How to remove car stickers?

[Chan110]

Hi

How do u remove old stubby decals/stickers that have been there donkey years and flaking from the bodywork and windows?

Thanks all!

[ChrisRs]

Hair dryer and Tar remover or GT86

I will do it for you Wayne

[Tall]

Just the right amount of heat with a hair drier then peel - too much heat often leaves a lot of glue underneath.  Then remove the residue (there will be some no matter how good you are) with something like this...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Farecla-G3-Advanced-Liquid-Compound-500ml-Bottle-Car-Polishing-/130743825199?pt=UK_Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item1e70f0732f

Obviously be careful with heat on windows - just enough to soften the decal, not make the glass hot, and spread the heat over a larger area.

The other way to remove them from glass is to use a stanley blade.

[ChrisRs]

Sorry Tall. I do not agree at all..........NEVER use a Stanley Blade

Wayne...I'll do it for you

[samuir1974]

Hair dryer and Tar remover or GT86

I will do it for you Wayne

 

GT85 

[Chan110]

This?

Or this?

[ChrisRs]

Yes I know Wayne :moon: 

[Chan110]

Yes I know Wayne :moon: 

Sorry, Chris - couldnt help myself - lol

I ll give it a go myself - else leave it in your capable hands when its up at yours for the winter protection :-)

[samuir1974]

Alan and i were looking round a nice GT86 in Ilkley on Wednesday! Very nice 

[NorthernMonkey]

Just the right amount of heat with a hair drier then peel - too much heat often leaves a lot of glue underneath.  Then remove the residue (there will be some no matter how good you are) with something like this...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Farecla-G3-Advanced-Liquid-Compound-500ml-Bottle-Car-Polishing-/130743825199?pt=UK_Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item1e70f0732f

Obviously be careful with heat on windows - just enough to soften the decal, not make the glass hot, and spread the heat over a larger area.

The other way to remove them from glass is to use a stanley blade.

 

Agree 100% & Stanley Blade on glass is perfectly fine despite what others may say.

[NorthernMonkey]

Sorry Tall. I do not agree at all..........NEVER use a Stanley Blade

Wayne...I'll do it for you

 

Why not use a Stanley Blade on glass? it's perfectly fine.

[mender]

I do this all the time as part of my business, part of which is returning police cars to a condition attractive for civilian sale.  I'm working on a 62 plate Volvo estate this morning.

 

Paintwork:

Use a heat source* to soften the sticker glue, lift the edge with a filler bodge plastic card, pull gently, clean down with paint thinners once you have tested the area will not be affected by thinners.   Once off, wipe down with thinners on cloths, working down to a clean cloth with thinners on.  Leave for a while, then machine polish with G3 or 3M cutting compound.

 

Glass:

As above with a window scraper (old fashioned double side razor blade in holder).  Miss out the cutting, just clean down with thinners until very clean, then use window cleaner.

 

If someone has used 1 pack/aerosol to paint the car (common on bumper edges and mirror backs), the thinner will remove the paint, so check and go easy.

 

* a programmable ESD heatsafe gun is best and must be used on other's premises to avoid fires

 

On old or faded paint, GT85 or similar can be retained by the paint and show as a shinier greasy area, be careful-I don't recommend it.

 

Any detailed questions, happy to respond to PMs when I've done this Volvo  :sun:

[ChrisRs]

...and you use a Stanley blade?

Never have, never will..It really isnt necessary at all...under any circumstances

Thiose who say it is.....good luck...I fear you will need it ....IME

[NorthernMonkey]

...and you use a Stanley blade?

Never have, never will..It really isnt necessary at all...under any circumstances

Thiose who say it is.....good luck...I fear you will need it ....IME

 

Please expand, why would you need luck. The bloke above seems to have been using one for years. I've used them many times over the years & not needed any luck. I've had numerous glass repairs over the years and they use a Stanley Blade to scrape off the hardened residue, I suspect they have many years experience using them as well.

[Girardi]

Similar note then, how about those annoying dealer stickers stuck in the rear window?

 

I took one out before, and because it'd been there so long it took the heated rear window elements with it, which was not fun. I've got one stuck in now which I want to remove but hesitant to do it in case the same thing happens again?

[ChrisRs]

Hairdryer and it will eventually come off ...Take care

[devonutopia]

I used a Stanley blade on a van, but took utmost care to keep blade floating on surface and not digging in. Certainly helped lifting sticker corners to start peeling off process. don't think I'd be brave enough to use on a car, would sooner use chemicals and fingernail.

[ChrisRs]

Exactly Jason

I dont think my clients would be too pleased if I scratched their glass, or cut throught their screen heater

Even with the utmost care, youre dicing with issues using a sharp blade

Hairdryer heating up the sticker for a couple of minutes

Finger nail or flat plastic trim removal tool under a corner, then pull gently with fingers

Remove residue with IPA or Tar/Glue remover....

Always be safe!

[rickf]

Sorry Tall. I do not agree at all..........NEVER use a Stanley Blade

Wayne...I'll do it for you

Actually, I worked as a signmaker/graphics fitter for 10 years.

You cannot scratch glass with a Stanley blade. Best way is to use a Stanley bladed scraper and then some meths to clean off the glue (absolutky only on glass!)

[NorthernMonkey]

Of course care would be needed near rear screen element, that's just common sense. Lots of procedures are common sense, like don't polish a car wearing a metal watch etc etc. Also I'd be surprised if you could scratch glass with a Stanley blade. Anyway, each to their own. It would appear all above mentioned methods work, each to their own.

Edited 5 September, 2014 by NorthernMonkey

[mender]

...and you use a Stanley blade?

Never have, never will..It really isnt necessary at all...under any circumstances

Thiose who say it is.....good luck...I fear you will need it ....IME

Yes I use a blade*, you have to be careful on glass not to damage the heater elements and I very very very rarely use a blade on paint, a plastic filler bodge card works better.

 

It all depends on the time and patience you have.  A large micro-cracked, shrunken, sun-deteriorated original dealer sticker takes seconds with a proper window scraper, forever with heat and peeling.

 

*The only problem is not holding it flat at the right angle, which can scratch the glass, hence why I don't use the rigid stanley type blades and use the old fashioned double sided razor blade type in a proper holder, as they are very sharp, but will give and bend before scratching the glass unless you are really ham-fisted.

[mender]

Exactly Jason

I dont think my clients would be too pleased if I scratched their glass, or cut throught their screen heater

Even with the utmost care, youre dicing with issues using a sharp blade

Hairdryer heating up the sticker for a couple of minutes

Finger nail or flat plastic trim removal tool under a corner, then pull gently with fingers

Remove residue with IPA or Tar/Glue remover....

Always be safe!

Depends on what you are removing, a recent sticker will easily peel with the glue heated up, but older, cracked and deteriorated stuff is far better with the right blade.

I've done thousands of cars and never scratched the glass yet.

[mender]

Similar note then, how about those annoying dealer stickers stuck in the rear window?

 

I took one out before, and because it'd been there so long it took the heated rear window elements with it, which was not fun. I've got one stuck in now which I want to remove but hesitant to do it in case the same thing happens again?

Yes, I've had the dealers over this, as when THEY pull them off, they take the element with it, so I have had two rear screens replaced after asking for no dealer sticker and the rear screen not working 100%.

 

This is where the right amount of heat, blade and angle is essential, is usually remove the sticker either side of the element and then use careful heat and very gentle pulling along the element.

 

Idiots!

[Chan110]

Cheers guys for all your recommendations!

As NorthernMonkey said "each to their own".

Am sure like beer and larger we can debate all day which ones are best :-)

Yes, mender - it is this as u said:

"It all depends on the time and patience you have. A large micro-cracked, shrunken, sun-deteriorated original dealer sticker takes seconds with a proper window scraper, forever with heat and peeling."

Dealer stickers on rear window with elements for 25years!

And body work stickers u no longer can read what it says ...

Chris!

Deffo - me being a DIY disaster - blades are a no-no for me! :-(

[devonutopia]

The stickers in question I was removing was on a van and were quite fresh, about 2 years old, so once a corner was teased off I was able to just gradually pull it all off.  However there was so much, without a stanley blade it would have taken ages. :(

 

 

I also had a moment of total immaturity - as befits me