removing old decals/ stickers

[lml698]

Can anyone help with a solution to removing hardened old race lof stickers from my car. These are about 5 - 10 yrs old that had a thicker plastic outer skin with a sticky inside with the colour on it. The old outside part has been peeled off but the coloured bit and the now hardened sticking matrix are glued to the paintwork. !!!!

I have tried meths, white spirit and petrol none of which seems to soften the stuff?? Any other ideas. Bit wary of hairdriers on the paintwork.

[rallycrosscraig]

heat helps, pour hot water straight out the kettle, or use hairdryer, then use something like tar remover and a cloth, lots of rubbing, keep heating it up.

[John Turner]

Yes, agreed; you need to soften it with the application of heat.

[vjay48]

can buy a soft rubber wheel to go on a drill,purely for removing stickers,known in the trade as a toffee wheel,has a smell like toffee!!! any trade paint/parts place will have them. I think the friction removes residue,since it is soft does not harm paint.

[andy97]

T-Cut?

[zefarelly]

hairdryer, peel, then brake and clutch cleaner

[Al Weyman]

I have an expensive tool (£300 plus vat) that is designed for the purpose, Snap On also sell them, I would be very wary with those things that go in drills they mark the body work. If the paint work is two pack celleloues thinners will work well or 3M do a glue remover. There is one I have come across (vinyl) that one of my customers had on a van he bought from Kelly's and that was seriously hard stuff and I recon would have needed a repaint to correct, I hope its not like that but wouldnt have thought so.

[vjay48]

We have 30 sprinter vans,when they are sold the workshop use toffee wheels to remove the stickers,if you want to scrape,pour thinners,t-cut over the paintwork,boil kettles,burn the paintwork with hairdryer no problems. I have just noticed they seem to do it without a load of agg,i have done three race cars it seemed to work. I would suggest you use drill at lowest speed,dont stay to long in one area. They cost about 6 pounds from trade factors,i think even snap-on could not charge a lot more.

[Alan Raine]

In the 80's we used to use petrol, but in those days it was probably less than a £1 a gallon!!!

[Al Weyman]

This is my machine here they are over £400 now with the vat!!!!! Actually I have some of the metal brushes as well and they are very useful in car prep. http://www.qpaints.co.uk/tools-equip...l-110v-4a.html

I originally bought it as I had a contract to change a load of reflective vinyl and trust me thats a pig to get off as its made up of glass beads and just breaks up when stripping off.

[GORDON STREETER]

Heat is the answer, and if you can get on the back of the panel with a heat gun(don't go mad) it is better than warming the actual decal.
If you don't have a glue remover handy to get the sticky crap off after removal of the said item use WD40 or ZX1 type aerosol and keep rubbing it in with a clean rag, this will not affect the paint.
Unfortunately if the paint is a light colour then decals that have been on for years can bleed through and can still be visible

[zefarelly]

I had an MGB in the workshop a few years back (turd on wheels it was) I warmed up the roundels and started peeling . . . all of a sudden I fell backwards and was sitting on the floor with an A2 sized sheet of olde English white paint.

got to love BL haven't you

[GORDON STREETER]

An MGB ! it's a wonder it didn't pull the door skin off
Seriously though if you can warm the panel (not the decal) from behind it does work.

[lml698]

Many thanks for all the advice and inputs. Will have a go this week. Hard to get behind but will try gentle heat on the front.

[GORDON STREETER]

Yes, try and warm the panel around the decal if you can't get behind it, the worst thing is actualy heating the plastic because it will keep stretching and falling apart.
I've done loads on big vans over the years and found it the best way.

[Heightswitch]

"Sticky Stuff remover"

available in wipers and aerosol from Lakeland and Screwfix.

This stuff is citrus based and specially for dissolving adhesive glues used for transfers. fantastic stuff. and kind to paint. Spray on, wait allow to soften then wipe off. i didn't believe it would work until I tried it.

The old kettle and Hot water works better than a heat gun in my opinion and is idiot proof which is perfect for me!!

N.