Detail trim tape won't come off

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cncwhiz

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Hi,

I'm new to this forum. I have a 94 Cadillac deville. The car is in very good condition. It does need detailing so I joined your forum to learn to detail my car correctly. My first order of things to do is the detail "tape" trim. The tape on one side of the car is 90% removed. It was not damaged by the sun and came off pretty good. On the other side of the car the tape seems to be burned on. Whatever I try to use to remove it, I can't remove any of it. What can I use to remove this tape sort of a sander and some 80 grit paper.

TIA
 
First, Welcome!

I'm no expert, but I'm sure somebody smarter than me will chime in with a good solution. Did you use regular masking tape or a painter's tape, and how long was it left on?

You could try goof off or goo gone, WD-40, or some mineral spirits. Perhaps some alcohol. Do a test spot first.
 
cncwhiz said:
Hi,

I'm new to this forum. I have a 94 Cadillac deville. The car is in very good condition. It does need detailing so I joined your forum to learn to detail my car correctly. My first order of things to do is the detail "tape" trim. The tape on one side of the car is 90% removed. It was not damaged by the sun and came off pretty good. On the other side of the car the tape seems to be burned on. Whatever I try to use to remove it, I can't remove any of it. What can I use to remove this tape sort of a sander and some 80 grit paper.

TIA
Click to expand...

For the love of God keep that 80 grit paper away from your paint/trim

3M makes an adhesive remover that will get that off. You're going to need a lot of patience dealing with this issue. If you choose to use tape again be sure it's a 5 day automotive tape

Keep us posted
 
Welcome to AutogeekOnline! :welcome:

cncwhiz said:
On the other side of the car the tape seems to be burned on. Whatever I try to use to remove it, I can't remove any of it.

What can I use to remove this tape sort of a sander and some 80 grit paper.

TIA
Click to expand...


You need something like what Flash mentioned to dissolve the adhesive WITHOUT at the same time harming the trim or the paint.


Whatever you use, be sure to wear some type of gloves to protect your skin.


You might have to dampen a cloth with adhesive remover and then hold the damp cloth against the tape to keep it wet and saturate it with the chemical otherwise it will simply flash off.



In this thread there's some pictures to give you some ideas... it will likely be a slow process but a good lesson learned...


Tips & Tricks: How to remove dried bug spatter or bug guts



Bug Spatter can actually eat through and remove paint if left on too long...
BugBGoneTest003.jpg
​



Tip: Water soften the dried bug guts and splatter with water first.

Trick: Use a towel to hold water in place on a vertical panel.​

Here's a tip I posted in 2005, the idea being to use the towel to hold the moisture onto the paint and thus the bug splatter where it can go to work softening and loosening the splatter. A large beach towel works well for this...

This was my Honda Pilot in our garage where I would also wash the garage because it's pretty hard to wash a car in the desert without the dry heat or the wind drying water before you can dry your car.

Take a wash rag and saturate it with water or your car wash solution.

2WetWashRag.jpg



Place the wet wash rag on top of the dried bug splatter and allow it to sit for a few minutes. A variation of this would be to use warm/hot water.

2WetWashRag2.jpg



To speed up the process, apply some gentle pressure while drinking a cold soft drink and if need be, hum or whistle a little diddy.

2WetWashRag3.jpg




A variation of the above but for a larger area would be to use a larger cloth such as a bath towel. Saturate a clean, soft 100% cotton towel with water and place it over the affected area.

2WetTowel1.jpg


Another variation for headlights and fenders...
2WetTowel2.jpg



Big Picture
The idea being to use some type of bath towel or microfiber towel or even wash cloth or wet chamois to trap and hold water onto the dried bug splatter in order to soften and re-liquefy it so you can more easily remove it without causing damage to the delicate, scratch-sensitive clear coat finish.

:xyxthumbs:
 
Wow thanks for all the prompt replies. The material that I am calling tape is the trip tape that was put on at the factory. I have used goo gone, 3M adhesive remover, wd 40 and I can't get any of it off. I has burned on to the car. I am game to try anything except 60 grit sandpaper.
 
cncwhiz said:
Wow thanks for all the prompt replies. The material that I am calling tape is the trip tape that was put on at the factory. I have used goo gone, 3M adhesive remover, wd 40 and I can't get any of it off. I has burned on to the car. I am game to try anything except 60 grit sandpaper.
Click to expand...


Have you tried hair blow dryer? Heat it up and peel it very s-l-o-w-l-y...


:)
 
I guess that I am not using the correct descriptions. Instead of a metal trip piece held on with metal clips, The used striping tape to define the body line.Wow you guys are great on this forum. I am on some other forums and I am lucky if I get a reply on the same day. You all make a newbie feel welcomed.
 
cncwhiz said:
I guess that I am not using the correct descriptions. Instead of a metal trip piece held on with metal clips, The used striping tape to define the body line.Wow you guys are great on this forum. I am on some other forums and I am lucky if I get a reply on the same day. You all make a newbie feel welcomed.
Click to expand...


Can you take a picture and insert it or attach it?

Even a cruddy cell phone picture would help...


:Picture:
 
Sounds like you are talking about pin stripes. If so, 3m makes an eraser wheel that you put into a cordless drill, this will take the pinstripe right off.
 
There is a saying I came up with not long ago that may apply to you....

'A picture is worth a 1000 words' :Picture:

Welcome to AGO Newbie


:)
 
He's talking about actual trim pieces. For instance, most vehicles come with some sort of "ding guards" about half way up the doors to protect the door from, you guessed it, dings! Some ding guards are fastened onto the door with clips; some with two sided tape. Whether the OP is talking about ding guards or another part, it's essentially the same concept. There's some two sided tape that's been on the vehicle since it was built, so depending on how old the car is, it could be pretty old. Regardless, he wants that tape off. Now, I've removed ding guards off of a vehicle and yes, it's going to take a bit of patience, no matter what you do. You can try dental floss or fishing wire to try and cut through the tape as close to the body as possible, assuming the trim piece is still attached to the car. If you've removed them already, you can try using your fingernail, plastic razor blades, or some other form of plastic spatula and either Goo Gone or some other form of adhesive remover. Don't let the adhesive remover sit on the paint for long periods of time. Once an area of adhesive is removed, rinse that spot clean of the adhesive remover. Proceed until finished.

Just know that, depending on the age of the vehicle, that paint underneath the adhesive may look much better than the surrounding paint, or possibly worse if you had to get pretty aggressive with the adhesive removal. You may find yourself wanting to polish those areas out, if not the entire vehicle to obtain your desired results.

Hope this helps! :props:
 
i think he is talking about painted on pinstripes also. 3m eraser wheel and some polish afterwards and your fixed. unless they are vinyl, then use a heat gun and pull very slowly
 
Until the pictures happen no one really knows what he is describing, I know I'm lost.
 
Here are the pictures of the stripe tape I was referring to. The white/ gray stripe is the small amount The other picture with the brown/ straw color stripe is the one I can not remove.
 
Since this is the actual pinstripe adhesive that's baked on you might need something stronger like lacquer thinner or enamel reducer, something along those lines.

Caution: These solvents are strong might affect the paint if it's not factory. I'd try the enamel reducer first and see if it has any affect on the residue.

Sanding

Apply masking tape to each side of the stripe to protect the finish because what you're after is the residue between them. Try wet sanding and use 400 grit course MAXIMUM on a hard block. If you think 400 is too course then go to 600 grit and proceed slowly.

Let us know how you make out....
 
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