gmddecals

Customer's decal falling off windshield in rain

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Please help, I am unsure what to do about this. I have a customer who has a vinyl decal that she says she applied to a clean winshield in 60 degree weather. Today it is raining and her decal is falling off like crazy. She sent me this photo:

 

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I have never seen this before. I have had the same vinyl on my own car (Oracal 351 and Greenstar) for over 2 years with no problems in rain or with back wiper.

 

What could be causing this?

 

Thanks so much!

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did she clean it well with alcohol before applying?  ever used rain-x  and a wiper will mess with them but usually not for quite a while . . .

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Okay I will ask her about the rain x. The white vinyl is Greenstar and the mint is Oracal 351. Thanks for your help! 

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Okay thank you! :) I think I am just going to have to send her a new one and tell her she has to clean the windshield with rubbing alcohol to ensure maximum stick. Thanks!!

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I've only had one complaint about a decal coming off of a vehicle window. The person installed it one evening, then the temperature dropped like a lead balloon and the decal must have still had some moisture behind it and started coming off. I also state in the instructions to clean with water, no chemical cleaners, & I include an alcohol prep pad.

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I do back windows with wipers all the time and that doesn't happen. My vote is for RainX on the glass. Tell them to clean with alcohol and when doing a really stubborn one wax and grease remover helps.

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Agreed, Jay... I havn't had a problem with rear wipers either. However, if you have poor adhesion, the wipers are gonna agrevate the problem.

Also, most amatuers dont realize the vinyl has micro bubbles of adhesive. They may squeegee it down thinking that initial tack

is what secures the decal... As you well know, it takes the edge pressure of the cheese to securely adhere the decal.

There's more to it than just a quick swipe over it with minimal pressure.

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I have never seen vinyl do that if it was properly installed. never.

and Skarekrow..what is this about cheese?

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It's what the vinyl techs call the squeegee... at least around here.

From the old yellow one's we used to get... they resembled a slice of cheese that was left out and gotten stiff.

Goes way back, we were saying that nearly 30 years ago. (Damn, I'm gettin' old)

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oh well, easier to spell than squeegee I guess. Never heard that one down here.

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Rapid Prep from Rapid Tac will strip off road grime, Rain X and just about anything else that will interfere with vinyl adhesion.

 

I buy it by the gallon and fill small (30 mL) plastic spray bottles (available for $0.60 in qty) and sell that ($2) along with decals and make that part of my warranty.  If you don't buy my cleaner, then I don't warranty the installation.

 

One of my first sales I told the customer to make sure the glass was clean (I forgot to say "and dry") and so they tried to install while the car was still dripping wet from a car wash - that most likely had a silicon or wax spray, because 90%+ of the decal wouldn't release from the application tape... 

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Did anyone notice he (or she) is using oracal 351 and greenstar?

 

If I was you I'd get some oracal 651 or 751.   Greenstar is ok but the 2 oracal types I've listed have a proven track record of holding up better then greenstar. 

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Yeah I was confused on why they would be using 351 myself. And greenstar I wouldnt use personally either. I use it for shipping tape and testing only. especially around a wiper like that.

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Yeah I was confused on why they would be using 351 myself. And greenstar I wouldnt use personally either. I use it for shipping tape and testing only. especially around a wiper like that.

 

Although I agree with you - it's interesting that the Greenstar (white) is actually staying on better than the Oracal (mint green)...

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I would say, what ever they cleaned with is the cause or it has been Rain X'd. If you look the center is beading like crazy and the edges are not.. just my 2 cents

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