Pinstriping

[wagonis]

Anyone know an easy way to get rid of it?

[Servin]

Well just get a blow dyer and work your way to the end. To peel it off i suggest get something with a semi pointed flat edge and the get a real thin cloth so it doesn't scratch but still has scraping abilities. Then get some kinda of adhesive remover to get rid of the remaining guck.

Though unless you are going to paint the car soon i wouldnt do it or if you have near perfect OEM paint. Because the second you remove it you are going to find brand new OEM paint under that pinstripe. And it'll stick out bad even on brand new cars after 10k mi in some cases!

[wagonis]

Thanks for the tip. Not going to paint the car for at least another year, but I just replaced a fender and bumper and they have no pinstriping on them and the rest of the car does. I'll try one spot and see how I like it, if not I may just add pinstriping to the new fender and bumper to match the rest.

[baktasht]

Wait for a sunny hot day, park the car with the pinstriping facing the sun, let it sit for an hour, then peel slowly. Afterwards, wash and wax your car.

[muffinman]

Originally Posted by baktasht

Wait for a sunny hot day, park the car with the pinstriping facing the sun, let it sit for an hour, then peel slowly. Afterwards, wash and wax your car.

that might work if it's not too old but after many years it doesn't come off so easy. i'm also watching this for a good suggestion to get rid of mine safely.

[baktasht]

It usually works even on older cars. Using a blow dryer or heat gun is sometimes dangerous to the paint if you're not careful... Here's a copy/paste of two different writeups from various sites:



1) Nissan Maxima How-To's by housecor :: How to remove dealer stickers/pinstripes

How to remove dealer stickers and pinstripes


Dealers just love to slap their tacky little advertisements on the back of your car. There are also some pretty hideous looking aftermarket pinstripe jobs floating around out there too. And it never ceases to amaze me how few people actually remove the eyesores. Hey,why should you do advertising for your dealership for free? Thankfully, the solution is quick and simple:

Use hair dryer on medium to low heat to soften adhesive. Too high of heat can actually bubble the paint.
Carefully peel back sticker
Remove left over adhesive with WD-40 and a terry cloth towel



2) Removing a Pinstripe from a Vehicle and Scuff Marks from Plastic Bumpers : DIY Network

Removing a Pinstripe from a Vehicle


If pinstripes are painted on, a body or collision shop would need to remove it.

For a decal pinstripe, you need to use something to break down the glue. A lacquer thinner is a harsh product to use and could damage the paint. If you want to try and use it, put a little on a rag and use it on a small spot first to see what it will do.

There are bug and tar removers and citrus based products that will help break down the adhesion.

Body shops have heavy-duty dryers high heat powered guns they use. You could use your home blow dryer. Put it on high setting and get it close to the decal (figure A) and it will begin to soften the adhesive. Use your fingernail to slowly start peeling the decal.
Tip: Lauren says that you can buy plastic razor blades from a craft store and you could use it instead of possibly damaging your fingernails.

[wagonis]

Thanks baktasht, I'll see this weekend how easily I can get this off.

[muffinman]

thanks i'll try and report back with the outcome

[sinESter]

my friends dad owns a body shop, and he said to remove mine i should let it sit in the hot sun for awhile, then use my debit card or something similar and it would pretty much peel right off

[chicagoisonfire]

actually some acetone on a rag works pretty well, stickers come right off!

j/k, don't do that

The car in the sun thing works really well, peeled a 10 year old dealer sticker off the back of the saab i used to have like that. the wash and wax is a must!

once again DONT USE ACETONE! (unless of course you prefer your paint without clearcoat)

[tksmr2]

THere are products out there for this sort of thing. I had a product called 'sticker shock' or something about 6 years ago that I bought at an autoparts store. It was made for taking off pinstriping, etc.. worked pretty well.

[Servin]

Originally Posted by baktasht

It usually works even on older cars. Using a blow dryer or heat gun is sometimes dangerous to the paint if you're not careful... Here's a copy/paste of two different writeups from various sites:

You could use your home blow dryer. Put it on high setting and get it close to the decal (figure A) and it will begin to soften the adhesive. Use your fingernail to slowly start peeling the decal.
Tip: Lauren says that you can buy plastic razor blades from a craft store and you could use it instead of possibly damaging your fingernails.

You have to have really crappy paint for a blow dryer to bubble up your paint. Dont use a plastic razor blade without the cloth trick i mentioned above. You'll put small scratches on the paint that are a PITA to buff off same goes for the credit card. But if you dont care really then go for it the scrathes will be small enough that they wont be noticable from a foot away.

As for getting rid of the gunk any adhesive remover will work just wipe it off as you go or risk staining the paint/ peeling the paint off in rare cases if left to sit.

[baktasht]

Originally Posted by Servin

You have to have really crappy paint for a blow dryer to bubble up your paint. Dont use a plastic razor blade without the cloth trick i mentioned above. You'll put small scratches on the paint that are a PITA to buff off same goes for the credit card. But if you dont care really then go for it the scrathes will be small enough that they wont be noticable from a foot away.

As for getting rid of the gunk any adhesive remover will work just wipe it off as you go or risk staining the paint/ peeling the paint off in rare cases if left to sit.

Not really. If you have factory paint, you're probably fine. If you have had a paint job though, paint bubbles up very easily.

[JadeDragon]

I just removed the factory pinstriping and it was a real pain. The car looks a lot better without it.

My method of removal:

Items: Microfiber towels, some bondo spreaders, and some spray-on Goo-Gone.

Basically just pull up a chair, wrap the towel around the spreader and wet the whole thing down. Then just start scraping. Once you've removed most of the actual pinstripe itself, you can use the Goo-Gone to get rid of the leftover adhesive. It takes forever but honestly it worked really well and did not damage the paint.

The fading that others mentioned is definitely there, but it really isn't as pronounced as you may think.

I can post before and after pics after work today if anyone is interested.

[Timon]

WD-40 works wonders (found this out via another forum member), but may ruin your paint. Best option if you plan to repaint. It might work if you use it, get the decal off, and then clean it up really quickly. I actually still had not sanded my passenger's side when I remove the decals with WD-40 and a week later the paint still looked wonderful... then I took 220 grit to it .