• If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

    Hey all,

    One of my regular clients contacted me this afternoon regarding her vehicle. A Hummer H3 which she has had previously 'wrapped' with vinyl wrap / decals to promote her local business. The Hummer is pretty well covered on the exterior and as I also do work for the gentleman who wrapped the vehicle for her, I'm sure it's on there quite well judging from the quality of work he puts out. She wants me to see about removing the wrap, as she's either tired of it or upgrading vehicles I've yet to confirm those details.

    I'm nowhere near a total detailing 'noob' but it would be very ignorant of me to not ask for others opinions / tips with something I've yet to experience much of. I have removed many many stickers / decals / etc., from other vehicles and am fairly comfortable with smaller tasks, but with something so time consuming / larger in front of me I want to make sure there aren't any tips or tricks I might want to know beforehand.

    My process for removing smaller stickers or decals in the past has been to use generous amounts of heat via a heat gun, and then peeling the product off by hand. When I get the majority free of the finish, I like to use a Meguiar's microfiber cutting pad on my G110V2 and some Ultimate Compound to aid me in the adhesive removal and take out any small love marks / scratches I might have from using my hands to peel the decals.

    As I said, that's just my current process but I'm more than open to learning any better methods / tips to make it a relatively painless and beautiful job, so thank you all in advance!
    Everybody digs a nice clean car.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

    What you're doing sounds about right, but I would probably use a solvent (eg Prepsol) for removing any leftover adhesive. Then polish, then wax..
    Originally posted by Blueline
    I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

      Sounds like you already know what your doing.
      But here's my 2 cents.
      Use a heat gun and make sure you remove the adhesive while removing the vinyl. I hate removing adhesive by itself. Takes up a lot of time.
      When I do big panels I'll get a stick/dowel and lift up the whole edge, wrap it around the dowel and roll and peal off the whole panel at once.

      DetailingByM.com

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

        I have removed a couple wraps from my own detailing vans. How old is the wrap? If its still in decent condition then it shouldn't be a problem to remove, it doesn't even leave much adhesive behind. If its old and brittle, then you've got a job on your hands. Also most of all the wraps are made by 3M, I don't know if they have a preferred method of removal but it might be worth giving them a call or e-mail.
        Dr. Detail: I am the detail genius from the movie "Shine."
        Guard: And your name is...?
        Dr. Detail: Uhh... Shiney McShine.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

          I like the idea of using an appropriate solvent to help remove the adhesive efficiently. I'm not a huge fan of using aggressive behavior inside or outside of a car when it's not necessary!

          To my knowledge the wrap is a 3M product which I will confirm with the client tomorrow, as for age I believe she's had it on for roughly a year, but I believe this Hummer sits outside almost daily so I'm prepared for less than ideal conditions with it sitting outside baking / freezing / etc., throughout the year, again I'll check with her tomorrow on that. When I cared for the vehicle last, the graphics were in pretty solid condition all things considered, so as for them being brittle, hopefully not!

          I'll do my best to get some decent Before & After shots to share with you guys and see what I can do! Thanks!
          Everybody digs a nice clean car.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

            A quality wrap that isn't extremely old, should be fairly straightforward to remove, as DrdetailNashville, with minimal adhesive residue. Heat is going to be a huge help to the process though, and if you can let the vehicle sit outside for a couple of hours on a sunny day first, all the better. In some cases, especially around tighter areas or along some edges, it's fairly common for an adhesion promoter to be used, and that most likely will leave some residue behind. Your process of compounding it off with a microfiber cutting pad should work fine here, too. With judicious use of heat you should be able to strip the whole vehicle in maybe 90 minutes (if all goes according to plan!).
            Michael Stoops
            Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

            Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

              Why not use a Foil Eraser ? http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/carolus-...250600-p149881, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnplRocybbk works very Fast and doesn't scratch the paint

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

                ^^ Looks good, but what does it do to the paint underneath?

                The paint would need correcting after that you'd think. Not a problem if you were going to do paint correction anyway I suppose...
                Originally posted by Blueline
                I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

                  I tried it on my aluminium rims and it didn't scratch the. On paint i tried it on a dirty car and it left some glue on it, but normaly it shouldn't scratch the paint.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Removing Vinyl Wrap / Decals.

                    It's been a long while since the project guys but here's the result...

                    The job ended up being a 'nightmare' of sorts for me. I found out the wrap had essentially lived out it's expected life of 3-5 years with a solid 4 of being on the Hummer. So right off the bat that created issues with it being VERY BRITTLE. The passenger side came off relatively 'easy' with moderate heat and patience. The drivers side? Not easy whatsoever. Wether I used heat, no heat, or prayed for a miracle nothing made that drivers side come clean easy. I'm pretty sure the way the client parks her vehicle at her home office, the drivers side bakes in the sun all day which I can only speculate helped it be such a hassle upon removal.

                    It took about two days worth of work to finish the vehicle top to bottom, which wasn't too awfully demanding aside from the wrap. I don't have after pictures as the evening we finished up the work our wonderful Ohio weather decided to open up and soak everything down, so I kept the vehicle under roof in the shop, and returned it first thing in the AM, she has a pretty hectic schedule this time of year but I will be maintaining it every two weeks to prevent it from getting too trashed in the future.

                    Before :


                    I'll definitely take a shot here in the next week when it's due for a cleaning, but at least I can give you an idea of what was on the thing to begin with...

                    As for those 'foil wheels' a neighbor that runs his own body shop dropped in on day two of the project and offered me one to use, it worked great on SMALL AREAS, notably the rear pieces that were next to the windows, I tried a spot on the rear drivers side door? I would never use it again on a large flat area, too much of a mess and residue left behind to clean up later. Just my two cents.
                    Everybody digs a nice clean car.

                    Comment

                    Previous template Next
                    Your Privacy Choices
                    Working...
                    X