How to remove old decals from car

Car decals are stickers placed usually on the rear bumper or glass to show some sort of message to drivers around them. These stickers can show support to a political candidate, demonstrate school spirit for a college they attended, or even just display which type of dog they have as a pet. However, you may be regretting putting the decal on or are buying a used car covered in these stickers. How do you remove these stickers without damaging the paint? The process is a little complex, but very doable.

[ READ MORE: Importance of Waxing your Car ]

Steps to Remove Car Stickers without Damaging Paint

1. Clean the area surrounding the sticker. It’s best to make sure there is no debris in the way as you start removing your sticker. We recommend taking the vehicle through a car wash before you start as it will clean the area and the heat of the water will help loosen the glue.
2. Heat the sticker to loosen the adhesive. Using a hairdryer, use the highest heat setting and heat the middle of the sticker. Wait a few seconds, then heat the edges of the sticker. Make sure the hairdryer never touches the sticker or paint, as this can leave a mark behind.
3. Use a credit card to lift the edges of the sticker. Fingernails can also work, but the card will job the job just fine. If the sticker is stuck to the glass, you can use a razor blade if the credit card doesn’t work. Never use the blade if the sticker is on the paint, as it will damage your vehicle.
4. Keep lifting the sticker until it is 
   
   completely off. If the decal breaks as you do this, don’t worry. It is normal for this to happen.
5. Clean the area after the sticker is removed. Oftentimes, residue from the glue will be left behind. You can remove this by using special adhesive remover with a clean cloth and gently rubbing. You’ll likely only need a few drops of the solution, so add as necessary.

For more tips and tricks like this, follow the Auto Simple blog! Do you have advice on removing a car decal based off your experience that may be different than what we recommend? Let us know in the comments below!

We all know what it’s like to have a required sticker on your vehicle windshield that needs to be changed every year or every few years. It can be a pain to get those stickers off your window. Fortunately, here are five ways to remove stickers from your car windshield.

Read more: How to get bumper stickers off your car

1. Window cleaner

Spray window cleaner on the sticker, use a razor blade to chip away at it, and pull the sticker up slowly. Spray, chip, pull, and repeat until the sticker is fully removed.

2. Rubbing alcohol

Apply rubbing alcohol to the sticker and wait a few minutes before peeling away from the glass. Use a razor blade if necessary.

3. Goo Gone

Goo Gone’s main purpose is removing stickers and sticker residue. Spray some on your sticker, wait a little bit, and you should have no problem removing the sticker.

4. Ice

Hold an ice pack over the sticker for a few minutes to cool off the adhesive. Then, use a razor blade to remove the sticker.

5. WD-40

Remove as much of the sticker as you can. Then, spray WD-40 on the sticker and let it soak in for a few minutes. Use a damp cloth to wipe off the rest of the sticker.

Is it safe to use a razor blade on my car?

Yes, it is safe to use a razor blade to remove a sticker from your car windshield or window. If you scrape at an angle and the blade isn’t dull, you shouldn’t leave any scratches or marks. On the other hand, you should never use a razor blade on other parts of your vehicle since it can ruin the paint.

If you have questions about removing stickers from your car windshield or are unable to do so, feel free to get in touch with our team at Toyota Vacaville, and we will take care of it for you.

Removing decals might seem like a straight forward and simple task to the casual observer. With an endless array of vinyl graphics and stickers that can be found on vehicles, many people find themselves faced with the challenge to remove decals.

There are numerous reasons a person is presented with the need or want to remove decals of all kinds. Either to replace an old decal with a new one, or to simply remove the existing decal that no longer serves its original purpose, or has simply become old and worn out.

Like everything else in life, decals are not all created equally. With that being said, the decal removal process can be reduced down to 4 essential steps of the process for virtually every decal removal project.

The Many Shapes and Sizes

With modern advances in production, vehicle wraps and decals are only limited by one's imagination. Just a few years ago, advertising on vehicles was limited to single color, die-cut vinyl graphics.

3M Stripe Off Wheel 07498, 4" Diameter x 5/8" Width, 3/8" Mandrel, Beige (Pack of 1)

• The exact tool I have been using over 10 years
• I have tried other decal removal tools, but none perform like the 3M

Darren's Tips: I have tried other decal removal tools and they simply do not perform like the 3M stripe off wheel.

A few of the other tools (even the expensive air tools) can remove the decal quicker, but it also creates a bigger mess that must now be cleaned up. Only the 3M tool removes the decal or double-sided tape and leaves a very thin adhesive residue that I then use my adhesive remover on.

Darren's Warning: I do not know exactly where you are attempting to remove decals. Not only are decals themselves unique (different colors age and degrade at different rates, decal vinyl in various thicknesses, decals in various widths, different types of vinyl, etc.), but the the material the decal you want to remove will be unique:

• Car paint
• Car glass
• Rubber window trim
• Bumpers
• Etc.

The 3M eraser tool can be used in every situation with a strong caution when it comes to rubberized materials on a car (think of window gaskets), or on plastic body panels/accessories or car panels that are not metal:

• Front and rear bumpers
• Some rear, license plate light holders
• Rear deck spoilers
• Wheel well arch trim

Because the 3M stripe off wheel uses friction to grab and peel the decal off, this same friction can also peel the paint off the plastic panel/accessory. It can be done, but I reduce the drill motor to a very low speed and test in an inconspicuous spot to begin with, as well as carefully watch as I go.

25 Plastic Double Edged Razor Blade and Titan Razor Scraper

Most people are not even aware that plastic razor blades even exist. These blades made from plastic will prove effective in many situations in removing decals from most surfaces.

• Can be used safely on most surfaces including car paint
• Effective for scraping decals during the removal process if you are using a heat gun
• Also effective at removing the adhesive residue once the adhesive has been softened up with the adhesive remover
• When removing decals from glass, a traditional steel razor blade can be safely used
  

Darren's Tips: There are many steps for complete decal removal. Each step requires you to finesse the situation for desired results.

These plastic razor blades will prove very effective and greatly reduce your aggravation when removing decals.

There are two stages where the above plastic razors can prove particularly helpful:

• sometimes a decal can be removed by super-heating it and scraping it off with one of these plastic razors instead of using the 3M Stripe Off wheel
• Some adhesive residue will be particularly thick. when this adhesive begins to break down, the razor blades are great at scraping off the softened glue adhesive
• While these razor blades are made of plastic, you still have the potential to cause unwanted damage to painted surfaces. using them cautiously still remains necessary.

Wagner Spraytech 0503008 HT1000 Heat Gun, 2 Temp Settings 750ᵒF & 1000ᵒF, soften paint, caulking, adhesive, putty for removal, shrink wrap, bend plastic pipes, and loosen rusted nuts or bolts

• An economical and effective heat gun
• Equipped with (2) heat settings for greater versatility

Darren's Tips: Like many tools, regardless of the tools capabilities, you as the user remain largely in control. This means that despite how hot this heat gun gets, you can control how aggressively you heat up the surface.

If using a heat gun in removing decals for the first time, you will need to experiment as to how hot, and how long the decal you are removing will be required to be heated up.

If you are using the 3M Stripe Off wheel, you will not need to heat up the decal at all. If you are trying to finesse the decal off with your fingers, then warming the decal just enough to release the adhesive is all that will be wanted.

If the decal proves impossible to heat and peel, you can attempt to heat the decal to the point where it begins to fully soften and then proceed to scrape both the decal and most of the adhesive with it.

RAPID REMOVER Adhesive Remover for Vinyl Wraps Graphics Decals Stripes 32oz Sprayer

As I have said, I have tried many types of adhesive removers that will always be a must when removing decals for the underlying adhesive. But ultimately I just haven't found one with all the winning benefits of the Rapid Remover:

• Non-toxic (no harsh or dangerous chemicals)
  
• Water-soluble (This is especially helpful)
• Simply works better than any of the others I have tried
• Also an amazing grease cutter that I can use on fabrics, cloth, carpeting, etc.

Darren's Tips: Most tutorials on removing decals will forget one last critical step that many of you will face once you think you have safely and successfully removed the decals from your vehicle:

During the adhesive removal process, often you will create abrasions on the paint surface through hasty and aggressive rubbing in trying to remove the last bit of adhesive.

For this reason I am adding this link to my other site that is designed with the absolute beginner in mind when trying to polish your car. It is called Polish Cars

Last Words of Advice

Darren's Important Tips: Removing decals is an undertaking many people are willing to try themselves. This is usually a result of (2) things:

• Save money by removing decals themselves
• Underestimating the various steps involved
• Underestimating the possible challenges of each step
  

From business owners looking to retire a company vehicle, updating a new logo, to removing old parking passes, the job can get out of hand quickly.

Most people do not fully appreciate the numerous steps required in removing decals, nor fully appreciate the ability of each step to present unique challenges.

I do not say all this as a way to discourage you from doing it, I simply do so help you be more prepared with the right tools as well as the right attitude. I have seen far too many situations of people attempting to remove decals themselves based on zero experience, limited understanding, and in their casual attempt at removing decals, becoming quickly frustrated and hasty.

Here are my final tips of concern based on my years of experience:

• People getting impatient and rush the removal process using damaging techniques.
• Each step of the decal removal process must be approached as a separate job: equip yourself with the right tool, and equip yourself with the right mental fortitude with the understanding that you do not know at the beginning, the time and effort required, which means applying the appropriate patience
• Light colored car or surfaces are always easiest to work on and to achieve acceptable results
• Darker colored paints and surfaces will require more finessing each step of the way as dark colored paints and surfaces always show imperfections and damages more than light colored surfaces
• Be prepared to polish the surface if you are working on car paint when you have completed the removing of the decals (this will serve a few purposes: to "blend" the surrounding areas in to the surface that has been covered by the decals. To remove unwanted abrasions you may have introduced during the decal removal process
  

I hope this page will help you remove the decals from whatever you are removing them from in a much more timely and safer manner.

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