtac.com. He advised me to use it sparingly, and that you need to wait at least a minute for it to work after you apply it. There are also videos on the internet. This stuff works great. It still took close to 8 hours to do both sides of the car (I had a lot of decals on it). You need a plastic scraper, and you don't so much wipe the glue off as scrape it off. Afterwards, I decided that I needed a gallon for future uses. I looked it up on-line and found that it cost $50 to $60 per gallon. Now I know why Kevin said to use it sparingly!

LXguy · 03-03-2016, 02:05 AM

Man, the struggle is real...these have been on the car at least 15 years.

What I started with:

Where I'm at:

So like everything else, I figured out the best way to do it about 3/4 of the way through.

Get a plastic razor and a heat gun. Get the stickers *warm*. You want to make the vinyl flexible---don't melt the glue. Its way better to under apply the heat and try again than it is to get them too hot. Start the plastic razor in a corner, and when you can get a grip, pull the sticker by hand. When you do it right, the stickers pretty much peel right off and don't leave the glue behind.

For the excess glue I am going to try the WD40 suggested above.

Easiest to remove: Hoosier, Moser
Hardest: Cheetah Shifters (also the biggest), Coan converters

Thanks for all the help!

Steve

Ironically, these are supposed to be adverts for the parts companies. The companies that made the difficult stickers (cheap vinyl or really strong glue) are the ones that I now would give second thought about buying their products....haha

02-29-2016, 09:14 PM	#1
Tom Goldman VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 2,477 Likes: 892 Liked 883 Times in 237 Posts	Re: Best way to remove stickers from paint? not only is WD40 great for removing decals ,it takes rubber off quarter panels better than anything else I've tried. __________________ Tom Goldman 1500 SG , 1506 STK

03-01-2016, 12:54 AM	#2
2021STK Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 281 Likes: 280 Liked 17 Times in 14 Posts	Re: Best way to remove stickers from paint? X2 __________________ Dave Outten 2222 S/SS/SST/SG/HR 2021 S 1968 SS 1969 SR 1966 1990 Bracket

03-01-2016, 10:30 AM	#3
Dave Gantz Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Verrry South Jersey Posts: 537 Likes: 134 Liked 251 Times in 125 Posts	Re: Best way to remove stickers from paint? A good way to keep them from sticking too good in the first place, is to stick them on your pants a couple of times. The sticker will pick up some lint from the pants, taking some of the "stick" out of it. They generally can be removed without hassle. "Pants 'em"!

03-01-2016, 11:36 AM	#4
Greg Gay Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Vermont Posts: 388 Likes: 21 Liked 286 Times in 73 Posts	Re: Best way to remove stickers from paint? I decided to remove the decals from my car over the winter. Some of them have been on there for 10 years or more. I started with Goo Gone and was getting nowhere. I contacted the guy who does the vinyl lettering on our trucks, and he gave me the remainder of a gallon of Rapid Remover from rapidtac.com. He advised me to use it sparingly, and that you need to wait at least a minute for it to work after you apply it. There are also videos on the internet. This stuff works great. It still took close to 8 hours to do both sides of the car (I had a lot of decals on it). You need a plastic scraper, and you don't so much wipe the glue off as scrape it off. Afterwards, I decided that I needed a gallon for future uses. I looked it up on-line and found that it cost $50 to $60 per gallon. Now I know why Kevin said to use it sparingly!

03-03-2016, 02:05 AM	#5
LXguy Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 40 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best way to remove stickers from paint? Man, the struggle is real...these have been on the car at least 15 years. What I started with: Where I'm at: So like everything else, I figured out the best way to do it about 3/4 of the way through. Get a plastic razor and a heat gun. Get the stickers warm. You want to make the vinyl flexible---don't melt the glue. Its way better to under apply the heat and try again than it is to get them too hot. Start the plastic razor in a corner, and when you can get a grip, pull the sticker by hand. When you do it right, the stickers pretty much peel right off and don't leave the glue behind. For the excess glue I am going to try the WD40 suggested above. Easiest to remove: Hoosier, Moser Hardest: Cheetah Shifters (also the biggest), Coan converters Thanks for all the help! Steve Ironically, these are supposed to be adverts for the parts companies. The companies that made the difficult stickers (cheap vinyl or really strong glue) are the ones that I now would give second thought about buying their products....haha

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