Anybody have a tip to remove this residue from the paint?

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Hi guys,
So my girlfriend saw me get all my new detailing stuff in the mail and is begging me to try it all on her car. She got this car about a year ago and on the back of the trunk there is residue from a sticker the previous owner must have had on the paint. I have tried all the basic removers but cant seem to get it to come off. It is not sticky at all. Very rough to the touch and dry. The car is pretty swirled up so I have the porter cable and bought the wolfgang swirl kit to use on the car. Should I wet sand the area( what # should I start and end with) and then pull out the sanding marks using the wolfgang kit? Any tips of tricks are very much appreciated. :xyxthumbs:
 
Try an adhesive remover (make sure its auto paint safe).. let it dwell per recommendation of manufacture, wipe off with warm damp towel

heat the area and try to wipe off with mf towel

if you have the mf disc you could try getting em out like that

i would stay away from sanding
 
It is very possible that what you are seeing is etched clear. I have seen stickers (with what I assume is a low pH adhesive) etch and actually raise the clear to the touch. Certainly give a product like goo-gone or WD-40 a chance. If you get no result at all, it is likely damaged clear.
 
Sometimes the UVA/B hardens the adhesive to the point that careful wet sanding of the adhesive is necessary to allow the solvent carrier to work. Abrade enough to allow the solvent to work on the remaining adhesive. Make sense?
 
First thing I would try: aggressive adhesive remove like Goo Gone or something like TarX. A little but it heat from a heat gun may help. 3M adhesive remover is another option.

Second thing I would try: mineral spirits (Use sparingly, wipe on with a gloves finger, agitate gently with finger for a minute)

Third thing I would try would be clay, then aggressive clay. Clay works by abrasion, and is much safer than wet sanding. Also, you won't need a PTG to do it safely. I imagine aggressive clay would work after many passes and substance is softened from mineral spirits.

Fourth thing I would try is to compound it off with an aggressive 3" pad.

Last thing I would think of trying is sanding it off. Always try least aggressive method first. You don't want to just go at something with sandpaper unless its absolutely 100% necessary on clear coat paint.
 
Currently I am also facing the same problem. I read out interesting and informative ideas. This will be helpful for me. thanks everyone...
 
thank you all for the ideas! I have tried most of the basic stuff, goo gone, mineral spirits. Maybe I'll try some clay or try and heat it up. Just afraid to hurt the paint.
 
I think I would agree that sometimes these stickers do etch clear coat And a Glass. I did one car a few years ago. Neighbor wanted sticker off rear passenger window. Sticker came off easy but under sticker was the etching of the sticker design. He even tried a razor blade.
 
Hmm...the sticker was removed before she got the car. I tried pretty much every product thus far that is not too aggressive. Goo gone, mineral spirits even clay. Nothing is taking it off.

I know wet sanding is not the best option but could it be done lightly to even just make the area less noticeable. you can easily feel the sticker left over when rubbing your hand over the area. It is not flush with the surrounding area at all.

If you guys think I should give the wet sanding a try start with what # and end with what #? I have the wolfgang swirl and glaze package and portercable which should remedy the wet sanding when done from what I have read.

Thanks
 
Looking at the pic closely, seems that the portion closest to the light has an area not defined by glue. Have you finger rubbed this area with compound to see if it's even correctable.
Starting to see CRyan's point of view.

 
I was afraid that might be the case.. I tried to rub the area today with compound and nothing changed. Looks like I might have to tell her to live with it or cover it with a new sticker.
 
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