JoeBentley

My 06 LT Coupe came with dealer installed pinstriping and a small decal on both the left and right rear body panels, right in front of the rear tires.

How difficult and/or risky would it be to remove these myself? As near as I can figure they are simple decals and don't look like they would be much trouble to remove, but I'm wary of accidently damaging the paint job or clear coat. Is there a technique or product available to help remove decals without damaging the paint?

Or would it be better it just to go back to the dealer and have them remove it?

- Joe

celicacobalt

use a ahairdryer and some goo gone and pick awaya t them

mken

Just use a hair dryer (or heat gun if you have one) and heat up the decal. Most will pull right off without leaving glue if you do it right, some won't leave any even if you don't do it right After you've heated it up, just use a safety pin or something similar (use the pin to gently catch the edge of the decal, don't press it onto the paint!) to get an edge up then pull the vinyl at a 45 degree angle, basically stretching it away from the car. This will lesson the chance that adhesive is left behind. Some vinyls leave adhesive no matter what, but in my experience, dealer stickers and pin stripes come off VERY easy, not even needing heat, maybe just a warm sunny day. If it does leave adhesive, use Goo Gone (Home depot or Wal Mart carry it) to remove the adhesive.

Edit: he beat me to it with a much abreviated version. ^^

r@z0r

If your really concerned about the actual decal scratching your paint, you can just heat it and pull fishing line through the adhesive and the decal will easily come off afterwards without the risk of it touching your car while you try to peel up upward or w/e...

The downside to this method is that you spend the next 2-3 hrs (depending on what you strip off) peeling and picking the adhesive off your car...

I removed the side door moldings, rear chevy emblem, and cobalt lettering from my 05 base model...

BowTieCobaltSSSC

WD 40 on a soft cloth will take off the glue left behind , i took all my cobalt lettering and emblems off with dental floss and cleaned up with wd 40 , then a wash and wax .worked great for me .. Do not pry on them what ever you do

JoeBentley

I want to pass on my thanks to the board and the suggestions. I had to wait for good weather, but the pinstriping came off on its own just with a little slow peeling. A combination of a hair dryer and some Goo Gone took care of the odd little decal on the wheel well.

Much appreciated guys!

Doc

kewl...JoeBentley..I see your in Norfolk...awesome...2 of us will be out tonight. Right near Wards Corner. Check it out if your out late tonight. The shopping center near the grocery store right by 64. I think there is a Taco Bell in the front.

and btw...3M makes a product that removes adhesive. It fits onto a drill and will not scrape your paint. I have used it many times. Its light yellow and costs about $10, maybe $15

d_backer1

Th pinstripe eraser works great just make sure to wash and wax your baby when done

GotBoost?

Dont do it yourself. Take it to the dealer. I took mine to the dealership to get mine taken off. They did it for free and had some special stuff that they mad to get the gunk off that wouldnt hurt the paint.