How to Remove Dealer Decal Letters

J

johnsonsteve

New member
Do you guys have a method for safely removing dealer decals/sticker letters and remove sticker residue from the back door. I would like to remove the Toyota dealership sticker letters and the residue from the back of my 4runner but I don't want to ruin the paint or scratch it in any way. It looks like the carmax letters. It is about 20 individual letters... They have been on for 9 years now so I don't know if that matters at all.

Would Goo Gone be safe on the paint/clear coat to remove the sticker residue? I really don't want to ruin it.

Thanks for any help!

Here is what it looks like. Its above the TOYOTA logo on the left. It says Auto Gallery.

http://images.cars.com/supersized/DMI/191573/4U485A/06.jpg
 
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You are lucky it is not riveted on. if it is a plate, heat that sucker up and use floss or string. if its stickers, heat them up, peel them off and use goo-be-gone. that orange "stuff" to remove the residue. you will probably have faded outlines since those letters have been on for so long.

Good luck!

Edit: yes I used goo be gone to remove paint off of my mazda after a bucket fell out of a pickup on the freeway infront of me. i have also used the stuff to get off splatter from road tar. Came off like a charm
 
Uh, that I am not sure. But a place to start: the fade damage will be to your clear coat and not your paint. you may be able to buff it out depending on severity. i would try clay bar and wax. Thats where i would start; I would stay clear of hard chemicals that "fix" your clearcoat because lot of them do just the opposite
 
I recall someone in the 2nd gen forum worked for a detailer and they buffed it out with some different kinds of oils, mineral oils IIRC.

I used the 3M Magic Eraser to get my 2nd gen's stripes off....even after 20 years, there wasnt any fade. I do wash quite often, but a lot of the time the perceived fade is actually residual goo or oil from the adhesive.
 
ask [MENTION=87687]LTDSC[/MENTION]

for stickers from a dealer, i use windex and a very sharp razor blade. i have never scratched the paint and they come off like theres no adhesive. but use that method at your own risk
 
For the record; my 1994's paint has not faded, is of better quality, and the clear coat is still gorgeous. My mazda, 2006, TREATED EVEN BETTER has her clearcoat peeling. My sisters 2006 explorer is peeling as well. My dads 2014 Heep Rubi (dont tell him I called it that) has great paint but not as thick/durable as mine. Plainly they don't make paint like they use to.. hippies:hippie:


Carmax stickers off my mazda peeled off with nothing but my finger nail and left no marks
 
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I just did this to my '07. The emblems came off pretty easy, but the glue was still left behind. Goo Gone did absolutely nothing to get that glue off. For that, I heated it up with a hair dryer and slowly peeled it off with my finger (didn't want to try any kind of knife or razor that might scratch the paint). Once the glue is off, you can buff that area, but the safest process is,

(i) wash with dishwashing soap or something with a degreasing agent to remove any old wax residue,
(ii) clay bar to remove any contaminants from the paint (you don't want the buffer to pick those up and spread them around scratching the paint any),
(iii) buff with ultra cutting compound (I still had a little glue residue that needed to come off),
(iv) buff with finishing compound (this is what blends whatever you cut in step iii with the rest of the paint or clearcoat).

In the right light, I could still see a very slight outline from the old letters but only if I was looking for it and had a flashlight shining on it at just the right angle.
 
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WD 40 will soften up the adhesive and then just rub them off with a towel. Not advised if you plan on doing any paint work soon but works great for clean sticker removal.
 
I debadged my 03' 4Runner using a heat gun and WD40. With the badges being on for 11+ years my trunk lid has bad outlines of the badges. Took it to 2 body shops and one detail shop to see if they can blend it...no luck. Buffing and eraser wheels with hard and soft compound didn't work. So just a FYI.
 
I peeled the dealer decal off mine. I used my fingernail to get it started, then most of the letters peeled off without much residue. I think I rubbed the rest of the adhesive off with my fingers. The whole process took about 30 minutes, but it's worth it not to give the dealer a free advertisement. There is a slight outline still visible, but only if you look for it, and it's way better than the decal. If it bothers you, just get a Hybrid badge or something to cover it up!
 
I will add another vote for wd40. I am sure the glue remover works fine, but at least with wd40 you can use what is left over for other purposes.

Paint fade should be a concern. Especially on reds. Personally I would rather have a little bit of shadow from removed letters than leave them on. I have never understood why people let dealers advertise on their car. I make it a habit of after the deal is done and ready to sign that my last demand is for them to remove their advertising.
 
We add and remove vinyl lettering on the race car all the time. We use a hair dryer (it is a bit less aggressive than a heat gun), a plastic bondo spreader (nice and soft on the paint but some stiffness when you need it) and then WD40 and a towel to remove any glue residue. Been doing this for 20 years and never a problem with the paint.
 
Here is what I do. Remove the letters with my fingernail (It helps if the weather is warm or the rear of the car has been in the sun). If there is any residue left I use WD-40 or 3M adhesive remover (if I have any). Next use Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and a soft cloth to buff out the paint difference if there is any. I have used Ultimate Compound for the past 5 years and the stuff is awesome. It is not abrasive enough to damage the paint.
 
Yeah I have not done it yet because it is so cold outside. I want to wait for a sunny day and I guess I will wash the car first. It is filthy right now. It is silver so hopefully that helps and there are not any shadows or paint discoloration from under the stickers. I wash it at least every month so in between the letters should be fine.
 
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