haumana 1,221 Posted April 11, 2009 Hey all - is there a best practice to remove reflective vinyl? I just purchased a used vehicle and it has the original stealership reflective decal on the bumper. I started peeling it, but as with all reflective decals that I've come across, it tears into little itty-bitty size pieces and makes me kind of crazy. If I use a hair blow dryer, would that help or make it worse? The little bits that I've managed to peel off aren't leaving any adhesive back, which a miracle all by itself. Keep in mind that the vehicle was used, and from what I can tell, the decal probably sat in the sun everyday, and its been on the vehicle since 2003. Any advice would be appreciated. Mahalo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted April 11, 2009 Hey Haumana , How have ya been ? I bought a truck with reflective D.O.T. type vinyl decals . Those decals were the worst I have ever seen or had to take off . I tried the rubber wheels that go into a grinder ( wore out several wheels & didn't get the 12" X 12" decals off ) , soaked with alcohol & decal remover , heat gun etc & wound up sanding it off ( 80 grit ). It was right in the middle of the doors . I wound up feathering the edges out & putting a decal over the whle area instead of repainting the door/truck . It is VERY hard to heat up the decal enough without making the paint soft with some reflective vinyl . These decals had been on a long time & out in the sun . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firemalt 10 Posted April 11, 2009 Go to your local hardware store(island depot? ) and pickup a few different can of adhesive remover... just follow the directions for each product. Keep trying different ones, until you come across one that works for ya. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted April 11, 2009 Island Depot ... LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,221 Posted April 12, 2009 Mahalo guys! You crack me up! I have some 3M adhesive & wax remover, but I'm always wary about using that stuff around paint. Thank goodness that the decal I'm trying to remove is only about 6"x3", and not a huge 12"x12". I guess I'll suck it up and just pick it off in itty bitty bits ... that should only take a few hours, right? Hahahaha. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
