How To: Remove vinyl decals


Thanks to someone on the dark Sol BBS for this info!

Material you will need:
  • Hairdryer (NOT HEAT GUN)
  • Goo-Gone or Tar remover
  • Clean rag
  • Car cleaner wax/buffer

WARNING: If you have a Sol that has been sitting in the sun a lot, and is an older model, the paint may have faded. If you remove decals you may end up with a ghost image on your car.
    OPTIONS FOR YOUR CAR:
  1. Leave the sticker on.
  2. If you like it the sticker, take off the old beat up sticker and buy a new one just like it,
    putting the new one where the old one was.
  3. Take the sticker off and use some good rubbing compound or something to try to polish
    out the rest of the door so everything matches.
  4. Take the sticker off and get the doors repainted if it looks really bad.
1. REMOVING DECAL: Use a hair dryer (NOT A HEAT GUN) and blow hot air on the decal as you lightly pull it up with your fingers. The decal will peel off in one piece fairly easily. Be careful not to apply too much heat. If it gets too hot to touch, you are using too much heat and can damage your paint and/or melt the sticker.

2. CLEANING RESIDUE: Use some "Goo-Gone" or Bug and Tar Remover to remove the gummy residue. Goo-Gone is recommended because it's the safest for your paint (citrus-based). But some people use Bug and Tar remover, which is fine as long as you follow the directions (some bug & tar removers require you to wash your car after using them because of their harsh nature.)

3. GHOST IMAGES: Get a good application of rubbing coumpound, then followed it up with McGuire's 3-Step wax process (#1 Cleaner, #2 Polish, and then "Gold Class" Wax). That made the ghost images go away pretty good. Sometimes when the car is really dirty, you can still see them, but a good waxing hides them again.